Junie B. Jones Is A Graduation Girl (2001) - Plot & Excerpts
In my view, this is one of the best books of the series up to this point. Sometimes the Junie B. Jones stories are just very cleverly written and unparalleled in terms of humor quotient, but Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl adds an extra dimension of emotional depth to the narrative, really showing us the qualities about Junie B. that cause us to love her so much. She's more than just a mouthy kindergartner with an uncanny penchant for always putting herself in the middle of hilarious misadventures; she's also a girl with a lot of potential for caring about her friends and family. Even though her over-the-top excitement about her life and eagerness to rush right into things without thinking them through properly often gets her into trouble, I still believe that Junie B. Jones is a good girl. After all, what kindergartner doesn't get into a few awkward situations? After nine months of afternoon kindergarten and sixteen books describing those beginning days of her scholastic career, Junie B. Jones is finally set to graduate from Mrs.'s class. There are some pretty nifty surprises that go along with a graduation ceremony, including a white cap and gown (not cat and gown, I'm sad to say) that all of the students will wear as they receive their kindergarten diplomas. Mrs. cautions her students not to play with their pristine white graduation gowns before the big day because more likely then not they would accidentally end up getting dirty, but this is a directive that Junie B. isn't completely keen on following. It takes some doing to finagle the box in which her cap and gown are stored out of the place where her mother has hidden it away from Junie B., but when our favorite soon-to-be-ex-kindergartner tries on the full regalia to show her eager stuffed animals, catastrophe strikes. Now it's up to the creatively endowed Junie B. to be cool under pressure and think of a way out of this jam. Will her idea work well enough to mask her mistake when it comes time for the graduation ceremony? With so many years in real time between the publication of the first Junie B. Jones book and this one, which in a sense was bringing a close to a special era for so many fans of the series, Barbara Park really knew how to acknowledge the feelings of kids who had followed Junie B. since her first escapade with the "Stupid, Smelly Bus", and were now watching her actually graduate from kindergarten. Barbara Park allows those feelings to have their natural play without making the book entirely about that, and most important, she never loses her perspective on who Junie B. Jones really is, and why we love her. Best of all, the book's closing passage hints ahead to the beginning of Junie B.'s new upcoming year as a first grader, letting us know that her finishing kindergarten is not an end to her story, but a transition point as life moves forward and Junie B. brings her unique self to meet the new fun challenges of the yet unknown. And we'll be right there to see it all, and laugh and smile some more. This really is a very nice book, and I recommend it as one of the top entries of the entire Junie B. Jones series for its skillful mix of humor and meaningful story. Barbara Park always does it the right way.
Junie B. Jones graduating from kindergarten paralleled with my own daughter graduating from kindergarten. My daughter loved hearing about Junie preparing for her graduation ceremony in the auditorium. She also had her own special graduation outfit just like Junie B.(a painted t-shirt that was KEPT AT SCHOOL until parents dropped their kids off for the ceremony. Hmmmmmm......did her teacher read this book and know about Junie B.'s grape juice mess?). My daughter loved seeing the picture where the teacher shook Junie's hand while handing her diploma - we have the same picture of her too! My daughter was also concerned about if she would get to see her friends in first grade just like Junie B. Cute! Junie B. has a lot of spunk but I do believe she really means well!Emily (official first grader now!!): It was kind of funny that all the children put dots on their clothes. It was fun to hear Junie B. did the same things I did. Read it because it is funny.
What do You think about Junie B. Jones Is A Graduation Girl (2001)?
(2001)Summary: Junie B. Jones is finally graduating from Kindergarten. She had a lot of ups and downs during her kindergarten years but she made. Last pit stop was graduation. The students were given their gaps and gowns, but they were told not to touch it until day of. Knowing Junie B. Jones she just could not resist. Her cap and gown become and huge mess. On the day of graduation she came in with spot galore and her classmates decided to make her feel less embarrassed so they all colored spots on their gowns and marched on to graduate from kindergarten.Evaluation: This book is a great transition from early to transitional reader. It has big text and pictures here and there. A teaching point that you can hit on is the transition from one grade to another.Questions:1.Who is scared to go to the (following) grade?2.What are some emotions you have about leaving? (current grade)3.What would you do if you were in Junie B. Jones' shoes?
—Demilyn Odango
Junie B. is finally graduating kindergarten. Everyone in her class is given a white cap and gown and told by Mrs. to keep them in their bag till graduation. Junie B. can hardly contain herself and opens the bag. Then an accident happened and she doesn't know what she is going to do about it. At the end of like kindergarten the teacher could read the story to students right before they move up to first grade and have them write a short thing about how they feel about moving up to first grade and have them reflect on their first year in school. To tie the whole year together you could have students write something at the beginning of the year and what they are looking forward to and at the end of the year compare the two letters in a little booklet that is modeled after a Junie B. Jones cover.
—Madison Lakey
The inimitable Junie B. Jones has made a lot of progress during her kindergarten year, and as the time grows near for the class's graduation ceremony, she can't wait to wear the white cap and gown earmarked for those purposes. While she makes it home with the gown clean, Junie tricks her grandfather into letting her have the box in which it's stored, and then she accidentally gets grape juice on it. To add insult to injury, she decides to color the rest of the robe to match the juice stains. Junie can usually make the best of bad situations, but when she puts on the robe at school, she is embarrassed by how different from the rest of her classmates she looks. But her classmates are compassionate, and they come up with a colorful solution that makes her feel much better. Fans of the series will enjoy this one, but I couldn't help but wonder who in the world would ever design white graduation gowns for kindergarteners.
—Barbara
