Junie B. (Jones) can hardly contain her excitement in school. Just the night before her parents told her that they would be taking a trip to HAWAII (Junie B. talks in all capitals when she's excited) and it is a GROWNUP trip which means that her little brother, Ollie, will NOT BE GOING ALONG. Her teacher gives her a camera to take pictures with and designates her the official photo-journalist for her class. Even though this is dangerously close to HOMEWORK, Junie is still excited.Junie's trip doesn't start out very well. She is plagued with grouchy old ladies in front of and behind her on the plane. Once on the ground the swimming ring that she convinces her parents she JUST HAS TO HAVE doesn't quite fit and she discovers that snorkeling might sound like fun but it isn't really since there are eels and jellyfish too close for comfort.
I was warned by co-workers that they weren't overly fond of Junie B. Jones and I have to say I agree! She is a little on the obnoxious side and not really all that likable. But...
The author captures the excitement and enthusiasm of a first grader. Junie's speech patterns were spot on and I found myself laughing at her and cringing along with her. Everything is seen from Junie's perspective so that even the reason for the trip (her father has a job interview) is lost on her. What matters is the trip itself.
My favorite character ever? Well, no. But I still enjoyed the 35 minutes it took me to read this book. And since it isn't often that I can say that I read a whole book in under an hour, I'm giving it
a thumbs up!
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