Every year when the book fair would come to my elementary school I would beg my mom to buy me the complete Junie B. Jones series. Sadly, I never got to leave the book fair carrying my favorite book series, but every week when my 2nd-grade class would go to the library I would check out a different Junie B. book. Over time I read the entire series and Junie B. became my idol.  

The Junie B. Jones chapter book series is a collection of 28 books that followed Junie B. as she went through her daily struggles and drama. Barbara Park released the first book of the series titled Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus in 1992. Some fan favorites are: Junie B. Jones Is (Almost) a Flower Girl, Junie B. First Grader Boss of Lunch, and Junie B. Jones and Her Big Fat Mouth. 

Junie B. Jones was a trailblazer for strong, powerful young girls who were trying to find their voice. She never let anyone put her down or change anything about her. Junie B. was a spunky, sassy “almost six-year-old” that was known for her energetic personality and reputation of being a troublemaker. She was made out to be a menace who had too much to say, but she was actually just a curious little girl who was trying to figure out her changing life.  

Park portrayed Junie B. as a girl who was not perfect. She showed Junie B. when she was angry or nervous, while also having many moments where she was happy and friendly. Park wrote about how open and loud Junie B. was. She showed Junie B. making mistakes and learning from them. 

Having a fictional character like Junie B. revealed what a normal little girl could look like. It allowed young girls who read the series to feel okay if they were not the picture-perfect, well-behaved girl all the time. 

Junie B. was one of my first role models and I will forever be grateful for that. She taught me to stand up for what I want just like she does at the beginning of every book, “My name is Junie B. Jones. The B stands for Beatrice. Except I don’t like Beatrice. I just like B and that’s all.”