Families who loved Junie B. Jones Is the Boss of Lunch by Barbara Park often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your child is eager to help out but struggles to understand the boundaries of their authority or the feelings of others. In this installment of the popular series, Junie B. Jones gets the chance to assist the school lunch lady, Mrs. Gutzman. While she starts with high spirits and a sense of professional pride, her over-excitement leads her to boss around her friends, resulting in hurt feelings and social embarrassment. It is a relatable look at how children navigate new responsibilities and the importance of humility. Parents will appreciate how the story uses humor to normalize the 'big kid' desire for control while teaching a gentle lesson about the social consequences of being too pushy. The book is perfectly aged for early elementary students who are beginning to navigate their own school dynamics and lunchroom politics.
