SOURCE CITATION
"Barbara Park." Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults, 2nd ed., 8 vols. Gale Group, 2002. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007.
Photograph provided by Random House.

BIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
Dubbed "one of the funniest . . . writers around," by Booklist's Ilene Cooper, and an author "who has consistently shown an ability to shed humorous light on potentially dreary situations," by Betsy Hearne in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, juvenile novelist Barbara Park tackles subjects from peer pressure to divorce to dealing with the death of a sibling to facing the devastation caused by Alzheimer's--all with a distinctly sardonic and light touch. Her award-winning novels, such as Don't Make Me Smile, The Kid in the Red Jacket, Skinnybones, Maxie, Rosie, and Earl--Partners in Grime, Mick Harte Was Here, and The Graduation of Jake Moon, attest to her winning prose and themes that challenge but do not overwhelm young readers. In her series of chapter books for beginning readers, the "Junie B. Jones" books, she presents a plucky and feisty female protagonist who gets herself involved in adventures from discovering the identity of a secret valentine to learning what to do with a fruitcake won in a school carnival.

Born in Mount Holly, New Jersey, in 1947, Park confessed in her autobiography page for the Random House Web site that "as a kid I had absolutely no interest in writing whatsoever." She did, however, have a great interest in humor. "I always found myself incredibly amusing," she further commented. "So from the first grade on, whenever a funny thought hit me, I would happily blurt it out for the whole class to hear." By high school she had developed a strong interest in reading. Then, little by little, her feelings about writing began to change, too. Graduating from the University of Alabama in 1969, she married that same summer. Her husband, Richard, was serving in the U.S. Air Force, and suddenly Park thought that writing--which she could do at home while her two boys were growing up--could be a good outlet for her humorous side.

Park began with adult stories and articles, but had limited success. Then one of her sons brought home a book by juvenile author Judy Blume, and everything crystallized for the budding author. She suddenly saw that writing for young readers was exactly the genre for her. Setting herself a two-year deadline in which to get a book published, Park got to work dredging up her own childhood memories as well as focusing on the typical day-to-day problems faced by her own two boys. She wrote diligently and soon had three novels in hand. When Operation: Dump the Chump was accepted by Knopf, the editor there was enthusiastic enough to pick up the other two titles as well.

Park's first published book, Don't Make Me Smile, features a male protagonist, ten-year-old Charlie Hickle, whose parents are getting a divorce. Charlie does not accept his parents' decision quietly or politely; he acts out in often humorous and poignant ways, as at the picnic for his eleventh birthday which turns into a disaster. Marsha Hartos, reviewing this debut title in School Library Journal, felt that Park's book "achieves a beautiful balance between humor and sadness," while Booklist's Hearne noted that the "(s)cenes and dialogue have a natural bittersweet flavor and move smoothly to the inevitable adjustment." Writing in Horn Book, Mary M. Burns concluded, "while divorce is certainly not a humorous subject, the topic is handled in a way which reminds one that tears and laughter are the warp and woof of the human comedy." Charlie makes a reappearance in the 1989 title, My Mother Got Married (and Other Disasters), in which his mother marries Ben Russo, a widowed father of two children. The concept of blended family takes on new and humorous meanings in this novel, which "is a delight for all readers, but . . . especially appreciated by those in Charlie's position," according to a contributor for Publishers Weekly.

Another ten-year-old, Oscar Winkle, is featured in Operation: Dump the Chump, in which the chump in question is his younger, bothersome brother, Robert. Oscar's elaborate plans, of course, go awry, but not before providing some chuckles along the way. Though some reviewers felt the plot and ultimate resolution were too obvious, others, including Booklist's Cooper thought that "(k)ids might see the punch line coming, but they'll be laughing out loud all the way there." Books for Keeps reviewer Pam Harwood found this story of sibling rivalry to be "a classic."

Skinnybones features another young male protagonist, Alex, who finds his situation as the smallest little league ball player a constant irritation. He gains redemption, however, when he wins a contest to be in a television commercial and becomes a different kind of celebrity. Cooper wrote in Booklist that "Skinnybones equals tickled funny bones," and Lena Denham Smith, reviewing the same title in Catholic Library World, called the middle-grade novel a "funny, irreverent story for every child who has ever been an underdog--and for parents and teachers who sometimes forget it isn't easy to be a kid." Park reprised Alex for the 1988 title Almost Starring Skinnybones, in which Alex stars in a cat commercial that catapults him to school dramatics. "Alex's struggles to reconcile his dreams with the rough realities of middle school are related in a humorous, fast-moving style," concluded a writer for Publishers Weekly in a review of the sequel.

With her fourth novel, Beanpole, Park began writing from a girl's point of view, realizing that she could have as much fun with feisty female characters as with male ones. Lillian is just turning thirteen and is shaped like the title of her book. Her three wishes for her birthday--to get a bra, to dance with a boy, and to get on the Pom Squad--are partly and disappointingly granted, but along the way Lillian begins to take a humorous view of her problems. "Park continues to depict, amusingly, the imperfection of preteen life," wrote Booklist's Cooper, who further commented, "Park will win readers with her light, bright comedic style." Lisa Lane, reviewing Beanpole in the Christian Science Monitor, concluded, "Barbara Park is offering her readers encouragement. In this perceptive novel about growing up, she captures the feeling of what it is like to be a seventh-grade 'loser' and shows that a place on the pom-pom squad or dancing with a boy isn't necessarily the way to success."

"Park pulls off a neat trick" with Buddies, declared Cooper in Booklist. "She has written an absolutely hysterical novel that incorporates a poignant message." The message, left somewhat unresolved at the end, is about peer pressure. Dinah, off to summer camp, wants to create a new popular image for herself, but is not prepared to deal with a tag-along girl who meets her on the bus and threatens to blow her cover. It is up to Dinah to tell Fern, the nerd, that her attentions are now wanted. Guilt-ridden by her actions, Dinah vows thereafter to treat an unpopular school friend with more respect. "Barbara Park has written a breezy, upbeat novel about teenage popularity at summer camp," observed Rita M. Fontinha in Kliatt. "An age-old message is given a new look here," concluded Fontinha. "It's refreshing to see that peer pressure doesn't always prevail."

More unwanted attentions are served up in The Kid in the Red Jacket, in which ten-year-old Howard Jeeter is having trouble adjusting after his recent move from Arizona to Massachusetts. Things get even worse when six-year-old Molly Vera Thompson, his next door neighbor, decides she's going to be Howard's friend. Hearne, writing in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, felt that Park handled this novel of adjustment with "her usual humor and child's-eye perspective," and School Library Journal critic Linda Wicher joined in the chorus of critical approval in calling the book "(a)nother first-rate addition by this author to the middle-grade popular reading shelf."

In a mini-series known as "The Geek Chronicles," a trio of misfits, Maxie, Rosie, and Earl, parade through three books by Park: Maxie, Rosie, and Earl--Partners in Grime, Rosie Swanson--Fourth Grade Geek for President, and Dear God, Help! Love, Earl. The three kids are meant for each other: Maxie is the top student, resented by all the other kids in his class, while Rosie is a know-it-all tattletale and Earl is something of an overweight wimp. With the first book in the series, Park wrote a book so funny "readers can't help but laugh out loud," according to Booklist's Cooper. The three friendless fourth graders team up when they meet in the principal's office, each sent there for a different offense, and the fun takes off from this chance meeting. "Park's characters are so real, yet so wild, the actual plot hardly matters," wrote Cooper. A writer for Kirkus Reviews found that Maxie, Rosie, and Earl--Partners in Grime was "(s)ure to be a hit," and that "Park's use of funny-sounding, probably unfamiliar words will elicit belly laughs, as will her characters' outrageous predicaments." The trio's humorous adventures continue in Rosie Swanson--Fourth Grade Geek for President and in Dear God, Help! Love, Earl.

With the 1995 Mick Harte Was Here, "Park turns her wry eye on a serious subject," wrote Booklist's Cooper, "the death of a sibling." Thirteen-year-old Phoebe Harte describes with "love, wit, and anger," according to Cooper, her brother Mick and how his death in a biking accident has affected her and her family. Cooper concluded that there "is a sea of real emotion here," and that "readers will find themselves touched by this book." A writer for Publishers Weekly felt that by making it clear that Mick would have survived the accident had he been wearing a bike helmet, "Park dramatically and convincingly delivers a powerful message."

Another powerful message is presented in The Graduation of Jake Moon in which eighth-grade Jake must come to grips with his beloved grandfather's slide into Alzheimer's. Jake feels shame at his grandfather's condition and more shame at his own reaction to the old man's illness, a dramatic tension which is increased even further at Jake's graduation. "This novel takes readers into the uncompromising world of Alzheimer's disease," wrote Betty Carter in Horn Book, "allowing them to see it through the eyes of a likable and very human narrator." Trev Jones, writing in School Library Journal, found The Graduation of Jake Moon to be a "touching, perceptive, and heartening novel enriched by unforgettable characters."

Something of a departure for Park is the 1998 picture book title, Psssst! It's Me . . . the Bogeyman, "a traditional baddie's not-quite-successful effort to counter press reports," according to Booklist's John Peters. The bogeyman in question gives readers the inside information on his scary tactics. Park presents a bad old bogeyman who is a "wisecracking haunt, at once menacing and whiny," Peters noted. Peters concluded that Park "moves into picture books with this hilarious anodyne for nighttime fears." John Sigwald, reviewing the same title in School Library Journal, found this Halloween book to by a "year-round panacea for anyone who's ever been afraid of the things that go bump in the night."

Park is also well known for her series of beginning readers featuring the kindergartner Junie B. Jones. These short books each feature a problem to be dealt with, from taking the bus to a visit to the beauty shop. Eighteen titles strong and growing, the series has attracted young readers for its blend of humor and winning characterization. A writer for Kirkus Reviews found the first title in the chapter book series, Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus, to be "a genuinely funny, easily read story." Junie hides out in the supply closet rather than take the bus home. Reviewing the same title in School Library Journal, Gale W. Sherman noted that Park "is truly a funny writer" and that Junie B., though a kindergartner, is "sure to make middle grade readers laugh out loud when they read about her adventures on the first day of school." "Park has a wonderful ear for the dialogue of five-year-olds and an even better grasp of how their minds operate," commented Kay Weisman in a Booklist review of the fourth title in the series, Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying. The book was a "sure bet for beginning chapter-book readers," concluded Weisman. In Junie B. Jones Is a Beauty Shop Guy, the irrepressible Junie accompanies her father to a beauty shop to have his hair cut. Deciding she has hit on a profession for herself, she begins practicing the fine art of haircutting, clipping away at her bunny slippers, the family dog's hair, and finally her own locks, with disastrous results. "Readers will find plenty to laugh about as Junie tries to cover up the evidence," wrote Booklist's Carolyn Phelan, who concluded, "this short chapter book will amuse the many fans of the refreshing series." Writing about the same title in School Library Journal, Linda Bindner observed that the "honesty and inventiveness of this savvy kindergartner make the Junie B. books accessible and completely enjoyable."

With all of Park's books it is this accessibility and enjoyment factor which proves so successful, according to reviewers. Park deals with problems of all sorts in her books, from the frivolous to the serious, but in the end she lets her own humorous take on life dictate how she presents her story. "I don't write books to try to impart heavy morals or messages," Park once said. "I don't particularly like it when teachers ask students to list what 'lessons' they have learned from one of my stories. . . . I don't believe that in order to be worthwhile a book must try to teach some weighty lesson in life." What Park wants from her fiction is to create living, breathing people. After reading J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye in high school, Park had a revelation: "It was the first book I saw as a person and not as a book, and that is the way I want my books to feel to my readers. I want my books to feel like people."

UPDATES
July 27, 2004: Junie B. Jones, a musical play based on Park's book series, opened at the Lucille Lortel Theater in New York. The play was written by Marcy Heisler and Tina Goldrich. Source: New York Times, www.nytimes.com, July 27, 2004.

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Born April 21, 1947, in Mount Holly, NJ; daughter of Brooke (a banker and business owner) and Doris (a school secretary; maiden name, Mickle) Tidswell; married Richard A. Park (a commercial real estate broker), June 28, 1969; children: Steven Allen, David Matthew. Education: Attended Rider College, 1965-67; University of Alabama, B.S., 1969. Memberships: PEN International, Authors Guild. Addresses: Home--Scottsdale, AZ. Office--c/o Random House, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036.

CAREER
Author of books for young people.