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Junie B. Jones #24
Junie B., First Grader: Boo...and I Mean It!
It's Halloween!
Only here's the trouble. Junie B. Jones is afraid to go trick-or-treating. "Cause what if witches and monsters are really real? And what if pumpkins with sharp teeth can eat your feet? And don't even get her started on the candy corn problem. So how is Junie B. supposed to even enjoy this scary holiday? But then-with a little help from a friend-she gets an idea for a costume guaranteed to outscare even the creepiest competition. And so maybe Halloween will turn out to be a real scream after all!
Only here's the trouble. Junie B. Jones is afraid to go trick-or-treating. "Cause what if witches and monsters are really real? And what if pumpkins with sharp teeth can eat your feet? And don't even get her started on the candy corn problem. So how is Junie B. supposed to even enjoy this scary holiday? But then-with a little help from a friend-she gets an idea for a costume guaranteed to outscare even the creepiest competition. And so maybe Halloween will turn out to be a real scream after all!
86 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2004
337 people are currently reading
1763 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Park
380 books1,084 followersBarbara Lynne Park was an American author of children's books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
September 27, 2019
Yes I'm reading kid's books at work again, sue me. I absolutely loved Junie B. as a kid, and surprisingly the book holds up. The writing is just as witty and funny as I remember, maybe even more so. It captures the weird worldview kids have without sacrificing any plausibility. I actually laughed out loud a few times.
October 18, 2022
***SPOILERS***
1. This book slaps and I’m 36yo. I laughed right along with my students.
2. They loved that Junie B. finally scared someone at the end.
3. Her “treats” like apples and raisins brought me back to my childhood when one house in the neighborhood used to give kids toothpaste.
1. This book slaps and I’m 36yo. I laughed right along with my students.
2. They loved that Junie B. finally scared someone at the end.
3. Her “treats” like apples and raisins brought me back to my childhood when one house in the neighborhood used to give kids toothpaste.
January 19, 2010
I love these books. Will put a smile on your face that stays there as you continue to read. So funny.
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November 8, 2020*Childhood reread*
April 30, 2021
My favorite series growing up. Still love Junie B. Jones. As an adult the grammer is killing me tho lol.
October 19, 2023
I saw Monica give a JBJ book 1 star, so I had to revisit my childhood FAVORITE. Bennett and I giggled the whole time. It’s timeless. It’s adorable. It’s sassy. It accounts for my entire personality in elementary school. LONG LIVE JUNIE B. JONES!!!!
November 27, 2023
Great! (I can't believe she's scared of Halloween)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2025
(order of events school book report)
First, Junie B. came home and ran to her brother's room.
Next, Grandma fluffed her hair again and Junie B. backed up into her room.
Then, she told five scary secrets about Halloween amd she said she said she wanted to be Screamy the Clown.
Last, she went to the store and bought something.
Finally, it was a creepy clown costume and came out screaming and scared her Grandma.
(Cadee, age 7)
First, Junie B. came home and ran to her brother's room.
Next, Grandma fluffed her hair again and Junie B. backed up into her room.
Then, she told five scary secrets about Halloween amd she said she said she wanted to be Screamy the Clown.
Last, she went to the store and bought something.
Finally, it was a creepy clown costume and came out screaming and scared her Grandma.
(Cadee, age 7)
February 1, 2019
May really is a thorn in the side of Junie B, after being teased about being scared of Halloween, Junie B decides to be Squirty the clown because he is so scary he could scare monsters!
What follows is typical Junie B, funny and rude but just being real to her nature.
What follows is typical Junie B, funny and rude but just being real to her nature.
October 9, 2021
My class loved it!
October 16, 2019
MY 9YO SON BROUGHT THIS HOME FOR ME TO READ, SAYING IT WAS "HILARIOUS," AND IT DIDN'T DISAPPOINT! ALSO LED TO A NICE DISCUSSION OF DICTION AND WHY "I DID A GROAN" IS FUNNIER THAN "I GROANED," SO I'M A HAPPY MOM.
December 24, 2025
I tried reading this with my 5 year old, but it was taking so long because she could only handle one chapter a day. So I just finished it myself.
Junie B. Jones books are fun for adults because they're nostalgic, but I don't know that I would continue adding them into my school library. Is she still relatable? I might have to re-read more Junie B. books to figure that out.
Junie B. Jones books are fun for adults because they're nostalgic, but I don't know that I would continue adding them into my school library. Is she still relatable? I might have to re-read more Junie B. books to figure that out.
March 18, 2022
Love barbra parks stories Junie B. Jones is one of my favorite series of books!😀 Skylerann age 10 peace!
November 17, 2024
I love it
August 19, 2022
Read it to my girls. They loved it! Very funny and cute. Loved the series as a child
November 12, 2012
I've been hearing about Junie B. books for years, but my boys never seemed interested. Someone told me about them again recently, telling me how hilarious these books are and how much her kids love them, so I picked this one up at the library to read with my daughter over Hallowe'en.
I'll start by saying that my daughter really liked this book. She was engaged and thought it was funny and enjoyed the pictures.
This was a cute story of Junie B. who is scared to go out trick or treating because a boy at school has filled her head with scary stories. It is fun how she tries to get out of the situation, but then also comes up with a solution.
However, I had a terrible time reading it to her. Junie B. uses very strange grammar much of the time - I don't know any kid who talks like she does. I found myself correcting it for my daughter as I don't want her language to regress. I am continually torn with books like this. They are engaging and kids like them but the grammar! I know there is something to be said for being approachable and using authentic language, etc, but much of language is learned from what we read. I can understand wanting kids to sound like kids, but I don't see how consistent, strange grammar helps them at all. It feels condescending, like they couldn't understand the proper use of language. Maybe it's just me because these books are wildly popular.
So, there is my rant. It's possible that my daughter will seek out more of these books. Maybe it will be a good opportunity to talk about language.
I'll start by saying that my daughter really liked this book. She was engaged and thought it was funny and enjoyed the pictures.
This was a cute story of Junie B. who is scared to go out trick or treating because a boy at school has filled her head with scary stories. It is fun how she tries to get out of the situation, but then also comes up with a solution.
However, I had a terrible time reading it to her. Junie B. uses very strange grammar much of the time - I don't know any kid who talks like she does. I found myself correcting it for my daughter as I don't want her language to regress. I am continually torn with books like this. They are engaging and kids like them but the grammar! I know there is something to be said for being approachable and using authentic language, etc, but much of language is learned from what we read. I can understand wanting kids to sound like kids, but I don't see how consistent, strange grammar helps them at all. It feels condescending, like they couldn't understand the proper use of language. Maybe it's just me because these books are wildly popular.
So, there is my rant. It's possible that my daughter will seek out more of these books. Maybe it will be a good opportunity to talk about language.
April 14, 2012
I skipped quite a few books since the last one; Junie now has glasses and a baby brother. But she’s still wildly inappropriate and nearly adult in her diction, and funnier than ever. This time around, she’s afraid of Halloween, so decides to dress up as the scariest thing she can think of: a clown. Specifically, Screamy the Clown. Only no one seems be scared of her, it seems, and she gets fruit instead of candy on her first outing, even though she did not say “trick or fruit.”
As always, I thought some of it was truly funny, mostly because of Junie’s unrealistic speech patterns (“I think that will cut down on my part in the conversation”). But while the humor went over my kindergartener’s heads, they caught all the mean words and bad behavior by all the characters. There wasn’t much in the way of a moral or lesson, which is, I think, unfortunate.
As always, I thought some of it was truly funny, mostly because of Junie’s unrealistic speech patterns (“I think that will cut down on my part in the conversation”). But while the humor went over my kindergartener’s heads, they caught all the mean words and bad behavior by all the characters. There wasn’t much in the way of a moral or lesson, which is, I think, unfortunate.
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February 26, 2009So far this is hysterical... a clown chased Grandma Helen Miller and squirted her w/seltzer water at some point and Mother can't believe Junie B. wants to be that clown for Halloween. But see Junie B. is scared of Halloween so she is picking the scariest thing she knows to be so she can scare off others. Mother scolds Junie B. for being naughty in the costume shop and tells her basically to quit being mouthy to which Junie B. replies, "well that is going to limit the rest of our conversation then." I love this kid.
June 22, 2015
KAYLIN'S REVIEW (9 years old)
I think it was great because its just a little girl who is in first grade and she wants to be a clown and scary but it is not really working out for her. The things that make it great is the part when the little boy in the fishing costume drops a apple right in her clown pants. Another thing that makes it great is when Junie B. tries to scare her grandpa when she is in the clown costume. That's why I think this book is great.
I think it was great because its just a little girl who is in first grade and she wants to be a clown and scary but it is not really working out for her. The things that make it great is the part when the little boy in the fishing costume drops a apple right in her clown pants. Another thing that makes it great is when Junie B. tries to scare her grandpa when she is in the clown costume. That's why I think this book is great.
September 26, 2016
This is a really, really funny book, because Junie is a clown who is supposed to be funny, but Junie tries to scare people. They start to think she is a jerk. They act like she is not there, and they talk bad about her clothes. She thought weird about it. She didn't understand people were getting upset.
September 11, 2013
Junie b jones is scared she doesn't like Halloween . She thinks the people are real and doesn't like taking candy from them . Everyone at school is asking her what she Is going to be for Halloween and she says she's not going and people start calling her names .
February 28, 2015
This book wasn't a good book. It really annoyed my age five self, because it acted like kids were dumb. Really dumb. I was not dumb. I was a good enough reader when I was four to read this book. How was I dumb? Annoying!
September 28, 2020
I read this book allowed to my kids (ages 6, 8, and 11) and they love it. Yes, even my 11 year-old son likes it. They all laughed so hard. When I asked what I should rate it they said to give it 4 stars. What a great Halloween, non-scary, family read aloud.
October 26, 2020
This book is cute and funny and seems best suited to children who have short attention spans, have just begun having chapter books read to them or who are beginning to read chapter books to themselves.
October 31, 2015
Cute and my first graders enjoyed it for a Halloween read aloud.
October 26, 2020
Very funny! Classic Junie B!
March 30, 2021
Great chapter book for readers who are starting to read short chapter books. Super fun book and there are so many more Junie B. books. This one is perfect to read in October.
June 20, 2021
Funny!! Junie B. is like Ramona for the next gen. My 6y.o. cracked up at this book. Will have to find more!
October 9, 2021
Cute. Not my favorite Junie B, but didn’t fail to make me laugh.
October 22, 2021
Im not a kid so the book was not a all funny. It was pretty kidsh but is is a nice little cute book. I would read this to any 6 or 8 year old girl or boy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews