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About Barbara Park
After graduating from high school and spending two years at Rider University, I transferred to the University of Alabama where I met my husband, Richard. Eventually his job brought him to Arizona. We both fell in love with the desert and wanted to stay here forever. Still, during the heat of the Arizona summers, those ocean memories would come rushing back. So-after years of sweaty summers-my husband and I finally built a house on Long Beach Island, the same island where my brother and I rode the waves as kids. In the story business, that's called "coming full circle." These days, Richard and I divide our time between the desert and the ocean. In the words of Junie B. Jones, I'm a lucky duck.
Q. What inspired you to start writing?
In my case, it was sort of "reverse" inspiration. I got a degree in secondary education. My plan was to teach high school history and political science. But, because of a scheduling problem my senior year, I ended up doing my student teaching in the seventh grade. The word disaster doesn't really cover this one. I'll spare you the details. But as I ran screaming from the school building every day, I knew that I would never be a teacher. My husband and I married after graduation, and started a family. A few years later, when I was ready to go to work, I was still haunted by the memories of student teaching. So I was "inspired" to try my hand at writing instead.
Q. How did you go about getting published?
The first children's novel I wrote was Operation: Dump the Chump. As soon as it was finished, I bought a copy of Writer's Market, found some addresses, and started sending it off to publishers who were accepting unsolicited manuscripts. It was rejected three times. All three rejections managed to work in the classic industry one-liner, "It isn't right for our list."
The fourth time I sent it to Alfred Knopf, Inc. A few weeks later, they called and said it was exactly right for their list. I felt like I'd hit the lottery.
Q: You've written middle-grade novels, early chapter books, and picture books. Which do you like writing best?
I can't really say which I like best. But after all the Junie B. books I've written, those certainly come the easiest. The middle-grade novels are more of a challenge. But in some ways, that makes them more rewarding. The last two I've written (Mick Harte Was Here and The Graduation of Jake Moon) were both about very sensitive topics, so it took a long time to get them exactly right. But I think those two books have made me the most proud.
Q. Tell us about your most recent picture book.
It's called, MA! There's Nothing to Do Here! It's about a baby in utero who is bored out of his mind. The idea for it was born (so to speak) when my daughter-in-law, Renee, invited me to my first grandson's ultrasound. Although I had never had an ultrasound myself, I'd seen pictures of other babies in utero. But I wasn't prepared for how amazing it would be to see my own little grandbaby on that screen. I felt like I was watching the Discovery Channel.
Q. How much did you continue to think about the baby after seeing the ultrasound? How did this develop into the idea for the book?
A. On the way out of the doctor's office, I remember thinking, Okay, so now we're all going back to our busy lives. But the baby is still in there just floating around. Except for an occasional kick or hiccup, he's got absolutely nothing to do.
A few months later-when I was getting ready to give Renee a baby shower-I wrote this poem, framed it, and gave it to her as a shower gift.
Q. Of the characters you've created, who is your favorite?
A. This would be a bit like picking a favorite child. I don't have a single favorite character, but again, I lived with the characters Mick and Phoebe Harte and Jake and Skelly Moon for a very long time. So those four are the most dear to me.
The characters I've had the most fun with have been the little ones. Little kids are so free to say whatever is on their minds. They aren't silenced by peer pressure and the notion that they have to sound cool. Molly Vera Thompson in The Kid in the Red Jacket is six, and Thomas Russo in My Mother Got Married and Other Disasters is five. They both were such fun to write about that they led to the creation of Junie B. Jones.
Q. Is Junie B. modeled after you as a child? Did you ever do any of the things that Junie B. does?
A. I was sent to "Principal" in first grade for talking. There were lots of notes sent home that year, as well. My father was on the Board of Education. Not good.
Q. There's been some criticism of the Junie-speak in the series. How do you answer concerns that Junie's grammar is not good for young readers?
A. Honestly, most of the grown-ups I hear from are writing to tell me that Junie B. Jones got their reluctant readers to read. I have drawers full of letters from parents and teachers that are so meaningful to me, I can't bear to part with them. These are adults who understand that fictional literature plays a whole different role in children's lives than a book of grammar or a basic reader.
That having been said, there are always going to be a handful of people who denigrate books that speak in a voice other than their own. I've stopped trying to explain the concept of literature to people like that. Wasted time better spent.
8. What makes you laugh?
My sense of humor is a little bit off-center, I think. In the movies, I usually laugh at parts that no one else seems to think are funny. Then there are movies like Young Frankenstein where I laugh from the opening scene straight through to the end.
Lots of other things make me laugh, as well. My husband and sons make me laugh. My dog. My grandsons. Friends. The absurdities of life. My lopsided cakes. The list goes on . . .
What advice do you have for teachers that are aspiring writers? For kids?
There's nothing revolutionary in my advice, I'm afraid. It's the same old stuff. Write as much and as often as you can. Try different genres to find your niche. Then rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. And-above all-be your own worst critic.
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Are you an author?
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! Remember when it was scary to go to school? In the first Junie B. Jones book, it’s Junie B.’s first day and she doesn’t know anything. She’s so scared of the school bus and the meanies on it that when it’s time to go home, she doesn’t.
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”
Hurray! Hurray! Now you can laugh out loud with the first four books in my First Ever Ebook Collection! (The “E” stands for “Excellent,” I believe.) Look inside for Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business, Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth, and Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying. These books will make you laugh out loud, I think.
Love, your friend,
Junie B. Jones
Junie B. Jones has kept kids laughing—and reading—for 20 years. Hurray for Barbara Park and the Junie B. Jones® books!
New York Times Bestsellers
“Junie B. is a darling of the young-reader set.” —USA Today
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.” —Publishers Weekly
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Although Junie B. is a kindergartner, she’s sure to make middle graders laugh out loud.” —School Library Journal
“Hilarious. Barbara Park makes reading fun.” —Dav Pilkey, author of Dog Man
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
Meet the World’s Funniest First Grader—Junie B. Jones! It’s an Easter egg-stravaganza! Lucille is having an Easter egg hunt at her rich expensive mansion! And guess what? The winner gets a play date to swim in Lucille’s heated indoor swimming pool! Only, here is the problem. How did Junie B. get stuck wearing a big dumb bunny suit? And how can she possibly find eggs when she keeps tripping over her huge big rabbit feet? Being a dumb bunny is definitely not as easy as it looks. Will Junie B. end up with egg on her face? Or will the day deliver some very uneggspected results?
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! Junie B.’s having a rough week. First she got punishment for shooting off her mouth in kindergarten. And now she’s in big trouble again! ’Cause Monday is Job Day, and Junie B. told her class that she’s got the bestest job of all. Only, what the heck is it?
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! A terrible thing happened to Junie B.! And it’s called—someone took her new black furry mittens! And they kept them! They didn’t even put them in the Lost and Found at school. So when Junie B. finds a wonderful pen on the floor, she should be allowed to keep it, too. Right? That’s fair. Right? Right?
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! Junie B. is the bestest spier in the world. That’s ’cause she has sneaky feet. And her nose doesn’t whistle when she breathes. But guess what? Junie B. might be real sneaky. And real peeky. But when she spies on Mrs., she could get into real trouble!
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
Meet the World’s Funniest First Grader—Junie B. Jones! Hurray, hurray for a brand-new school year! Being in first grade means having to get used to a whole new classroom. And a whole new teacher. And a whole new bunch of strange children. But here’s the worst thing of all: When Junie B. tries to read words on the chalkboard, she can’t seem to see what everyone else is seeing! Is it possible she might actually end up wearing glasses?
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! It’s Carnival Night, and Lucille has already won a box of fluffy cupcakes with sprinkles on them. But when Junie B. wins the Cake Walk, she chooses the bestest cake of all—the one wrapped in sparkly aluminum foil. How was she to know it was a lethal weapon?
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”
Barbara Park's #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing and reading for more than twenty-five years, with over 65 million copies sold. This graduation themed book is the perfect send-off for fans—young and old!
Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! It’s kindergarten graduation, and Room Nine is getting bright white graduation gowns. Mrs. says to keep them in their boxes until the big day. But Junie B. Jones just can’t help herself. Then—uh-oh!—an accident happens! Will graduation be a spotty dotty disaster?
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
Meet the World’s Funniest First Grader—Junie B. Jones! Junie B. has all the answers when it comes to cheating. It’s just plain wrong! But what about copying someone else’s homework? That’s not cheating, right? ’Cause homework isn’t even a test! And speaking of tests . . . what if a friend shares an answer that you didn’t even ask for? Sharing definitely isn’t cheating . . . is it? Uh-oh. Maybe this cheating business is more complicated than Junie B. thought. Could she be a cheater pants and not even know it?
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”
Celebrate Valentine's Day with the world's funniest kindergartener--Junie B. Jones! The #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
February 14—Valentime’s Day, as Junie B. calls it—is just around the corner. Junie B. can’t wait to see all the valentimes she’ll get. But she never expected a big, mushy card from a secret admirer! Who is this secret mystery guy, anyway? Junie B. is determined to find out. Only guess what? Finding a secret mystery guy is NOT as easy as it sounds! Can Junie B. solve this mushy, gushy mystery?
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