Two Times the Fun: Beloved Chapter Book About Twin Siblings by Newbery Winner Beverly Cleary for Kids

by Beverly Cleary, Beverly Cleary

For the first time in a chapter-book format, Newbery Medal winner Beverly Cleary’s twin characters, Jimmy and Janet, will charm young children with their humorous adventures. Jimmy and Janet are twins, but that doesn't mean they are just alike. When we first meet Jimmy, he wants to dig a real hole. He likes to use a real, grown-up shovel. While he's working, his sister, Janet, pretends to be a bird! She likes to use her imagination. But the twins both like silly jokes, new boots, and talking to Mr. Lemon, the mailman. As Beverly Cleary writes about Jimmy and Janet's doings, the unique understanding of children that she brings to all of her beloved books is coupled with a keen awareness of duo dynamics that comes from raising twins herself. Originally published as four separate picture books ( The Real Hole, Two Dog Biscuits, The Growing-Up Feet, and Janet's Thingamajigs ), these are stories that a Jimmy would like because they are so true-to-life, and that a Janet would love because they are so believable.

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction, Classics, 2nd Grade, Fiction, Family

96 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Beverly Atlee Cleary was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful authors, 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950. Some of her best known characters are Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse.
The majority of Cleary's books are set in the Grant Park neighborhood of northeast Portland, Oregon, where she was raised, and she has been credited as one of the first authors of children's literature to figure emotional realism in the narratives of her characters, often children in middle-class families. Her first children's book was Henry Huggins after a question from a kid when Cleary was a librarian. Cleary won the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. For her lifetime contributions to American literature, she received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a Library of Congress Living Legend, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children. The Beverly Cleary School, a public school in Portland, was named after her, and several statues of her most famous characters were erected in Grant Park in 1995. Cleary died on March 25, 2021, at the age of 104.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a hit for me. Jimmy and Janet are twins and I love a good twin story. Beverly Cleary gives us four stories about these two four-year-olds. In the first, Jimmy digs a hole while Janet dreams about using it as a nest and for other imaginary games. My boys spent a good amount of time digging a hole in our backyard growing up, so this one really resonated. In the end Jimmy and Janet's dad finds a very good use for the hole. 🌳 When a neighbor lets the twins each take a dog biscuit home, they search for a dog to share them with on a walk about the neighborhood. You'll never guess who get their biscuits. 🐈 When they shop for new shoes, they end up with new red rubber boots. I remember having a pair of those myself! 👢 In the final story, the focus is on "thingamajigs" and how Janet collecting of such causes conflict and their mom is "at her wit's end." In every chapter, the kids look forward to sharing their news with Mr. Lemon, the mailman. 📬This book is classic Cleary for the chapter book set.

[Tatevik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was fun! I somehow love when children are a little naughty and full of unexpected imagination. Maybe it's because I don't have some. I love Ramona, Fudge. They are my type of heroes for children books. And these two were not as "experienced" as Ramona and Fudge, but they still have potential.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really effective presentation of the four stories about the twins, much better than a whole picture-book for each simple slice-of-life. I like the illustrations a lot; they remind me of Tony Ross's.

Very quick read on openlibrary.org, don't be put off by the page count.

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two Times the Fun by Beverly Cleary - Ever walked up to the bookshelf and had a double take because you didn't realize that a favorite author rereleased a compilation of four stories in 2005? That's what happened to me. With all the twin books I've seen out lately, I enjoyed reading this cute book about growing up, the four stories actually felt like one complete early chapter books. Really enjoyed the unexpected solutions and conclusions during the story. Thrilled I spotted it!

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect first chapter book to read to my four-year-old. It's a set of four stories about Jimmy and Janet, a pair of twins. Typically Beverly Cleary, the stories are about simple everyday experiences that are common to four-year-olds.

[Alana/MiaTheReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good entry into beginner chapter books, though it does not have a whole lot of plot. My four-year-old said she liked it, but it seemed to me she was a bit bored when I read it to her. However, she is used to her older siblings' read-alouds.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't even realize Beverly Cleary had these stories geared for little kids. As usual, she nailed childhood in a way that few authors can, and I loved reading it to my five-year-old.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick preread. I didn't know Beverly Cleary had written any easy readers. I still love her. No one else writes children the way she does!

June 2022 -- Fun, quick read-aloud.

[Ryan Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good first read-aloud chapter book for my 5 year old and 3 year old.

[Allison Renner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this broken up as four stories for my Beverly Cleary Author Study. This book is a collection of the Janet and Jimmy stories. It seems like an Easy Reader story on its own, but Google shows they were kind of a picture book/Easy Reader hybrid. I like them as a collection because I think they work well as a beginner chapter book. The twins are only four, though, so I can see the reasoning behind making it a picture book parents would read to their four-year-olds.
The Real Hole: Janet loves to play pretend, but Jimmy loves things that are real. When he digs a real hole, Janet wants to pretend it's a nest or a fishing pond. Jimmy doesn't like that, but he doesn't know what he could use the hole for.
This book is pretty simple but it's fun and light-hearted, and I think kids would love it because it's definitely how kids act.
Two Dog Biscuits: This was a cute Janet and Jimmy story. A neighbor hives them each a dog biscuit (though... why?) and their mother is worried they'll eat them. Then she gets sick of seeing the dog biscuits everywhere around the house and finding them in pockets. Their mother takes them on a walk so the twins can give their biscuits to dogs they meet along the way. But one dog is too big, one is too mean, one too loud... Will the twins ever find a critter to enjoy their biscuits?
The Growing-Up Feet: Janet and Jimmy's mother thinks they've outgrown their shoes, so they all go on an adventure to the shoe store. Janet and Jimmy are excited to get something new. They can't wait to surprise their friend, the mailman, with new shoes. But the salesman measures their feet and finds the twins don't need new shoes after all. How can they surprise the mailman now?
Janet’s Thingamajigs: Janet loves how her mother calls stuff "thingamajigs" when she can't remember the word for them. Janet wants thingamajigs of her own, so she starts collecting small items she sees every day.
Jimmy wants to play with Janet's thingamajigs, so Janet wraps them up in brown paper bags and keeps them on her bed to prevent him from messing with them. The bags rustle every time Janet moves on her bed, and her mother says she sounds like a mouse in a wastepaper basket.
This short story was funny to me because my kid also likes to collect anything and everything. I think it's a perfect example of how kids like what they like, and if you give them the space to get it out of their system, they'll come through it on their own and save a lot of disagreements!

[Madelyn Croft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two Times the Fun is about a set of twins Janet and Jimmy who are both very different. Janet always wants to pretend and imagine things, and Jimmy wants real things he does not want fake things or toys. It shows how children all start to grow up at some point and need to get new things to replace old things. Janet and Jimmy are children that have a very wide imagination and like to hope for the best. I gave this book 4 stars because it is a good book for readers just starting to read chapter books. It has very large text and does not have a lot of words on every page with very simple language. There is also a few pictures throughout the book to help children imagine what is happening.

[Jeceka Pitchford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twins, Janet and Jimmy love playing together. They are different in some ways. but they know that they always have a friend. This is four stories about their fun times together from Jimmy digging a huge hole in their yard to Janet collecting her "thingamajigs." This would be fun for middle elementary because the book is broken up into different stories to keep the readers attention. After they read the story, I could have the students draw a picture of what they think a "thingamajig" is and what kind of dog they would want to feed their dog treat to. This would allow them to get their thoughts onto paper.

[Faranae · Rating 1 out of 5]

That feeling when you pick a kids'' book to fill a challenge requirement with 4 days left in the year (and expand your gifting options to your growing collection of godkids and suchlike), and discover it is some sweet hell of heteronormative internalized misogynistic bullshit. The collection as a whole ends up with a subtext of women/girls never being the capable ones, and then there's the last story, which is just a big old nope of noping.

[DúviAurvandil Ericsson e Pereira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The language isn’t interesting, the plots are fine for little ones, but there’s no enjoyment to be had for adults here, except for the occasional quick puff of air out the nose when the Mother says how tired she is, but this repeated trope begins to just mirror the reader’s emotions the more he or she reads. Also, doesn’t have any exemplary behavior from the adults or children. There’s just not much to say good about this book.

[Kiara Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute read. In Two Times the Fun, Janet and Jimmy, fraternal twins, have different experiences in four separate stories. They are the perfect slice-of-life stories for the emerging reader. I did not find the themes very memorable or insightful, but if you have a reader who likes to hear about the simpler joys of childhood, it's a great book.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four short stories revolving around the antics and growing pains of twins Jimmy and Janet. The keen insight of the children's behavior is drawn from the author's actual experiences of raising her own set of twins.

[Mary Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect to read aloud to 4-year-olds. Realistic depictions of what their days are like. My girls have asked for this a few times.

[Carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute introduction to Beverly Cleary books for early readers. It’s several very short stories in one book.

[David Joseph Mikels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beverly Cleary you are an amazing author, thank you for sharing you gifts with the world

[Mikayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

[Adler Brough · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book to much I probably wouldn’t tell anybody to read it. It is not something i would read again.

[Ginnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

twins

[Jamie Reynolds Spellerberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was...odd. The first couple of stories it seemed as if the author ‘s first language was not English. Then the last couple were actually good for a beginning readers book. So...good, I guess?

[Tonya Conyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awsome😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀!!!!!!!!.

[Emily Myhren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect read-aloud for preschoolers

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very repetitive and not much a plot but my three year old enjoyed it!

[Aneesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hyperrealism when what I need is escapism.

[Miss Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The twins are so different from each other it's hard to believe they are twins. Learn what they do with the big hole in their yard, the dog biscuits, and other interesting adventures they go on.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cosy short chapters about two four year olds living the life. Mom is at home with them, dad comes back from work in the evenings, and adults around them are kind.

[Rosanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I love other books by Beverly Cleary more than this one.