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Brittany Borkum
Dr. Deeney
EDC 423
1 October 2015
Junie B. Jones
The banned book I am reading is Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren by
Barbara Park. This primary book used to be a personal favorite of mine. In the story,
Junie B. and her friends develop a crush on a new boy in school named Warren. Lucille,
one of Junie B.’s two best friends, notices Warren first on the playground and they began
to play together. Lucille explains to Junie B. and their other friend Grace that Warren is
an extremely handsome boy and he has even appeared in television commercials. From
that point on, both Grace and Junie B. wanted nothing more than Warren to love them
just as much as he loves Lucille. This got the girls to begin referring to him as
“Handsome Warren”. The next day, Grace decided to impress Handsome Warren with
her brand-new sneakers and her lightning-speed running abilities. Lucille wore a brandnew dress to impress Handsome Warren, claiming it was a dress that only princesses
would wear. However, Junie B. became discouraged when she tried to impress
Handsome Warren with her knock-knock joke skills, but failed miserably when
Handsome Warren referred to her as a “nutball.”
Junie B. was determined to prove to Handsome Warren and her friends that,
contrary to popular belief, she was not a nutball. She then decided to go home and pick
an outfit to knock the socks off of Handsome Warren. Junie B. wore a bejeweled dog
collar, long white gloves, a crown from Dairy Queen, and sneakers with hand-drawn
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lighting stripes on them to school the next day. Handsome Warren was tired of Lucille,
Grace and Junie B. bothering him at recess every day and decided he had enough. Junie
B. then relied on her mother’s advice to be honest, be herself, and listen to her friends in
order to make friends. Therefore, the moral of the story was that you couldn’t simply just
impress someone to be your friend; you have to care about their feelings and make them
happy to be their friend.
Junie B. Jones books have been banned for a few reasons. It is said that “Junie B.
has some behavior issues, which doesn’t make her the best role model for young children.
The books also feature lots of incorrect grammar due to the idea the book is being
narrated by a fictional kindergartener” (Piesyk, Banned Books: Junie B. Jones series).
Finally, Junie B. uses derogatory language when she gets frustrated, which has been
criticized by many teachers and parents. An example of Junie B. losing her temper would
be when she shouted to a bully “Plus also I could break your whole entire bean brain”
(Park, 18)! Junie B. is never afraid to speak her mind and stand up for herself, usually in
her own spunky way. Junie B. also has quite a way with words for a kindergartener,
although her grammar is just where you would expect a five-year-old narrator’s grammar
level to be. She exclains “I have two bestest friends in that place. One of them is named
Lucille. She is way more beautifuller than me” (Park, 1). Finally, teasing language, such
as the word “nutball” (Parks, 23), is considered inaproproate language to be spoken by
children. For all of these reasons, Junie B. Jones books have been banned.
I completely disagree with this ban. Junie B. is a very spunky protagonist who can
make anyone laugh and enjoy reading at any age. She gets in trouble, makes mistakes and
sometimes causes quite a scene. However, Junie B. never gives up on a goal. She learns
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from her mistakes, picks herself up, and tries again. Junie B. is a very relatable character
because she isn’t perfect and people can clearly see situation from her point of view.
Junie B. has a very unconventional method for telling her stories based on the incorrect
grammar and occasional inappropriate phrase, but the books celebrate innocence and fun
and idea of never giving up on a goal. Junie B. made sure in all of her books that she
always found a way to accomplish her tasks.
In order to counter complaints for reading the Junie B. Jones series, I would
explain that Junie B. brings joy and laughter into the classroom. In a very roundabout
way she teachers valuable life lessons, such as in order to make a friend you need to be a
friend. I could explain to the classroom that the language Junie B. uses when she loses
her temper is not a kind way to talk to our friends, and we could strategize as a class a
nice way to talk to our friends- even when we are a little frustrated. I grew up with a love
of reading thanks to Junie B. Jones books, and I strongly believe that Junie B. can create
a love of learning for many, many children in the future.
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References
Park, Barbara, and Denise Brunkus. Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren. New York:
Random House, 1996. Print.
Piesyk, Christine Anne. "Banned Books: Junie B. Jones (series)." Business Heritage
Clarksville. N.p., 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.