Junie B. Jones #9: Junie B. Jones Is Not a Crook

Illustrated by Denise Brunkus
“Hilarious. Barbara Park makes reading fun.” —Dav Pilkey, author of Dog Man
 
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
 
Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! A terrible thing happened to Junie B.! And it’s called—someone took her new black furry mittens! And they kept them! They didn’t even put them in the Lost and Found at school. So when Junie B. finds a wonderful pen on the floor, she should be allowed to keep it, too. Right? That’s fair. Right? Right?
 
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
 
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
 
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
 
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”
Chapter 1: No Good Reason

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.

Here is a story for you.

It is called "Once Upon a Time My Grandfather Named Frank Miller Went to the Store and He Bought Me Some Mittens."

Once upon a time my grandfather named Frank Miller went to the store and he bought me some mittens. They are made out of black furry fur.

And guess what? It was not even my birthday! Or Christmas! Or Valentine's Day! Plus the mittens were not even on sale!

Grampa Miller just bought them for no good reason! And that is the bestest reason I ever heard of!

That's how come I love that guy very much.

Plus also he can skip.

The end.


I love that story a real lot.

'Cause guess why?

I didn't even make it up, that's why!

That adventure actually happened to me! My grampa Miller really did buy me mittens for no good reason!

And they are gorgeous, I tell you!

When I first opened them, I got filled with glee.

Glee is when you run. And jump. And skip. And laugh. And clap. And dance on top of the dining room table.

Then your mother takes you down from the table. And she carries you to your room for a time-out.

Time-outs kill the glee.

I wore my new mittens the whole entire morning. Plus also I wore them to afternoon kindergarten.

I wore them with my attractive winter jacket. Only it wasn't actually cold out. Only who even cares? 'Cause that outfit looked very beautiful together.

I showed my mittens to my bestest friend named Grace. Also, I showed them to a variety of strangers.

After I got to school, I held my hands over my head. And I runned all over the playground.

"LOOK, EVERYBODY! LOOK AT MY NEW MITTENS! MY GRAMPA FRANK MILLER BOUGHT THEM FOR NO GOOD REASON!"

I waved them all around in the air.

"HOW MANY CHILDREN SEE THESE LOVELY THINGS? RAISE YOUR HANDS," I hollered.

Nobody raised their hands.

"HOW MANY CHILDREN THINK THESE MITTENS ARE GORGEOUS? PLEASE COME FORWARD!" I yelled.

Nobody came forward.

I put my hands back down and walked to that Grace.

"I couldn't create any interest," I said very glum.

Only guess what? Just then, I spotted my other bestest friend named Lucille!

I ran my fastest to greet her.

"LUCILLE! LUCILLE! LOOK AT MY GORGEOUS NEW MITTENS! SEE THEM? THEY ARE MADE OUT OF BLACK FURRY FUR!"

Lucille petted them.

"My family has lots of fur," she said. "My mother has a fur cape. And my aunt has a fur jacket. And my uncle has a fur hat. Plus my nanna just bought a brand-new mink coat. Only she can't wear it outside the house. Or else people will throw paint on her."

My mouth came all the way open.

"Why, Lucille? Why will people throw paint on your nanna?" I asked.

Lucille crossed her arms.

"Don't you know anything, Junie B. Jones? It's because people who love furry animals don't like them being made into coats for nannas."

Just then, I felt relief in me. 'Cause I'm not even a nanna, that's why. And besides, my mittens aren't even made out of real furry animals. They are made out of fake furry animals. And so those kind don't even count.

All of a sudden, the bell rang for school.

I zoomed to my room like a speeding rocket.

'Cause guess why?

More people to show my mittens to!

That's why!
© PamelaTidswell
Barbara Park was best-known as the creator and author of the New York Times bestselling Junie B. Jones series, the stories of an outrageously funny kindergartener that have kept kids (and their grownups) laughing—and reading—for over two decades. The series was consistently a #1 New York Times bestseller, spending over 180 weeks on the list, and Barbara and her books were profiled in such national outlets as Time, Newsweek, USA Today, the New York Times, and Today. Barbara Park arrived at the writing profession through an indirect route. Before becoming a bestselling and beloved children’s author, she originally intended to teach high school history and political science. She got her secondary education degree but quickly realized that her calling was to be a writer.  After several rejections, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers acquired her first manuscript, Operation: Dump the Chump and two others. Don’t Make Me Smile was published first in 1981, followed by Operation: Dump the Chump (1982) and Skinnybones (1982).    She went on to write over 50 books, from the picture book Ma! There’s Nothing to Do Here!, a love letter to her grandson, to middle grade novels such as Skinnybones, The Kid in the Red Jacket, Mick Harte Was Here, and The Graduation of Jake Moon. Barbara won more than 40 children’s book awards, including several Children’s Choice Awards.  Barbara Park was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey, on April 21, 1947, and spent most of her adult life in Arizona. There she, with her husband, Richard, raised her two sons and spent time with her two young grandsons. Park died on November 15, 2013 after fighting ovarian cancer heroically for seven and a half years. View titles by Barbara Park
Denise Brunkus is a children’s book illustrator. She has illustrated more than 60 books, including the wildly popular Junie B. Jones series and Read All About It! by Laura and Jenna Bush. View titles by Denise Brunkus

About

“Hilarious. Barbara Park makes reading fun.” —Dav Pilkey, author of Dog Man
 
Barbara Park’s #1 New York Times bestselling chapter book series, Junie B. Jones, has been keeping kids laughing—and reading—for more than twenty-five years. Over 65 million copies sold!
 
Meet the World’s Funniest Kindergartner—Junie B. Jones! A terrible thing happened to Junie B.! And it’s called—someone took her new black furry mittens! And they kept them! They didn’t even put them in the Lost and Found at school. So when Junie B. finds a wonderful pen on the floor, she should be allowed to keep it, too. Right? That’s fair. Right? Right?
 
USA Today:
“Junie B. is the darling of the young-reader set.”
 
Publishers Weekly:
“Park convinces beginning readers that Junie B.—and reading—are lots of fun.”
 
Kirkus Reviews:
“Junie’s swarms of young fans will continue to delight in her unique take on the world. . . . A hilarious, first-rate read-aloud.”
 
Time:
“Junie B. Jones is a feisty six-year-old with an endearing penchant for honesty.”

Excerpt

Chapter 1: No Good Reason

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.

Here is a story for you.

It is called "Once Upon a Time My Grandfather Named Frank Miller Went to the Store and He Bought Me Some Mittens."

Once upon a time my grandfather named Frank Miller went to the store and he bought me some mittens. They are made out of black furry fur.

And guess what? It was not even my birthday! Or Christmas! Or Valentine's Day! Plus the mittens were not even on sale!

Grampa Miller just bought them for no good reason! And that is the bestest reason I ever heard of!

That's how come I love that guy very much.

Plus also he can skip.

The end.


I love that story a real lot.

'Cause guess why?

I didn't even make it up, that's why!

That adventure actually happened to me! My grampa Miller really did buy me mittens for no good reason!

And they are gorgeous, I tell you!

When I first opened them, I got filled with glee.

Glee is when you run. And jump. And skip. And laugh. And clap. And dance on top of the dining room table.

Then your mother takes you down from the table. And she carries you to your room for a time-out.

Time-outs kill the glee.

I wore my new mittens the whole entire morning. Plus also I wore them to afternoon kindergarten.

I wore them with my attractive winter jacket. Only it wasn't actually cold out. Only who even cares? 'Cause that outfit looked very beautiful together.

I showed my mittens to my bestest friend named Grace. Also, I showed them to a variety of strangers.

After I got to school, I held my hands over my head. And I runned all over the playground.

"LOOK, EVERYBODY! LOOK AT MY NEW MITTENS! MY GRAMPA FRANK MILLER BOUGHT THEM FOR NO GOOD REASON!"

I waved them all around in the air.

"HOW MANY CHILDREN SEE THESE LOVELY THINGS? RAISE YOUR HANDS," I hollered.

Nobody raised their hands.

"HOW MANY CHILDREN THINK THESE MITTENS ARE GORGEOUS? PLEASE COME FORWARD!" I yelled.

Nobody came forward.

I put my hands back down and walked to that Grace.

"I couldn't create any interest," I said very glum.

Only guess what? Just then, I spotted my other bestest friend named Lucille!

I ran my fastest to greet her.

"LUCILLE! LUCILLE! LOOK AT MY GORGEOUS NEW MITTENS! SEE THEM? THEY ARE MADE OUT OF BLACK FURRY FUR!"

Lucille petted them.

"My family has lots of fur," she said. "My mother has a fur cape. And my aunt has a fur jacket. And my uncle has a fur hat. Plus my nanna just bought a brand-new mink coat. Only she can't wear it outside the house. Or else people will throw paint on her."

My mouth came all the way open.

"Why, Lucille? Why will people throw paint on your nanna?" I asked.

Lucille crossed her arms.

"Don't you know anything, Junie B. Jones? It's because people who love furry animals don't like them being made into coats for nannas."

Just then, I felt relief in me. 'Cause I'm not even a nanna, that's why. And besides, my mittens aren't even made out of real furry animals. They are made out of fake furry animals. And so those kind don't even count.

All of a sudden, the bell rang for school.

I zoomed to my room like a speeding rocket.

'Cause guess why?

More people to show my mittens to!

That's why!

Author

© PamelaTidswell
Barbara Park was best-known as the creator and author of the New York Times bestselling Junie B. Jones series, the stories of an outrageously funny kindergartener that have kept kids (and their grownups) laughing—and reading—for over two decades. The series was consistently a #1 New York Times bestseller, spending over 180 weeks on the list, and Barbara and her books were profiled in such national outlets as Time, Newsweek, USA Today, the New York Times, and Today. Barbara Park arrived at the writing profession through an indirect route. Before becoming a bestselling and beloved children’s author, she originally intended to teach high school history and political science. She got her secondary education degree but quickly realized that her calling was to be a writer.  After several rejections, Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers acquired her first manuscript, Operation: Dump the Chump and two others. Don’t Make Me Smile was published first in 1981, followed by Operation: Dump the Chump (1982) and Skinnybones (1982).    She went on to write over 50 books, from the picture book Ma! There’s Nothing to Do Here!, a love letter to her grandson, to middle grade novels such as Skinnybones, The Kid in the Red Jacket, Mick Harte Was Here, and The Graduation of Jake Moon. Barbara won more than 40 children’s book awards, including several Children’s Choice Awards.  Barbara Park was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey, on April 21, 1947, and spent most of her adult life in Arizona. There she, with her husband, Richard, raised her two sons and spent time with her two young grandsons. Park died on November 15, 2013 after fighting ovarian cancer heroically for seven and a half years. View titles by Barbara Park
Denise Brunkus is a children’s book illustrator. She has illustrated more than 60 books, including the wildly popular Junie B. Jones series and Read All About It! by Laura and Jenna Bush. View titles by Denise Brunkus