Junie B -- that's all.

I didn't want to like her, but I sort of love Junie B. Jones.

My son's kindergarten teacher read the class one of her books, although she told me that she changed it some as she read it. Like many of us, she had qualms about some of Junie's harsher language. She says "stupid" and "smelly" a lot. Also, she doesn't always use perfect grammer.

But my son LOVED it. He reported that he loved it. And his teacher confirmed that while all the kids loved it, my son ESPECIALLY loved it.

So we started reading some at home and we haven't stopped because: we just love that girl, that's why.

(She talks that way. A lot.)

As a parent, you get used to reading books that are more or less not interesting to you. Sometimes they were a little bit interesting the first time you read them. Sometimes you can appreciate the artistry. Sometimes you like the pictures or the lesson. But it's kind of rare to be reading a book with a kid and honestly say: "we HAVE to read another chapter. Because I want to know what happens next."

But when Junie B was trying to find a pet to take to pet day at school, I actually, really, totally couldn't put it down.