Review - Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (Junie B. Jones #1)
by Barbara Park
illustrated by Denise Brunkus
Date: 1992
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: illustrated chapter book
Pages: 80
Format: e-book
Source: library

Barbara Park’s New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, is a classroom favorite and has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty years. Over 60 million copies in print and now with a bright new look for a new generation!

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.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Junie B. Jones is quite possibly the most obnoxious five-year-old I've ever read about. This is my first exposure to the character... and it might very well be my last.

There's nothing cute or funny about a child who uses bad grammar, decides to hate people, thinks she knows better than adults, and hollers like a toddler whenever she wants something. Honestly, she sometimes seems like she's in the throes of the "terrible twos". I was cringing as I read about her and her mom meeting with the teacher. If I were that mother, I would've wanted to crawl under a rock and die; Junie B.'s behaviour is an indictment of her parents' non-existent parenting.

I'd heard of this series, of course, and since I've had fairly good luck with another series about little girls in this age group, I thought I might like reading about this character and her exploits. But despite the fact that they're only a year apart in age, Junie B. Jones and Nancy Clancy (of the Fancy Nancy books) are nothing alike. Whereas Nancy is a sweet, precocious child who's intelligent enough to learn from her mistakes, Junie B. is a raging brat that I kind of hoped would get permanently stuck in the supply closet. She calls the principal "baldy" and keeps referring to another kid as "that boy I can beat up". Well done, Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Well done, indeed.

Nope. This is a definite miss. Well, now I know what Junie B. Jones is all about... so I can avoid her in the future.

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 0/5
Pace: 2/5
Writing & Editing: 1/5
Illustrations: 1/5
Originality: 1/5

Enjoyment: 0/5

Overall: 0.88 out of 5