This book is a Guided Reading Level: M. It is a DRA equivalent 28.
I would consider this to be on-level for readers entering Grade 3.
The Junie B. Jones series is (or was at least) wildly popular. It is also one of those seemingly infinite series where kids can basically just opt to never read anything else ever again. I’d never read one myself, but they moved like hotcakes in my classroom and I kept a vast supply of them on hand.
A few minutes into reading, I found myself vaguely annoyed. Junie B is almost six and about to start Kindergarten, but she speaks little kid talk. This is something I suspect many people find endearing. “‘Cause I never rided on a bus before,” thinks Junie B. “Yeah, only where’s it goin’ to,” asks Junie B. I get it. Some kids don’t speak using proper grammar. It’s a thing. But it does drive me a bit batty for kids to read something that is continually modeling the wrong way to talk with no real purpose beyond cutesy-wootsy style.
Junie B (don’t forget the B, if you forget the B, she gets really mad) likes to get her own way. Like many Kindergarteners, she finds the world to be confusing and frustrating at times. Her main coping mechanisms appear to be a) deciding to hate things b)yelling loudly and c)avoidance.
In fact, Junie B is so set on avoiding the dreaded “stupid smelly bus” that she hides after school and finds herself alone in a surprisingly abandoned school building. She enjoys quite an adventure until a bathroom emergency (as in, she has to use one and all of the doors are locked) forces her out of the building and spoils her fun.
Books like this where kids get up to mischief and are generally annoying are often really well liked. Personally, I don’t get the appeal of them. I feel bad about it. I don’t even really like Ramona Quimby. I never could understand why she couldn’t behave!
I certainly wouldn’t anti-recommend the series on the basis of my personal feelings, but if you and your child don’t enjoy this type of character, give it a miss.
Verdict: Junie B. Jones has a very simple plot and simple repetitive vocabulary. Despite being on a third grade reading level, the character is of Kindergarten age and therefore in situations that a younger child would be more likely to relate to. Advanced readers in lower grades might do well with this book.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – None.
Profanity – “stupid,” “smelly,” “dumb,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Junie figures she could beat up a little boy that seems shy. This fact is repeated throughout the book. At one point she shakes her fist at him. A girl mentions that her brother is no longer allowed to beat kids up at recess. Junie is concerned that if the bus door closes on you, it would cut you in half.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.
