Barbara Park Books

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Barbara Park was a successful American author that wrote stories for children. She has sold tens of millions of copies of her books. Born in 1947 in Mount Holly, New Jersey, she was 66 when she died. She spent a long time fighting Ovarian Cancer. Barbara finally passed away in 2013 at her home.

Her father was a merchant, her mother a secretary. She attended Rancocas Valley Regional High School and Rider College. She eventually graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science.

Her husband was Richard A. Park. They married in 1969, with Barbara Park eventually giving birth to two sons. The author is best known for the Junie B. Jones series. The books, which were written for children, follow the exploits of a precocious young girl who cannot help but express her unfiltered opinions of the people around her.

Despite the success she eventually achieved, Barbara wasn’t one of those authors that knew from the start that she would eventually pursue writing as a career. In fact, for the first few years of her life, she had no interest in writing.

If anything, she was always repelled by the writing assignments she got from school. Everything changed in high school. First, Barbara’s interest in reading was sparked. Then people started praising the author for her wit and humor.

This gave Barbara the impetus she needed to write a book, one that would utilize her talent for humor. None of this happened overnight. The writer was initially determined to become a high school teacher.

She expected to teach history and political science. It wasn’t until she got her secondary education degree that Barbara realized that her passion lay in writing. Her first book was’ Operation Dump the Chump’.

Three publishers rejected it before Alfred A. Knopf came along and made her an offer, paving the way for her success as an author. Barbara never wrote for adults because she did not feel like she knew enough about grownups to write books that would appeal to them

She had a strong attachment to the Junie B. Jones books. She had spent so many years writing them that Junie had become just like any other friend to the author. Barbara knew the character so well that she didn’t have to struggle to manifest Junie’s voice.

People often praised the writer for this very reason. They couldn’t understand how she could reproduce Junie’s 6-year-old personality and voice so accurately in her books. Barbara rarely struggled in her efforts to write Junie’s stories.

Though, she attracted some complaints from people who thought that her work was bad for children. Because Junie had bad grammar and frequently butchered the English language, some teachers and parents suggested that Barbara Park’s books had the power to ruin her young readers’ understanding of English.

However, these criticisms did not deter Barbara who insisted that her books were designed, not to educate but to entertain young readers, to make them smile.

Barbara Park Awards

The author won numerous Children’s Choice and Parent’s Choice Awards.

Best Barbara Park Books

Barbara wasn’t just another great writer. She was very passionate about the various causes she supported. For instance, she used to dedicate her books to the children that sought to meet her through the ‘Make-a-Wish’ Foundation. She also founded Sisters in Survival, an organization designed to help patients of ovarian cancer. SIS continues to operate under the management of Barbara’s family. Some of the best books in her bibliography include:

The Stupid Smelly Bus: Most children find the prospect of their first day of school frightening. Junie B. Jones is no different. The kindergartner is about to tackle her first day at a school she knows nothing about, and that makes her uneasy. She is also afraid of the school bus and the bad people she has to travel with.

A Little Monkey Business: Junie B. Jones is as funny as they come. She doesn’t fully understand the world but that doesn’t stop her from expressing her opinion on it. This time, a misunderstanding has convinced Junie that her brother, a newborn baby, is a monkey.

This book, the second in the Junie B Jones series, is black and white. It was illustrated by Denis Brunkus.

When Does The Next Barbara Park book come out?

Barbara Park doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday and was released on March, 14th 2020. It is the newest book in the Junie B. Jones Series.

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