ChristusG Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I know that there's a lot of books in this series...and I was wondering about them. I don't care for books where the child is snotty or mean. Are these books like this? Is there a lot of name calling? Just curious whether this would be something to read to DD7 and DD4 or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 we didn't like them. Junie is pretty mouthy IMHO. My kids were horrified at some of the things she said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I did not care for the Junie B. Jones books at all. Not only are they not written well, but from what I could tell in the few books I looked at, much disrespect and lots of snotty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I don't care for books where the child is snotty or mean. Then you will want to skip Junie B. We thought they were funny, but she does have quite an attitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 Thanks everyone! We will be skipping them then. I kind of got that feeling just by reading the blurb on the back cover, but I wanted to double check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 It's also written in a "kindergarten dialect", and like any book written in dialect, that makes it harder to read, which makes the series a poor choice for a child just making the jump to chapter books. My daughter didn't make it through even one because "Junie B doesn't talk right!". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Not a fan at all. My girls never read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susankenny Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 We liked Junie B. She reminded me of Ramona, especially when she started kindergarten. Junie B. is sassy, but my daughter thought she was hilarious. She's 11 now & the books never had an ill effect on her, but they were excellent in giving her a chance at reading chapter books that she found funny & could read independently. I'd say if sassy attitudes are something you want to steer clear of, I'd skip Junie B. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 We were given a few and I was pretty thrilled that neither kid ended up interested..... I couldn't handle the choppy, short sentences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajudy Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 It's also written in a "kindergarten dialect", and like any book written in dialect, that makes it harder to read, which makes the series a poor choice for a child just making the jump to chapter books. My daughter didn't make it through even one because "Junie B doesn't talk right!". :iagree:This is the main reason my kids never read them. I believe kids should be reading books with proper English, especially when they are just learning to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 We loved them back in the day. We listened to them on tape in the car and we'd laugh and laugh :lol:. We still have little code words that come from the Junie B. books. My kids knew the difference between a smart-mouth fictional character and real life. I don't /didn't see the problem with letting them hear stories about kids who are less than perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deacongirl Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 We loved them back in the day. We listened to them on tape in the car and we'd laugh and laugh :lol:. We still have little code words that come from the Junie B. books. My kids knew the difference between a smart-mouth fictional character and real life. I don't /didn't see the problem with letting them hear stories about kids who are less than perfect. ITA! My first dd and I would laugh and laugh, and Junie B. was never a negative influence, as dd #1's manners are always commented on. We also discussed Junie B.'s inappropriate grammar--it didn't affect my dd's reading or language development. With dd#2, I quickly realized that Junie B. might perhaps serve as inspiration rather than a lesson on what not to do--and gave them all away. I think like everything else, it depends on the kid. Personally I think Junie B. has a good heart and she cracks me up, as does her description of the adult reactions to her shenanigans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 They are the only books I have ever thrown in the trash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 We loved them back in the day. We listened to them on tape in the car and we'd laugh and laugh :lol:. We still have little code words that come from the Junie B. books. My kids knew the difference between a smart-mouth fictional character and real life. I don't /didn't see the problem with letting them hear stories about kids who are less than perfect. :iagree: Junie B's bad grammar was hilarious. It was very out of place from what my dd was used to hearing so she obviously knew it wasn't a proper way to speak. She loved that series so much, she has refused to give the books away and they are in our attic, waiting for grandchildren. The choppy sentence writing isn't any different from other beginning books. The Frog and Toad series and even Dr. Seuss come to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I just could not understand why one would want a kindergartener to read something that was grammatically incorrect! I hope there are no grammar errors in the above sentence. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 we liked them. my daughter laughed outloud while reading those. they aren't educational, just fluff and fun. junie b. is definitely a ball of trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I didn't read the books aloud, or let my girls read them as they were learning to read, BUT we love to listen to them on CD in the car. The actress (Lana Quintal?) is perfect as Junie B. Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I didn't like Junie B and I think I have a pretty high tolerance for kid attitude. I get a little annoyed with perfect prissy characters too. I don't like Magic Treehouse books either. While I don't like Junie B., I love Ivy and Bean. Have you looked at those? The characters still have a little spunk and attitude but it doesn't feel quite so mean and they are funny. My DS is 9 and an advanced reader and even he likes to read Ivy and Bean to his little sisters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I didn't read the books aloud, or let my girls read them as they were learning to read, BUT we love to listen to them on CD in the car. The actress (Lana Quintal?) is perfect as Junie B.Jennifer It is and she is! I think we (the grownups) laughed harder than the kids did. But they would be an absolute bear for me to read (not a fan of dialect) and I can totally see where others would not find them to their liking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 we didn't like them. Junie is pretty mouthy IMHO. My kids were horrified at some of the things she said. :iagree: twaddle and a bad example for my very impressionable ADHDer who doesn't need any help in the colorful language and creative mischief dept. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YourFidgetyFriend Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I don't mind the sass, but the dialect is annoying and doesn't even sound like kids that age to me. However, I still let my daughter read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 we didn't like them. Junie is pretty mouthy IMHO. My kids were horrified at some of the things she said. Ditto! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kesmom Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I've avoided them for my DD after reading on another board about sass and also a boyfriend. On that board people were recommending Cam Jansen books instead - any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 Thanks for all the replies! I do think we'll skip this series. My daughters are the type to hear sassing or a mean word and say "ooooooh, she's not supposed to say that!" So they'll be forever asking why Junie is saying mean things when it is wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Smile Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 My dd has read every one of them and has them in a collection. She read them in 4th and 5th grade. I found nothing offensive about them, but of course we let our kids watch SpongeBob and several other programs that many would gasp at! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 I think one of the books had "stupid" in the title, and I tossed it based on that. Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus. It's the first book in the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 My DD & I are laughing about our fav Junie B memories. Then DD pointed out that every character has flaws; that's what makes them human. She also said that Laura from LHotP never wanted to wear her bonnet and she was so bad once that her Pa whipped her. (I still remember that scene. It makes me feel pukey to this day.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 You might like the Gooney Bird Greene books instead. They're a great read-aloud and we all laughed our way through them. Dd is on a JBJ jag. Since it's her free reading, I let it go, but I'm not very strict about media. JBJ is very funny and she has a good heart under her sass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We were given a Junie B Jones book--the First Grader one. I glanced through it and she seemed pretty disrespectful. My girls won't be reading any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 ITA! My first dd and I would laugh and laugh, and Junie B. was never a negative influence, as dd #1's manners are always commented on. We also discussed Junie B.'s inappropriate grammar--it didn't affect my dd's reading or language development. With dd#2, I quickly realized that Junie B. might perhaps serve as inspiration rather than a lesson on what not to do--and gave them all away. I think like everything else, it depends on the kid. Personally I think Junie B. has a good heart and she cracks me up, as does her description of the adult reactions to her shenanigans. I think for my dd7, Junie B might serve (who am I kidding? WOULD serve) as an inspiration. Dd5 would probably understand not to act that way (she sees her older sister get in trouble enough that she's already behaving better...and this is exactly the way it was with my older sister and myself). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzymom Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We read all the JB books after my d/d found that one of her good friends was reading them. We had a lot of laughs, and my d/d had no difficulty understanding that JB was a crazy, made-up, silly little girl. I could not stand the grammar, but it gave my d/d an opportunity to point out the errors to me, which she loved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdarling Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Yes. These books have very mean snotty and nasty kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 I don't know if I would encourage the series as a whole for independent reading, but I have to say I have very fond memories of reading Junie B.and the Stinky Smelly Bus aloud to dds. It was hysterical. I think it translates much better as a read aloud. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 DD and I laugh so hard we cry. :hides: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 All my dd's liked them. Lots more of them now than when 19 yo read them. She uses bad grammar but meh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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