Junie B., First Grader (at last!) Read online

  He passed around his new styling gel. Plus also, he let us touch his hair.

  After that, Sheldon showed us how long he could stand on one foot.

  And José sang a song about frogs.

  And Shirley showed us her turkey sandwich. She showed us the bread and the mayonnaise and the tomato.

  Finally, Mr. Scary stood up again.

  “All rightie, Shirley. Excellent sandwich,” he said. “But I really think it should go back in its bag now.”

  Shirley sat down.

  Mr. Scary looked around the room.

  “Okay. Who wants to go next?” he said.

  My stomach flipped and flopped.

  ’Cause a nervous idea popped into my head, that's why.

  I looked down at my glasses in my sweater pocket.

  Then I swallowed very hard. And I quick raised my hand in the air.

  “Me!” I blurted out. “I do!”

  Mr. Scary smiled. “Great, Junie B.,” he said. “Did you bring something to share?”

  I quick pulled my hand down again.

  “No,” I said. “I just changed my mind.”

  My heart was thumping and pumping.

  I peeked at my glasses one more time.

  Then all of a sudden, my legs stood up. And they rushed me to the front of the room!

  My knees were wobbly and shaking.

  I bent over and did deep breaths.

  Mr. Scary came over to me.

  “Are you okay, Junie B.?” he asked. “Would you like to sit down and wait to do this another day?”

  “No,” I said. “I want to get this over with.”

  Then, fast as anything, I reached into my pocket. And I pulled out my new glasses.

  May started to laugh.

  It was loudish and meanish.

  “LOOK! IT'S HER GLASSES!” she yelled. “SHE BROUGHT HER GLASSES FOR SHOW-AND-TELL! AND HA! THEY'RE PURPLE!”

  Tears came into my eyes.

  I quick covered my face with my hands. I wanted to sit down real bad. But my legs would not even move.

  I stood there very frozen.

  And then–all of a sudden–I heard a noise!

  It was the sound of running feet, I think!

  I looked up.

  My new friend Herb was hurrying to the front of the room!

  And guess what?

  He took the glasses right out of my hand. And he put them on his own face!

  “Cool!” he said. “Purple glasses!”

  He looked all around.

  “Wow,” he said. “My eyes could never see out of these, Junie B. Your eyes must be really special.”

  He looked admiring of me.

  “How do your eyes even do that, huh? Do you have X-ray vision or something?” he asked.

  I shrugged my shoulders kind of shy.

  “I don't actually know, Herbert,” I said. “Possibly.”

  Herb gave the glasses back to me.

  “Here,” he said. “Put them on and read something.”

  I rocked back and forth on my feet.

  “Well, okay, Herb. If you insist,” I said.

  After that, I put on my glasses. And I walked all the way to the back of the room.

  I read the announcement off the board.

  “Friday, September 23,” I read. “Today, get ready for Show-and-Tell.”

  I smiled real proud.

  “The end,” I said.

  After that, I went back to my desk.

  Herb hurried over to me.

  He gave me a high five.

  And guess what else?

  Lennie and José gave me high fives, too!

  Mr. Scary did a thumbs-up. “Excellent glasses, Junie B. Jones,” he said.

  “Sí,” said José. “Excelente!”

  “Yes,” called Lucille. “I like those glasses, too, Junie B. ’Cause purple is a popular fashion color this fall.”

  My heart felt cheery at that news.

  I looked at May very smuggy.

  “Well, yay for purple,” I said.

  After Show-and-Tell was over, Mr. Scary gave us more time for our journals.

  I picked up my pencil real happy. And I added two more lines.

  I looked around the room and grinned.

  Everything was crystal clear.

  www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb

  BARBARA PARK is one of today's funniest, most popular authors. Her middle-grade novels, which include Skinnybones, The Kid in the Red Jacket, My Mother Got Married (And Other Disasters), and Mick Harte Was Here, have won over forty children's book awards. Barbara holds a B.S. in education from the University of Alabama. She has two grown sons and lives with her husband, Richard, in Arizona.

  DENISE BRUNKUS'S entertaining illustrations have appeared in over fifty books. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and daughter.

  Text copyright © 2001 by Barbara Park

  Illustrations copyright © 2001 by Denise Brunkus

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York.

  www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Park, Barbara.

  Junie B., first grader (at last!) /

  by Barbara Park; illustrated by Denise Brunkus.

  p. cm. — “A Stepping Stone book.”

  SUMMARY: Junie B. thinks first grade is a flop when her kindergarten friend Lucille prefers the company of twins Camille and Chenille and Junie B. needs glasses.

  eISBN: 978-0-375-89442-8

  [1. Schools—Fiction. 2. Eyeglasses—Fiction. 3. Friendship—Fiction.]

  I. Brunkus, Denise, ill. II. Title.

  PZ7.P2197Jr 2001 [Fic]—dc21 2001019076

  RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks and A STEPPING STONE BOOK and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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