Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook (Junie B. Jones Series #9) »

The prolific creator of the Junie B. Jones series, Barbara Park says she wasn't particularly imaginative when she was young. No matter. Park and Junie B. are making up for lost time. In our interview, Park discussed her favorite books and writers, what she's working on next -- and told us a little bit about the antics of her puppy.

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. For beginning chapter-book readers, Junie B. Jones always saves the day. Junie B.'s inimitable style wins her friends and fans everywhere. Denise Brunkus's comical, expressive drawings capture all the joys and foible

School Library Journal

Gr 2-3--Junie's kindergarten classmates convince her that an invisible monster lives under her bed. Her parents and grandmother are unable to convince her otherwise until Junie hits upon the idea of putting her unflattering school picture under the bed to frighten the monster. In Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook, the little girl discovers that "finders keepers losers weepers" is not an appealing philosophy when she loses the special gloves her grandfather gave her and the child who finds them doesn't take them to the lost and found. Junie's first-person narration is sprinkled with deliberate grammatical errors and misunderstood word usage in an attempt to show a five-year-old's viewpoint ("I runned home," "They got stoled on purpose."). Precocious use of sophisticated language is also used to achieve an intended humorous effect. The black-and-white, full- and half-page illustrations reflect Junie's cockeyed view of the world and will help attract beginning chapter-book readers. The issues the child is dealing with are right on target for the intended age group, but Junie's personality is more annoying than endearing and the humor lacks freshness and spontaneity. Buy where the series is popular.--Lisa Smith, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY