If You Like Junie B. Jones, Check Out These 6 Books

Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon, by Paula Danziger and Tony Ross
Amber Brown is another spunky kid who doesn’t let you forget her name. “I, Amber Brown, am one very excited third grader,” she tells readers in the first book in author Paula Danziger’s series. But she does not like to be teased about her name. Her best friend, Justin Daniels, would never say, “Amber Brown is not a crayon,” just like she would never say, “Justin time.” But now her pal since preschool is moving away, and Amber’s so blue that she starts seeing red and fighting with Justin. Can this pair make peace before it’s too late?

Annabel the Actress Starring in Gorilla My Dreams, by Ellen Conford and Renee W. Andriani
Lots of kids may seem like drama queens from time to time, but Annabel really nails the part. Afterall, she is an actress. She even puts a free ad in the newspaper every week—“Annabel the actress. No part too big or too small.”—which leads to her first paid gig: dressing up as a gorilla for a 5-year-old’s birthday party. But can she still pull off the part when her nemesis, Lowell Boxer, steals her mask?

Ruby Lu, Brave and True, by Lenore Look and Anne Wilsdorf
Spunky, almost-8-year-old Ruby Lu has an infectious joie de vivre. She likes almost everything—her house, the sunshine, the rain, reflective tape, and especially doing magic. She even has her own backyard magic show. But there are some things she doesn’t like—her mom’s idea to send her to Chinese school, her little brother spilling her magic secrets, and potentially sharing her room with her cousin. But with Ruby Lu’s grade-A attitude, surely she can find a way to rise above? A couple of cool features about this book: “Ruby’s Fantastic Glossary and Pronunciation Guide” explains some of the Chinese terms sprinkled throughout that may be unfamiliar to readers, and there’s a little flipbook illustration in the corner of every other page.

Anastasia Krupnik, by Lois Lowry
A list of things 10-year-old Anastasia Krupnik loves: making lists, writing poems, her grandmother, her friends, and Washburn Cummings (maybe!). A list of things she hates: liver, her teacher Mrs. Westvessel, babies, and her parents for having a baby at their age. A list of things you’ll love about Anastasia: everything. She wears glasses, knows the exact number of freckles she has, writes freeform poetry, has a crush on a boy who doesn’t even know she’s alive, and chronicles important things (like her lists) in her secret green notebook. You might remember reading about Anastasia when you were a kid, and your kiddos will thank you for introducing them to her.

Lulu and the Brontosaurus, by Judith Viorst and Lane Smith
“There once was a girl named Lulu, and she was a pain. She wasn’t a pain in the elbow. She wasn’t a pain in the knee. She was a pain in the butt.” Little Lulu is used to getting her way about everything, but when she asks for a brontosaurus for her birthday, her parents shut her down. But this girl is not having it and sets off to find her own brontosaurus, which she does indeed find. However, the brontosaurus thinks that Lulu is the one that would make a fine pet—for him. How will Lulu get out of this pickle without smushing her pickle sandwich?

Daisy Dawson Is on Her Way!, by Steve Voake  and Jessica Meserve
Daisy Dawson is a dawdler. She was late to school three times last week. “That meant she had actually been on time twice. Not too bad,” she thinks. And, of course, today she’s late again, but she simply must stop to help this butterfly out of a spider’s web. As a thank you, the butterfly gives her a kiss on the cheek, which suddenly gifts her with the ability to communicate with animals. Can her newfound talent help her to rescue a bloodhound named Boom from the dogcatcher?
Which books would you recommend to Junie B. Jones fans?