Free Junie B., First Grader (at Last!) by Barbara Park

I put down my pencil. And I looked at what I wrote.
    I did a sigh.
    “I would like to go home now,” I said to just myself.
    “Shh!” said a girl named May. “I'm still trying to do my work.”

    May sits next to me in the back of the room.
    I do not actually care for that girl.
    Just then, my teacher stood up at his desk. His mustache smiled real friendly.
    “Okay, boys and girls. You can stop writing now,” he said. “As I told you earlier, we will be working in our journals quite often this year. In fact, it won't be long until your journal starts feeling like an old friend.”
    I rolled my eyes at the ceiling.
    “What kind of an old friend looks like a dumb notebook?” I said.
    “Shh!” said May again. “You shouldn't talk while the teacher is talking, Junie Jones!”
    I looked at her real annoyed.
    “
B.
,” I said. “My name is Junie
B.
Ithink I have mentioned that to you before, May.”
    I leaned closer to her face.
    “B., B., B., B., B.,” I said.
    After that, I slumped in my seat. And I put my head on my desk.
    I peeked at the other children who sit near me.
    Their names are Herb. And Lennie. And José.
    I do not know them from a hole in the ground.
    I did another sigh.
    First grade is not what it's cracked up to be.
    My room is named Room One.
    I was nervous when I came here yesterday.
    That's how come Daddy had to carry me all the way to the room. ’Cause my legs felt like squishy Jell-O.
    He put me down outside the door.
    “Well, here we are, Junie B.,” he said.
    “
First
grade. At
last
.”
    My stomach had flutterflies in it.
    Also, my arms had prickly goose bumps. And my forehead had drops of sweaty.
    “I am a wreck,” I said.
    Daddy smiled very nice.
    “There's nothing to worry about, Junie B. I promise,” he said. “You're going to
love
first grade. Just think. There's a whole roomful of brand-new friends just waiting to meet you.”
    He ruffled my hair. “Are you ready to go in now?” he asked. “Hmm? Are you ready to begin your first-grade adventure?”
    I looked at him a real long time.
    Then I quick spun around. And I zoomed down the hall as fast as I could!
    Daddy zoomed after me!
    He caught up with me speedy quick. And he carried me back to my class.
    Only this time, he carried me straight into the room!
    As soon as he put me down again, I hid behind his legs.
    ’Cause that place was a zoo, I tell you!
    There were people
everywhere
! There were girls and boys. And mothers and daddies. And grandmas and grampas. Plus also, there were drooly babies in strollers.
    Then, all of a sudden, my whole mouth came open!
    Because good news! I finally saw someone I knew!
    I jumped up and down and all around.
    “DADDY! DADDY! IT'S LUCILLE!” I hollered. “REMEMBER LUCILLE? LUCILLE WAS MY BESTEST FRIEND FROM KINDERGARTEN LAST YEAR!”
    Lucille was standing at a desk next to the window.
    I ran to her in a jiffy.
    Then I hugged and hugged that girl! And I
couldn't even stop!
    “LUCILLE! LUCILLE! IT'S ME! IT'S ME! IT'S YOUR BESTEST FRIEND FROM KINDERGARTEN … JUNIE B. JONES!”
    I tried to pick her up.
    “I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU, FRIEND!” I shouted real joyful.
    Lucille pulled my arms off her.
    “Stop it, Junie B.! Stop it!” she said.
    “You're wrinkling my new back-to-school dress! This thing cost a fortune.”
    I stopped hugging her.
    Lucille smoothed and fluffed herself.
    I smoothed and fluffed her, too.
    “There,” I said. “Good as new.”
    After that, I grabbed Lucille's hand. And I started to pull.
    “Come on, Lucille. Let's go find two desks together,” I said. “I think we should sit near the door. Want to? Huh? If we sit near the door, we can stare at people who walk down the hall.”
    Lucille yanked her hand away.
    “
No
, Junie B. No. I'm going to sit at this desk right here,” she said. “I already picked it out with my two new friends, Camille and Chenille.”
    She pointed at the door.

    “See them over there?” she said. “I met them before you came.