Beverly Cleary (1916–2021)

First sentence: Beezus felt that the biggest trouble with four-year-old Ramona was that she was just plain exasperating. If Ramona drank lemonade through a straw, she blew into the straw as hard as she could to see what would happen.

Unlike other books in the Ramona series, this one is narrated by Beezus. Like all other books in the Ramona series, it has a just-right feel about it. Beverly Cleary's greatest talent may be in her capturing what it feels like to be a kid.

Beezus, as you probably know, is Ramona's big sister. Ramona does steal the show in almost every book in which she appears. There's something unforgettable about her. But though the focus is on Ramona, this is still very much Beezus' book. It captures how she feels about her family, about Ramona.

"Beezus and Her Little Sister." Ramona LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to have The Littlest Steam Shovel read to her. Her parents are unwilling to read it to her--they have come to have no tolerance for it. But Beezus, well, she'll read it to Ramona, not that she likes it, but, she'll give in now and then. She gets the idea to take Ramona to the library to get a brand new book--for two weeks. Ramona picks a new book, but, it is still about steam shovels. She likes it so much, that she does something NAUGHTY so she can keep it for always. What will Beezus do since it was checked out on her card? Just how sympathetic will the librarian be?

"Beezus and Her Imagination" Beezus is in an art class. Ramona isn't supposed to be in the class with her, she's supposed to be playing outside in the sandbox. But on this occasion, Beezus finds Ramona in class with her. Could she get inspired by her sister's imaginary pet?! Could she earn her teacher's attention?!

"Ramona and Ribsy" Beezus invites Henry Huggins (and his dog, Ribsy) to her house to play checkers. It doesn't go well. Both Ribsy and Ramona have fits of sorts. And Ribsy ends up locked in the bathroom?! Beezus wishes Ramona was more like other people's sisters.

"Ramona and the Apples" Beezus is supposed to be watching Ramona while their mother does the grocery shopping. But. Ramona proves too much to handle. She sneaks into the basement and has her way with all the apples...taking one bite and just one bite from each apple. Will Beezus get in trouble? Can anything good come from all those ruined apples?

"A Party at the Quimbys" Ramona decides to have a party and invite other kids over to the house--without permission of course. What will Beezus and their mother do? This one ends in a parade. Among the guests, Howie and Willa Jean.

"Beezus's Birthday" Will Beezus have a cake for her tenth birthday?! It might not be as easy as you might think. Not with Ramona around. But with a little help from Aunt Beatrice, all might be well after all. Hint: If you have a sister like Ramona, don't read the story of Hansel and Gretel to her when your cake is in the oven!

I love the Ramona series. I do. I love, love, love the Ramona books. I think I read them dozens of more times than the Little House books. (I've recently reread these too.) I'm not sure Beezus and Ramona is my favorite of the series, but, it's a great start to a great series.… (altro)

I know there are readers who find Ramona’s brattiness kind of intolerable, I do understand that, she can be a lot, she is definitely a lot in this one, but that’s just never bothered me. I love Ramona no matter how messy she gets, maybe even because of how messy she gets, and I love these books, I love that Beverly Cleary never felt the need to soften a little girl’s edges the way so many other books do.

This didn’t have as much family time as the first in the series did, and I did miss that, but I was still thoroughly entertained by Ramona’s rocky entry into kindergarten. The dramatic moments, the hissy fits, heels kicking her bedroom wall, feeling sorry for herself, longing for her teacher to her, all that read as real, true to things we’ve all felt at one point or another. Same with the comedy, there’s such an organic feeling to it, a kid misunderstanding the definition of a word or not knowing what time actually is quarter past the hour, etc., these are genuinely funny bits and funnier still because they’re situations you could see actually playing out, that’s why this still holds up strong now, it’s filled with these moments that are still identifiable long past the era they were written in.… (altro)

Second grade is not going to plan for Ramona Quimby. Rather than finding fun and excitement, she's surrounded by change and confusion. Her father has lost his job, her mother is going to work full time, and her big sister Beezus has become a teenager. But rather than mope, Ramona decides to deal with things as only she can. What follows is a funny, tender story about a family in flux. While not the first book in the Ramona series, it is the first to deal with such serious issues. Cleary, however, shows herself more than capable of handling the weighty situations with a canny blend of humor and wisdom. Although it was written more than 30 years ago, this Newbery Honor book is still a powerfully relevant story about the importance of family, especially in tough economic times.… (altro)

Now starting kindergarten, Ramona is looking forward to growing up, learning to read, and riding a bike instead of a tricycle. She's especially sensitive to being called a pest, especially when she's just trying to figure out how this whole growing up thing works, and adults can't understand why certain things are important to her or why she sees life the way she does.

It's rather delightful to reread this series as an adult. As a child, I related so much to Ramona and her confusion about how adults were taking what she said when her thoughts and feelings seem so reasonable to her. And now, of course, I can also see everything from the parents' point of view. Cleary manages to convey both without talking down to her audience or minimizing their feelings.… (altro)