Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
By Barbara Park
Grades 1-3; Genre – Fiction; GRL M; AR pts: 1.0
Remember when it was scary to go to school? 'Cause it was your first day and you didn't know anything. Meet Junie B. Jones, kindergartner. She's so scared of the school bus and the meanies on it that when it's time to go home, she doesn't.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- Why did Junie B.’s mom take her to visit the school? To meet her teacher; show her the classroom p.1
- Explain what Junie B.’s mom told her about the bus. She said it was yellow; called a school bus; stops at the end of their street; get on it, sit down, and takes her to school; then her teacher will meet her in the parking lot p.7
Chapter 2
- What did Junie B. feel like when she was worried? She didn’t sleep well; droopy; stomach queasy; she couldn’t eat her cereal p.10
- What helped Junie B. get on the bus? Her mom showed Junie B. that she should sit next to a girl on the bus and that it’ll be fun p.12
Chapter 3
- Why didn’t the curly haired girl let Junie B. sit next to her? She was saving that seat for her friend p.13
- What was Junie B.’s temperature on the bus and why couldn’t she change it? Very hot and she couldn’t roll down the windows p.16
- What made the bus experience worse as Junie B. tried to get off? People pushed her; made her fall down in the aisle; stepped on her skirt p.19
Chapter 4
- What color chair did Junie B. want to sit in? red p.22
- What’s the name of the girl with red fingernails? Lucille p.25
- Name three places Junie B.’s class visited? Make sure to list them in the order they visited them. Library; cafeteria; nurse’s office p. 26
Chapter 5
- What happened to Lucille’s brother last year when he visited the principal? The principal yelled at him and told him he couldn’t beat kids up at recess anymore p.30
- What did Lucille bring up that made Junie B.’s stomach squeezy? She talked about the bus ride home p.34
- Why didn’t Junie B. follow her teacher as she led them to the bus? She didn’t want to ride the bus home p.35
Chapter 6
- Where did Junie B. hide? In the supply closet p.37
- When Junie B. woke from her nap, what did she find? The cars and bus were gone out of the parking lot p.40
- What did Junie B. pretend to be at the end of this chapter? The teacher p.42
Chapter 7
- What did Junie B. compare the media center to? A fort p.45
- Why did Junie B. like the pencil sharpener? It made pencils teeny p.47
- Who do you think the man was that was singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”? the custodian p.48
Chapter 8
- When Junie B. was in the nurse’s office, what did she do? Pretend to be the nurse; put band-aids all over her; she played with the crutches p.50
- Why did Junie B. feel like the nurse’s office was a dangerous place? She fell off the crutches and banged her head on the desk p.55
Chapter 9
- Why were the doors locked in the school? Because no one was there p.58
- Who did Junie B. call to get help since she couldn’t open the door to go to the bathroom? 911 p.59
- How did the man with the can help Junie B.? unlocked the doors so she could use the restroom p.62
Chapter 10
- Why did Junie B.’s mom hug her really tight? Junie B. didn’t come home on the bus and she was concerned about her p.64
- What helped Junie B. want to ride the bus the next day? A girl named Grace that’s in Junie B. class p.68