Search Results for: blog the junie b jones books barbara park

Great Books for Ten-Year-Old Girls

My co-author for this blog is my ten-year-old daughter, Caryn. She’s been reading a lot this year and we’d like to share with you some of the books that she has enjoyed the most. 1. “The Pixie Tricks” series by Tracey West. Violet Briggs is given the job of tricking pixies who have escaped from the Otherworld and come into ours. Her helper in this quest is Sprite, a green pixie who has been given the title of Royal Pixie Tricker by Queen Mab. (Click here for a complete review) Caryn says: “Pixie Tricks are very fun books. It’s well … Continue reading →

The Good, the Bad, and the Inappropriate: Banning Books from Your Child’s School Library

I first started thinking about this issue when Tristi Pinkston wrote a review of the Junie B. Jones books. One commenter felt like Junie’s grammar was atrocious and so she wasn’t thrilled her daughter was reading them, but I feel like they will eventually be part of the ‘modern classics’ along with Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. Then I read an article about a mother who is apparently engaged in a fight with the Georgia Board of Education to remove the popular Harry Potter books claiming that they encourage witch craft among young children. Here comes my dilemma. While I … Continue reading →

Junie B. Jones and Captain Underpants, Too!

In the comment trail for my review on Junie B. Jones, Valorie and Rex each left a comment that sparked an idea in my mind for this blog. Thanks, guys! Rex commented on the bad grammar used in the series, and Valorie replied that it was vernacular, and that many of the great classics were written using a vernacular. I would like to agree with both of you, and then to tell all of our readers the particular reason why I find this vernacular to be useful in my family. As you have probably noticed, we’re a homeschooling family. Each … Continue reading →

Author Review – Barbara Park

Barbara Park is the wildly popular author of the Junie B. Jones series for young readers. While she has written other books, Junie B. will always be her claim to fame, with a whopping total of 26 Junie titles. She lives in Arizona with her husband, and they are the parents of two grown sons. She has received over 40 awards for her books, including 25 Children’s Choice Awards. The idea for Junie B. came from a character Barbara had created earlier named Molly Vera Thompson, who appears in the book “The Kid in the Red Jacket.” Barbara had so … Continue reading →

The Junie B. Jones Books – Barbara Park

Junie B. Jones is one of the most popular children’s book series of all time. I asked one fan, my daughter Caryn, what it is about Junie B. Jones that makes her so appealing to children. Caryn said: “She is funny and a lot of the time I can understand why she does things. Even though she’s a little misbehaved, she’s still very cute and very funny. She is always trying new things. You’ll have to read the book; it’s very fun!” The premise behind Junie B. is simple: she’s an ordinary kid, in an ordinary school, facing ordinary problems. … Continue reading →

Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Television Dog – David Adler

Finding books that bridge the gap between picture books and chapter books is sometimes a challenge. My own children loved the Cam Jansen books. They are short mysteries that have a black and white drawing every few pages. The books are fast reads and make great bridge books for children as they move from picture books to longer stories. It’s also nice to get children interested in a series. Cam Jansen’s real name is Jennifer Jansen. She earned the nickname “Camera” when people found out about her amazing photograph memory. “Camera” got shorted to “Cam”. She even says “click” when … Continue reading →

The First Lady’s First Children’s Book

Tack on a new line to first lady Laura Bush’s resume: children’s book author. According to news reports, the former public school teacher and librarian is collaborating with her daughter Jenna on a picture book for kids, which is due to be released early next year. Bush, known for her love of books told reporters that authoring the new venture is a dream come true, especially since it will be a family affair. “I am delighted to have the opportunity to partner with one of my favorite teachers, my daughter Jenna, to write a children’s book – and to have … Continue reading →