I would love to imitate the personable and down-to-earth style of the book Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park. Junie B’s first day of Kindergarten starts with a scary ride on a school bus. At the end of an eventful day, she decides to stay at school so she wouldn’t have to ride the school bus again. What will the consequences be?

Actually that was one of the things that bothered me, there really were no consequences of her actions. I understand that it would be really difficult to do that without being preachy, but she really needed to be shown that her actions were wrong. Granted, I think it is and would be fairly obvious to even young readers that Junie B. was not acting as she should. Still, the story of a rather undisciplined trouble maker should be read with a child, and I think it would make great parental discussions.

One of the things that I loved about the book was the illustrations. The pictures were not just add-ons but really complimented and aided the story. The language was exactly what I would expect from a child’s point of view, which was great.

“My teacher shook my hand. Only our hands didn’t fit together that good.” & “This is my bestest hat.”

Enjoyment Level: 3/5 stars
Beginning: 4/5
Middle: 3/5
Ending: 2/5

Kate

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park
(c) 1992, Random
Publisher Reading Level: Young Adult
ISBN: 978-0375841569
69 Pages