Barbara Park dies at the age 66

         When you guys were in kindergarten and first grade, you probably remember a series called Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park. For some of you, the Junie B. Jones books were the first few books that you remember reading as a beginner. Well, on November 15, 2013, after battling for a long time with ovarian cancer, Barbara Park died.

        Barbara Lynne Park was born on April 21, 1947; daughter of a merchant and a secretary, Doris and Brooke Tidswell. She was raised in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey. She attended Rider College in 1965 to 1967, later finishing her Bachelor of Science in 1969 at the University of Alabama. In 1969, she married Richard A. Park. She lived in Arizona for almost 30 years and had two sons, Steven and David. She was the author of the popular Junie B. Jones series, as mentioned before, and won seven Children’s Choice Awards and four Parents’ Choice Awards. Besides the Junie B. Jones books, she also wrote novels such as The Kid in the Red Jacket and Don’t Make Me Smile. She died at the age of 66 on November 15, 2013.

        The Junie B. Jones books, all 23 books, have sold more than 22.5 million copies in North America alone. This series was also published in Italy, Spain, and Indonesia. Six Junie B. titles surged onto the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list.

         In the first 17 chapter books, she attends kindergarten. Later on, for the rest of the books, she attends first grade. Her manner of speaking is a blend of awkward (runned, thinked and throwed) and elegant (she likes the word apparently). And while her grammar improved in first grade, she still says funnest and bestest— words, says Park, which should be real even though they are not in the dictionary. I recommend you read this series!

         So, let us all remember Barbara Park and how she made herself part of our childhood.

By: Diana Gudiel-Benitez