Junie B. Jones's First Boxed Set Ever! (Junie B. Jones Series)

Can't believe so popular!

Just received as a gift for my 5 yo and while we were reading I was shocked at the number of times "dumb, stupid and shut-up were used" I know my daughter has and will hear and probably use these words someday but she doesn't need to hear them over and over at 5. There are so many great books out there, I can't believe these are so sought after.

16 out of 19 people found this review helpful.

An often misunderstood book

Where to begin with Junie B. She is a delightfully real 5yo girl. I don't know if moms of only boys can really grasp that (I have both), but girls go through powerful NEGATIVE emotions at a very early age, and get labeled for them as bratty, or mean, or unruly, much faster than boys do. Girls get angry and jealous and territorial, but also frustrated and frightened and hurt to depths that I would not have believed had I not had the absolute pleasure and horror of raising one.
I'm amazed at how many parents leaving negative reviews for these books fail so completely at seeing these books for what they are, a most perfect teaching opportunity: grammar, inappropriate words, but most importantly how to handle the negative side of life.
Junie B. is not meant to teach little girls how to behave "properly", that's your job Mom! Junie B. is here to reassure that negative feelings are normal, that everyone has them, and that everyone reacts to them. Junie B. tells us how hard it is to know right from wrong, yet how easy to get hurt OR to hurt others. Junie B. is the girl who makes mistakes (and gets disciplined), the girl who draws her own conclusions. She actually has a very good understanding of who she is, as good as a 5yo ever can, but also realizes her need to look to grown ups for guidance.
So, please read these books understanding that the best role models are the real ones, and to the mom of the 5yo boy who reads like a 7yo but can't be exposed to Junie B., I just want to say: Junie Bs are everywhere and he has already met her.

13 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

We had to stop reading these...

My 5 year old and I began reading these together. On more than one occasion we actually laughed at the same things. But while Junie B Jones is very honest and obviously "smart for her age", she is also very sassy and outwardly rebellious wherever she goes. She seems quick to lose control of her mouth and temper. This is not a standard for children of this age or necessary to be funny. A red flag went up on the very first book, but I was excited about sharing this reading experience with my daughter, so I ignored it and tried to edit as I read.but it only got worse. My daughter has thought it funny to act and talk like Junie B. even though she's spending a lot more time in the corner.

We used this as a perfect example of having to be careful of who you hang out with and even what you're reading, seeing with your eyes, or hearing with your ears. We were only a handful of books in and even my daughter see's the effect it's had on her! So, to help her stay out of trouble, we're going to be polite, but stop hanging out with the Junie B books, and find some other fun but good kids to read about. We aren't looking for perfect kids but at least better, influentially. It's the right thing to do. and my daughter is perfectly capable to understand and appreciate what we're doing and why. After all, I have to sever the ties right along with her.

I see that my opinion is against the grain but here's my bottom line: Barbara Park has been given a gift for writing to this age--especially bridging the generation gap in humor, wow. She was indeed influential on both me and my daughter. Unfortunately, with her defiant spin on Junie B., that was also her downfall in our home. I would love to read something by this author, for the same age range, with the same honesty and humor, but without the cynicism. Why can't Junie B. be better disciplined?

I'm considering "The Cul-de-Sac Kids", or some of the Carolyn Haywood books.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

No for the conservative

I bought this set for my 6 year old daughter who is in Kindergarten because she is into chapter books now. I am a middle school English teacher, so I know the importance of connecting to characters. I believed Junie B would be perfect for my daughter. She really enjoys reading these. We are a pretty liberal family, but I still have to remind her that some of the things Junie says aren't nice words to say out loud. If you are conservative, these books are probably not the books for you.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great learning opportunity

Our son is eight and we love the series. I have read reviews here that say the books are wonderful (I agree) and others that say they are terrible. I understand the negative reviews. I agree that the behaviour in the books is less than desirable---but rather than throw the books in the garbage as one reviewer did, I use them as a learning tool--are Junie's actions the best choice? What other choices did Junie have? Why didn't she choose another reaction? What happened because of her choices? And the most important one--how did her choices impact others? Yes, we can throw them in the garbage and say they are not worth anything, or we can use them to our advantage. My wife, son, mother-in-law and I find them very funny as well as educational. Every book has a lesson in it for a child. How many times can the entire family laugh together and learn something at the same time? We all have to choose how to react in life---which is the best reaction? Life is all about choices and I choose Junie B. Jones! Get one from the local library and make up your own mind, think about it and then decide.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

My son loves these books!!!

If you teach your child right from wrong you won't have to worry about them reading these books. My son is in first grade and reads at a third grade level yet he loves these books and knows that they are just stories. Encourage your children to read. Trust that the tools you have given them will influence them, not a silly book.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great book for 4-6

I know a lot of people dislike these books b/c of the words that she uses and the way she explains things, but I believe they are cute and it really is how some kids hear things and understand them. My 5 year old reads these over and over and just laughs. When she gets to something mean, or the word stupid or when Junie B says something incorrectly, she just looks at me and says that it is a word we don't use, or that is so silly, or something a long the lines of that isn't right. Kids are smart, they know what you told them as opposed to what they read. Give them a chance to have a good laugh and make sure they know it is just a story and you don't do some of the things in the book.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Junie b. Jones is so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is one of the best books you will ever read because it has adventure and thing that you can learn about youself.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

my daughter loves this series

In Kindergarten my daughter was read some of the Junie B Jones books by her teacher. We decided to purchase our own books so that we could enjoy reading about Junie at home; she's quite a character!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

We love Junie B. Jones!

My daughter owns boxed sets 1-4. Junie B. Jones stories are smart and funny and excellent for kindergartners. She loves reading these books, it keeps her interested, and she always comes by to tell me what Junie B. Jones did, if she listened or not. Kids can definitely relate. Love it !!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great stories for 8 year olds

My daughter is an avid reader at bedtime. She had just piled through the Ivy and Bean series and wanted more such stories. Junie has been a perfect replacement. My daughter loves the books and will read nearly a whole book in one night. Entertaining, funny and full of naughty adventure. Perfect:)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Do not read Junie B Jones, for your child's sake

This series was recommended to me by another parent, as a good female protagonist that I should introduce to my 5 year old son. She said that boys should have exposure to "strong" female characters. I am glad I only bought the first 2 books in the series. After reading the first book, I decided to give another try with book #2, only to be disappointed (really, disgusted) yet again. The character is a mean and self-centered brat (with horrible grammar) that I do NOT want my child to emulate. I certainly do not want him to think that this girl is a good role model for young girls. My son is in kindergarten like Junie, but he can read at the 2nd-3rd grade level and corrected every error in the book as we read it together. At first he laughed at the incorrect words she used, but eventually became overwhelmed with the frequency of errors, not to mention the negative comments she used. (Unfortunately, I could not skip the words "stupid" or "dumb" that ran incessantly through this book since my child can read). I was completely astounded at the negative, spiteful personality that so many others seem to think is funny or endearing. I would love to know what the author was thinking when writing these books, and if she thinks she is making a positive impact in the lives of young girls. Perhaps Junie changes through the series and becomes a little less nasty, but I will not read any more of these books to my son, and have strongly discouraged the parents of his friends (especially the girls) from reading these books.

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Happy reader!

My grandson has most of the series. The ones he received at Christmas he had read in a week.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

we both laugh - love these books!

my daughter knows most of the time when something is "said" incorrectly in the book - and we both get a good laugh out of it. I find these books entertaining myself - no one says everything correctly the first time - Junie B is learning right along with your child.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A brat

I find Junie B to be a bit spoiled... but my daughter wants to learn to read since "stupid" (which is a no-no in our house) is written so often. Sometimes funny, other times annoying. It wasn't what I expected.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Your kids are smarter than you think

Your children are smart, if you are raising them right they know JB is a brat and would never act like her. This is what makes reading fun using your imagination and living through fictional characters. I've never wanted to go out and do anything I've read in books - i.e kill someone, solve a mystery, become a wizard. Any series that gets your kids hooked on reading is a good thing. My daughter was hooked on JB in Kindergarten - for my son it was Sponge Bob, they both love reading and are reading at above grade level. This is all that matters. I wish these books were around when I was starting to read.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

The narrator in these books is a five year old girl, that's why

The narrator in these books is a five year old girl, that's why the grammar and sentence structure is bad. Do you honestly expect five year old children to write like James Patterson? Also, these books aren't degrading to the intelligence of children. Five year old kids really do talk that way. Walk into a kindergarten classroom and I'm sure you'll hear a plethora of "bad" words come out of their mouth. I read all of the Junie B. Jones series when I was a little kid, and I still respected my teachers, I still respected my parents, and I still respected my friends. This book isn't meant to be taken seriously. If you're taking it seriously, you need to loosen up a little.

I Learned to Read on These

When I was in first grade, I started reading the Junie B. Jones series. I really liked reading them, but now, and then, I knew that she is one misbehaving child! This didn't cause me to be a naughty kid myself, so I can't tell you that it will make you or your child bad (I think for this age group it will be at least mostly parents, siblings, grandparents, and other family members & friends) but I will warn you that it COULD cause bad behavior among children. I am planning to recommend these to my little sister next year or the next, because we own lots of these and they are good to teach kids how to read. I don't have much to say, so I will leave it at that.

LOVE JUNIE B JONES BOOKS

I have to say that my 6 year old loves Junie B Jones even my husband likes the books.. He cant wait to see what she does next.. The books are really cute and funny..

Happy moments....

The Junie B. Jones series gave my daughters and I many enjoyable evenings. Even after my girls were reading independently, I continued to read to them at bedtime. Junie B. is a spunky, intelligent and colorful character with whom many little girls can relate. My daughters are teenagers now and we no longer have our bedtime ritual, but they sometimes remind me of "Junie B.'s" adventures and it always brings a chuckle. I'm buying this boxed set for a friend's daughters hoping that Junie B. brings laughter to their evenings as well.