Junie B. Jones is all grown up, technically speaking, because the first book by Arizona author Barbara Park featuring the lively kindergartner debuted in 1992. But she’ll live forever as a lovable, loud kindergartner and first-grader.
Let’s make believe she’s actually 25 or so, and probably doing what most mid-20-somethings are doing: looking for a job and/or working at unpaid internships with a part-time job at Trader Joe’s or Starbucks.
Maybe she’s working on her own book, an eBook titled Junie B. Jones says, “Hey, thanks for ruining the economy — now I get to live at home again.”
Barbara Park has written many books that kids love to read. In Junie B. she captures the unfiltered voice and honest attitude of childhood that kids like to read about and adults wish they could reclaim.
In 2009, Vicki Balint interviewed Park for our “A Conversation with…” feature article and podcast, Wowee Wowee Wow! Wait till you hear this!.
The 20th Anniversary edition of Junie B. Junes and the Stupid Smelly School Bus (Random House, 2012) has bonus, behind-the-scenes content by Park and illustrator Denise Brunkus. Park is interviewed by Junie B. and Brunkus shows the steps she goes through to draw Junie B.
And of course there is a Junie B. Jones website, juniebjones.com as well as a Junie B. Jones Facebook page.
