In her typical clueless fashion, Junie B. passionately throws herself into assisting the cafeteria ladies, although her tactless comments put the other kids off their lunch. The irritating baby talk (I did a sad sigh) is toned down, but Junie B.Æs advanced age hasnÆt yet saved her from being the butt of ParkÆs kids-do-the-darndest-things humor. Junie B.Æs many fans may not get the winks over her head. From HORN BOOK Fall 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 1-3-Junie B. is excited because she has a brand-new lunch box. She can't resist sneaking peeks in it during class and is caught by her teacher. The child instigates a discussion about why brought lunches are better than bought lunches and sums it all up by saying, "'Cause brought lunches are made special by our very own mothers!" Later that day at lunch, she sees a cafeteria worker who used to bring milk and cookies to Junie B.'s kindergarten class, and asks why her class doesn't get them this year. The woman explains that first graders get cookies when they buy their lunch. Junie B. convinces Mrs. Gutzman to let her be a helper in the cafeteria where she thinks that she'll be the boss and get to eat as many cookies as she wants. This cleverly written beginning chapter book is as funny as ever and young readers will laugh with the child as she learns that working in a cafeteria isn't just about eating cookies. A few black-and-white drawings in each chapter capture the confident little girl and her many adventures.-Kristin de Lacoste, South Regional Public Library, Pembroke Pines, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Several popular series and protagonists continue in new titles. The titular heroine joins her favorite cafeteria lady, Mrs. Gutzman, by donning apron, mitts and a hair net, but things go a little haywire behind the lunch counter in Junie B., First Grader: Boss of Lunch by Barbara Park, illus. by Denise Brunkus, the latest installment in the bestselling series. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Junie is adjusting to the new world of first grade, where she is learning to follow rules and settle down-at least a little bit. She has a new lunchbox and she just cannot keep her hands off of it. Mr. Scary, her teacher, has exhorted her to leave it alone until lunchtime, even if she is extolling the virtues of a homemade lunch. " 'Cause brought lunches are made special by our very own mothers!" May, the prissy, perfect girl who loves to annoy Junie is more than happy to tattle on her or to point out the virtues of the cafeteria lunch. "All school lunches have to be delicious and nutritious. It's a rule." Junie is left with her sandwich while the children all choose a cafeteria hoagie. Well, rules are made to be broken and no one can break them quite like Junie B. She ends up as a lunch helper, fancying herself as being in charge of the kitchen, despite her mother's gentle admonition: "A helper is not the boss." Though she loves her job as the napkin arranger and sink sponger, she is cut down to size when she is asked to greet the older kids. Park's particular gift is her ability to have Junie, the narrator, add interesting vocabulary and phrases to her speech. She really seems older than the Junie in the kindergarten books, more real, and more sympathetic. Who couldn't relate to the little girl who wants to help but somehow manages to call the lunch "Tuna Noodle Stinkle" and compounds the mistake by screeching it at the top of her lungs? Hooray for Junie and hooray for the grown-ups in her life who accept her, loud mouth and all. (Fiction. 7-10)

Gr. 2-3. Lunchroom trials and tribulations take center stage in the latest Junie B. Jones story. The agony of not being able to explore a new lunchbox during class is followed by the ecstasy of finally getting to the lunchroom. That's followed by the agony of discovering that all her classmates are getting a hot lunch because yummy hoagies are on the menu. Junie B. is still sassy, hilarious, and insightful in an authentically childlike way, and Park obviously understands the passions and fears of first-graders. Her depiction of school dynamics is right on target, even as she keeps the reading level down to an easy chapter-book level. Susan Dove Lempke.