Sixth-grade Sleepover

by Eve Bunting

Janey worries that the sixth grade Rabbit Reading Club's all-night sleepover will expose her fear of the dark, but it turns out that she is not the only member with a secret.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Also known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.

Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.

Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.

In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sixth-Grade Sleepover by Eve Bunting is an Apple paperback published in 1986. Janey, the first-person narrator of the book, is a sixth grader, and a member of a class club called R.A.B.B.I.T.S., which stands for the group's main activity: Read a Book, Bring it to School. The Rabbits are enthusiastic about reading, they have a secret bunny signal, and they work with Mr. Puttinski (Putt Putt), their regular teacher, as well as Mrs. Golden (Goldie), a reading teacher. As a reward for their hard work, the teachers are giving the Rabbits a sleepover party in the school. Everyone is really excited, but Janey has a problem. Due to a childhood trauma, she is terrified of the dark and can't sleep unless a light is on.

This entire book, regardless of age, seemed highly bizarre to me. I liked that the focus was on kids who love to read, but I couldn't imagine a teacher-sponsored co-ed sleepover in any school I ever attended. I also thought the traumatic event in Janey's childhood - a babysitter who locked her in the closet - was treated much too lightly for the psychological effects something like that would really have. Janey does have a therapist who helps her deal with her issues, but even so, the way she talked about it in her narration was so matter of fact, and that made me feel sort of uncomfortable.

The characters, though, were quite believable, and though I definitely felt grounded in the 1980's by a number of pop culture references, a lot of aspects of the story - mainly the teasing, and the boy/girl interplay of eleven and twelve year olds - had a universal feel to it. Sixth graders have a lot more technology these days, and better clothes than the ones on the cover of this book, but they have many of the same concerns and feelings. Some things about growing up just don't change.

Here are some of the details that puzzled and amused me as I was reading:

During a game of WHO WHAT WHERE WHEN and WHY, Janey observes: Usually we have somebody funny like Godzilla's grandmother or Dracula's sister, or else somebody cute like Michael Jackson or Brooke Shields... (p. 26)

In 1986, Michael Jackson looked like this and Brooke Shields looked like this. I love that they were considered the picture of cute, when nowadays it's people like the Glee kids, and Justin Bieber.
In a description of Goldie, Janey tells us: "One time Jefferson Ames called her Mrs. T. behind her back because of all the jewelry, which might have been a little bit funny, except that we'd never laugh at Mrs. Golden. Besides, she has hair and Mr. T. doesn't. (p. 32)

Here's Mr. T in 1986 with Hulk Hogan - I remember seeing him on Saturday morning cartoons for some reason - and here is what he looks like now:
On page 75, Jefferson Ames says, "Criminy, look at all those far-out pajamas." I don't think I've ever heard the word "Criminy" spoken out loud. It made me laugh.

I don't think this book holds up so well. I loved reading it, because it reminded me of the books I read as a kid, and even the type of school I went to. I pictured my old school gym, and the open area classrooms in my former elementary school as the setting, and I enjoyed the innocent tone of the story, as compared with today's tween books, but I don't think it would appeal very widely to kids today. It appears that it was released at least once more, in 1996, but has been out of print since then.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this to be bad, but I actually found it to be very good. It makes me nostalgic for a time when an elementary school would allow students to stay overnight with supervision and where sixth-graders could go shopping at the mall by themselves. Well, also for a time when malls were worth going inside.

Those baby bunnies probably shit all inside Janey’s sleeping bag liner, but thankfully Eve wrote that scene with discretion and left that detail out.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute novel about a girl named Janey who has a fear of the dark thanks to an abusive babysitter when she was younger. Janey must face her fear when her sixth grade reading club has a sleepover at the school. In the meantime, she must also juggle friends and boys and growing up.

[Harsh Sekhon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the worst book it’s like so stupid

[Peacha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great jolly story , that manages to incorporate a heavy theme ( being afraid of the dark because of a traumatic event ) without ever becoming heavy-handed. The book centers around members of a reading club called R.A.B.B.I.T.S -( Read a book bring it to school ) who are about to have an overnight read-in at the school. While the news is exciting ( the sleepover is co-ed ) , Janey doesn't think she can get past her fear even though her wonderfully supportive bestfriend Claudia suggests they can hold hands at night. With some smoothly handled manuevers by her discreet parents they ensure the room will have some nightlights - but a test run shows Janey that it won't be enough. Will an arranged ride to the sleepover by her strange new friend Rosey , that includes two dreamy boys change her mind? Yes, especially when the gorgeous Sylvie finds out! Lively action and spot on characterizations ( even for a real rabbit - Pebbles ) help buoy a book that essentially echos the action of the reader! For more 80's book reviews check out my site - https://cliqueypizza.wordpress.com/

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book, but I don't remember it perfectly well.

I read this book a long time ago and do not really remember it. I don’t know what else to say about it besides that I recommend it to kids 9 and up (Maybe older depends on the kid) and that everyone should read it. I may not remember this book to well but I know I did enjoy reading it.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in or around the 6th grade. I thought it was a great story about friends, fears, and crushes (everything I felt at that time). Told from a girls perspective it was funny and easy to read.

[Zana · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was younger, I read this a million times. It was one of my favorite books.

[Dakota · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book for being older and pretty short.

[Angelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

night terrors and reading clubs!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but are school wide sleepovers really a thing?

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read it for for school. i thought that it would be boring but it gets interisting.