Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy

Junie B. Jones #12

by Barbara Park

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. For beginning chapter-book readers, Junie B. Jones always saves the day. Junie B.'s inimitable style wins her friends and fans everywhere. Denise Brunkus's comical, expressive drawings capture all the joys and foibles of kindergarten life.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Juvenile, School

80 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Barbara Lynne Park was an American author of children's books.

Reviews

[Sportyrod · Rating 2 out of 5]

Junie B. Jones. The B apparently stands for Beatrice but I think it’s actually Bratty. Such a petulant child.

Pet Day was coming up. The rules were that no dogs or cats were permitted in class. They would have to bring photos instead. But the spoilt child didn’t like that rule and got in a longlasting tantrum state. Her family were fed up with her, which was understandable.

She tried finding some atypical pets, and ended up choosing something beyond stupid. It suited her quite well actually. But she went home feeling pleased because her teacher gave out award ribbons for various things. A miracle that she didn’t do a summer at boarding school.

I don’t read childrens’ books often, so I don’t know about these things but the author went for authenticity over grammatical accuracy. Eg: Springed, runned, hanged, bended, digged, flied, slided, stoled. Not sure it would pass as educational. And not sure it passes as a good lesson for children. As no-one wants their kid to be like this. Or perhaps children are meant to be cute and can just be themselves? I don’t know.

Ps I’m doing a mini reading challenge where you get a point per name in the title. This 2-pointer got me a step closer to victory. Oh dear, I sound like the petulant child. Maybe Junie B. Jones isn’t so bad afterall.

[Jen Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My nephews LOVE the Junie B. books and I finally found out why! I read this one to Cameron today and was laughing out loud. The way Junie B. speaks is hysterical. They brought several on vacation and I do believe I will be reading them all...and perhaps catching up on more of them next time I visit them in MN!

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another fun book in the Junie B. Jones series. Our girls tend to prefer books with lots of pictures, but they will sit and listen to these chapter stories. It's a great introduction to chapter books. I sometimes cringe at her choice of words and inaccurate grammar, but it sounds very authentically like a young 5-6 year old and it's sincere.

[Dannon Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how absolutely funny these books are i hope i can find more at thrift stores!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to Hudson (his first Junie B Jones book ever) and it was a blast to read to him. He thought it was so funny. I’ve read one or two before (I once taught a primary class that raved about these books so I read one so that we would have plenty to discuss while coloring together) and I really enjoyed them back then.

Fast forward to present day and I was truly shocked when reading these books because I swear it’s like I was reading the female version of Hudson. He is the male Junie B Jones. I kid you not. The thought processes, the humor, the trouble... all of it. So if you ever think “Could anyone ever really be like Junie B?” The answer is YES. His name is Hudson K Hiersche.

[Sandie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really love these books. I know kids that love them. I found the grammar annoying...Junie is a cute kid and has some interesting mental adventures, but she is a bit ornery and sassy. I didn't love them.

[Lexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandson brought this book home from the school library and I read it to him over the weekend. Such a cute character is Junie B. And hey, I'm running behind in my reading count for the year and Goodreads has it in their library, so it's good with me! Plus quality time with the grandson!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, even as grownups - especially as grownups, we need to laugh at the silliness of life. Even better when it’s through the eyes of a kindergartner. Junie B. Is indignant and joyful and hilarious - often at the same time. I love her.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junie B. Jones is just hilarious and holds our interest throughout.

[Lee]

Oh for the courage to shamelessly drag a dead large mouth bass around on a dog leash and call it a pet.

[Madigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have never thought looking at the cover that junie b would actually put a fish on a leash. THE REVEAL THAT THE FISH WAS DEAD???? Really got me. Junie b’s innovation of bringing a fish stick as a pet to pet day and the award of “best behaved pet” that she received, after being reprimanded through the book for bad behavior, really brought this story full circle for me in a beautiful way. I loved the way the story was paced, i read it very speedily. I really was not confident junie b would find a pet to bring, which kept me on my toes. I loved to see junie b’s relationship with her grandparents shown throughout this story. I love how junie b always follows her heart and is her full self. It is amazing to see how junie b does not shy away to her classmates laughing at her, and in fact she stands her ground and defends her pet fish stick, and in the end everyone loves fish stick. Thank you junie b for another amazing tale of overcoming adversity and staying true to you.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because one of the youth librarians commented that she hated Junie B. Jones when her kids were little because they'd emulate her sass. I'm pretty sure I read some of the series when I was a kid, but I didn't have any specific memories of it, so I picked this one up at random. I can definitely see what my colleague was saying. I also somehow picked the book in which Junie says the following, in response to her grandmother offering to let her borrow her canary for pet day: "Yeah, only here's the problem. I hate that dumb bird."

The audacity!

[Ella Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book held my attention because there was a pet day at her school, but only certain pets were allowed to come. June B got very crazy trying to find a pet to bring. What she ended up bringing is very unusual and made me laugh!

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously laughed out loud. My six year old and I are really enjoying Junie B.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Junie B. prepares for "pet day" at school.

[Whitney Hamilton]

Laugh out loud funny!

[Cierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fish stick for a pet… sure why not. Can’t even remember the last time I had fish sticks.

[Kirbygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe that she brought a fish stick and the teacher looked it up in the dictionary and said it was a pet! So, yeah. It's a good book. You should read it if you have time. BOOM!!!

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

On Junie B's quest to find a pet to bring to school, she has some peculiar ideas.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An audiobook consumed on a road trip with my niece. Very nostalgic.

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviews from my students:

“It was silly at the end” Aaron
“It was so funny” Bentley
“I like how she acts.” Aisha (she fell asleep at the end)
“I like the way when she calls Jim that meanie Jim” Aubrey
“I can’t believe she brought a fish stick for pet day” Colton

[Duna Fernández Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

es todo lo q me hacía falta esta semana mil gracias

[Genna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal Response:
I rated this book a three out of five stars. This book was short and cute. I liked this book, because the author made it clear that this book was from a first grader's point of view by using a first grader's vocabulary.

Plot:
Junie’s class was having a class pet day. The only problem with that was Junie couldn’t bring in her dog. Her grandma tried to help her by giving her a worm in a jar. Junie still wanted something more to impress her class, so she found another worm. Junie started to feel bad for keeping them in the jar, so she decided to let them go. Junie remembered that her grandma and grandpa went fishing that day. She wanted to use one of their fish as her pet. Junie took the biggest one her grandpa got and put it on her dog’s leash. The fish was already frozen, so she had to take a fish stick as her pet instead. Her fish stick got an award for the best behaved pet in the class.

Characterization:
The main character in this book was a first grade girl, Junie B. Jones. Junie was a very energetic kid who always thought she was right. Throughout the book Junie was very energetic, and sassy when she can’t figure out what she wanted to bring for pet day. Another important character was Junie's grandma. She helped Junie when she was stressed out about finding another pet.

Setting:
This book took place in Junie's town and at Junie’s school. This book took place in modern times, because Junie rode a bus to school and her parents drove her to her grandma’s house. If there were not any cars in this book, Junie would not have been able to use her grandparent’s fish as a pet.

Theme:
I think the theme of this book was family. Junie’s family helped her try to find something that she wanted to bring for her pet day. Junie’s parents gave her a lot of different ideas for pets that she could bring. Junie’s grandma let her take one of her fish sticks to show for her pet.

Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to anyone in elementary school. I think that those ages are good, because this book was at the reading level for those ages. Kids that age should be able to relate to the show and tell days. I also think that guys and girls would both like this book, because it is both funny and somewhat educational.

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy is a children's book about a young girl, Junie. She is having a little bit of a problem with Pet Day. Mrs, her teacher, said that if they were going to bring in a pet for Pet Day, it would have to be in a cage. There is absolutely no cats or dogs allowed in the school. Junie B., has a dog so she was thinking that she could just bring her dog in a cage and that would be okay. It was not okay at all. Mrs said no cats or dogs at all. When she got home her grandma, Grandma Miller, had given her an earthworm. Junie B. was not happy with that. Junie then started to collect more things in the container with the earthworm, but let them all go because they were dying. Later that night, her grandpa came home from fishing with this huge fish. Junie decided that she was going to take the fish as her pet to Pet Day. Junie grabbed the fish out of the container and put it on her dog leash and brought it to school. She won an award from Mrs for having the most well behaved pet.

Junie B. Jones is a very young, outgoing girl. She is adventurous and intelligent. Junie will always find some way for herself to get into trouble. She always figures out how to make things work, also.

I would recommend this book to elementary, middle, and high school students. It is targeted for younger children, mainly in elementary school. Any gender could also read it. I am sure Barbara Park did not just write these books for girls, I think she was aiming for all genders to read it.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another hilarious classic about the wonderful Junie B. In this book Mrs tells her students that pet day is around the corner and their class will be celebrating it and all of the students in room nine begin to cheer. The only thing is that Mrs said that if your pet is a cat or dog you cant bring your animal in and you have to bring a picture. Junie B is crushed because she really wanted to bring her dog. When Junie B got home from school that day she talked with Grandma Miller about what animal she could bring but they came up with nothing. Grandma gave Junie B an earthworm as her pet but Junie B. was not happy. Later that day, Junie B. added some other creatures to the jar that the worm was in but then she had to let them go because all the animals in the jar were dying. Later that day her grandpa and grandma came back from fishing and they brought back a huge fish. Junie B. decided that would be her pet so she pulled the fish out of the container and put him on her dog’s leash. The book ends with Junie B. bringing a fish stick to class as her pet and she wins an award from Mrs. For having the most well-behaved pet!! Very cute! I would read this to a first grade class. I recommend this book to all future first grade teachers.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Junie B Jones is so excited to find out her class is having a pet day. The only problem is you cant bring in dogs. Junie's only pet is a dog. Junie has no idea what to bring now. Junie asks her parents to buy her a new pet, but her parents refuse. Junie decides she will just find her own new pet then. Junie thinks of lots of ideas like ants and worms. She remembers her grandpa went on a fishing trip earlier. Too bad her grandma froze it. Instead Junie ends up bringing a fish stick she finds in her grandma's freezer.

Junie B Jones is a snotty little girl. She always has to get her way. Junie is always in some sort of trouble. She is very annoying. Junie always seems to think outside of the box.

I give this book 3 stars. This book is a very easy read. I would recommend it to first and second graders. I personally think girls would like this book better. This book is very funny. Little kids would really like this book because it isn't too difficult to read and they can probably relate to the books.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 2 is titled "The Secret About Twitter" despite the book being published 8 years before Twitter was created. Queen of predicting social media trends.

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this book in about 2nd or 3rd grade and it just had me laughing so hard I was crying. Honestly, I still read it and have a good chuckle. Who can't laugh at a kindergarten class having Pet Day but Mrs. won't allow the kindergarteners to bring cats or dogs? What's Junie B. to do? This book is just another classic book you just have to read to appreciate it properly. It's cute and funny and it is a nice quick read in those 30 minutes before school.

[Emo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of the Junie B. books, but this is my favorite. She is so funny!! She does get a little mouthy sometimes, and her grammar isn't fabulous, but she is a lot like a lot of the kids that are kindergarten and first grade and that's what makes her wonderful.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may be too old for Junie B Jones books...but I have to admit, that when I read them to my kids I LAUGH MY HEAD OFF! I won't add each one that I've read. We try to read them all. If you like to read to your kids and you want to laugh I recommend these books. They totally crack me up.