When I was in elementary school, one of my hyperfixations was the late Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones book series. I just felt a strong connection to Junie B.; she looked and acted a lot like I did as a kid (minus her not-so-good grammar). Years later, as an adult, I've seen a few YouTube videos involving other adults who grew up reading these books going back and rereading at least some of them (here are a few examples), and they inspired me to revisit the series myself. I couldn't reread the copies I collected as a kid, though, on account of my dumb child self writing and coloring the books in a way that would break my adult self's immersion; since I still had those copies and feel uncomfortable throwing any book in the trash, though, borrowing library copies or buying new copies didn't seem like the best ideas, either. That's when I found out about practically the best(est) thing in the world to someone in my predicament: a graphic novel series that debuted last year that adapts each of the books! Thus, I borrowed the graphic novel adaptation of the first book in the Junie B. Jones series, "Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus", from the library and gave it a read. Now, what do I have to say about it, as a former Junie B. fanatic?
In case you don't know, the B in Junie B. Jones's name stands for Beatrice, except she doesn't like Beatrice; she just likes B, and that's all. (Lord have mercy on the poor soul who forgets her B....) This spunky almost-six-year-old is starting kindergarten, which means she has to start riding the titular "stupid, smelly bus" to get to and from school. Obviously, she's anxious about the idea of riding the bus, and actually riding the bus does nothing to quell her fears; the bus is loud, smells like an egg salad sandwich (her words, not mine), and contains some mean kids, such as a boy named Jim. To make matters worse, according to her new friend Lucille, kids pour chocolate milk on each other's heads on the bus ride home. Thus, when the time comes to go home, Junie B. hides under her teacher's desk to avoid the bus, and shenanigans ensue from there.
Being the first book in the series, Stupid Smelly Bus takes a lot of its time establishing its setting and characters, which it does a decent job at. Room Nine has a nice vibe to it; I wish I spent my kindergarten year in that classroom! There are some moments that establish Junie B. and Lucille's friendship that may have been done better here than the original book; it's also made very clear, however, that even before she made that chocolate milk claim, Lucille isn't that good of a friend to Junie B. The rivalry between Junie B. and Jim was set up decently, too, although I don't really think Jim was being too unreasonable during their first encounter.
Junie B. herself is as much of a delight as ever. She doesn't always use proper grammar, even in the graphic novel; this is something about the original books that parents have complained about, and although I'm personally more forgiving about this due to Junie B. being five years old, I do understand the concerns about kids being influenced to not use proper grammar. (I don't think it's anything to be too concerned about, though; most kids will grow out of that!) More important than that, though, is her silly and imaginative personality, which kids will find endearing and even relatable to a degree. She's also the type of kid who will make her feelings heard loud and clear, even if the adults around her don't seem to understand why she feels the way she does; her honesty is something I think a lot of people can learn from, even adults. Also, she's apparently a gamer.
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that the graphic novel is more modern than the original books, which take place in the '90s. There are a few moments where more current technology is mentioned, but it doesn't really affect the story at all. Okay, moving on!
This graphic novel is a pretty loyal adaptation of the book in terms of the story and character portrayals, but its artstyle couldn't be further from the original illustrations if it tried. While Denise Brunkus's artstyle is a little bit on the realistic side while still being charming, Honie Beam's art is a lot more cartoony. I think I prefer Denise Brunkus's style a little bit, and it's not just because of nostalgia; there are just times when those illustrations depict clearer expressions on the characters' faces than their graphic novel counterpart, such as the part when Junie B. is yelling about where the "stupid, smelly bus" is going. That's not to say that the graphic novel's art is bad, though; it's actually very cute and inviting, and I can easily see kids gravitating to it. There are some character design changes made to fit the new medium, though, with some changes being more drastic than others. Some older fans will definitely complain about the more drastic changes, but I don't think these changes affect their characters at all (except maybe making Mrs. and the principal seem a bit gentler); thus, I can't complain.
Overall, Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus is a pretty good graphic novel. Those who loved the original books as children, especially those who have children of their own and want to get them into the books, will definitely get something out of it. Reading either the original book series or the graphic novel adaptation may be a good way for those kids to pass the time as they ride their own stupid, smelly buses to school!
Comments
Post a Comment