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Ramona Quimby #3
Ramona the Brave
Ramona tries her hardest to be brave and fearless, but now she has her own bedroom it's sometimes a little difficult to be brave - you never know what could be lurking under the bed.
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1975
571 people are currently reading
6226 people want to read
About the author
Beverly Cleary
261 books3,347 followersBeverly 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,090 reviews
May 2, 2022
I've had a copy of Beverly Cleary's Ramona the Brave somewhere in my house, regardless of where I've lived or how old my kids are, for 4 decades now, but I never had the audiobook, narrated by Stockard Channing.
I don't really “do” audiobooks (exceptions made by books narrated by Colin Firth or Ralph Fiennes), but I thought I'd shake up this classic and expose my girls to a different narrator.
I was saving it for a rainy day, but instead of rain, we had stormy weather in our car last week, a day when our girls just couldn't stop pummeling each other (any person who thinks girls don't fist fight is clearly the parent of an only daughter), and I finally cracked the audio book out of its cover and let Stockard Channing's impressive vocal range save the day.
Ms. Channing does a fantastic job of changing voices and every time she “speaks” as the pre-teen Beezus in this classic story, I found myself laughing out loud. She does a brilliant job at capturing teenage angst, and she made Ramona's new teacher, Miss Binney, come alive as well. You can just imagine that she wouldn't be your favorite teacher.
This story just does NOT get old for me. Beverly Cleary, as usual, nails childhood: the negotiations that come along with sharing a room with a sibling, feeling invalidated and/or copied by peers, disliking a teacher for an entire school year, and being chased and almost eaten by a savage, neighborhood dog.
We were no further than chapter one when my 10-year-old started giggling in the back seat and finally spit out, “Mom, these two girls fight just like we do!”
Ah, it's all so relatable (Even for me. When their mother, Mrs. Quimby, sighs deeply in exasperation, I sighed right along with her).
Does any author capture childhood better than Beverly Cleary?
Ramona had had enough. She had been miserable the whole first grade, and she no longer cared what happened. She wanted to do something bad. She wanted to do something terrible that would shock her whole family, something that would make them sit up and take notice. “I'm going to say a bad word!” she shouted with a stamp of her foot.
That silenced her family. Picky-picky stopped washing and left the room. Mr. Quimby looked surprised and—how could he be so disloyal?—a little amused. This made Ramona even angrier. Beezus looked interested and curious. After a moment Mrs. Quimby said quietly, “Go ahead, Ramona, and say the bad word if it will make you feel any better.”
Ramona clenched her fists and took a deep breath. “Guts!” she yelled. “Guts! Guts! Guts!” There. That should show them.
I don't really “do” audiobooks (exceptions made by books narrated by Colin Firth or Ralph Fiennes), but I thought I'd shake up this classic and expose my girls to a different narrator.
I was saving it for a rainy day, but instead of rain, we had stormy weather in our car last week, a day when our girls just couldn't stop pummeling each other (any person who thinks girls don't fist fight is clearly the parent of an only daughter), and I finally cracked the audio book out of its cover and let Stockard Channing's impressive vocal range save the day.
Ms. Channing does a fantastic job of changing voices and every time she “speaks” as the pre-teen Beezus in this classic story, I found myself laughing out loud. She does a brilliant job at capturing teenage angst, and she made Ramona's new teacher, Miss Binney, come alive as well. You can just imagine that she wouldn't be your favorite teacher.
This story just does NOT get old for me. Beverly Cleary, as usual, nails childhood: the negotiations that come along with sharing a room with a sibling, feeling invalidated and/or copied by peers, disliking a teacher for an entire school year, and being chased and almost eaten by a savage, neighborhood dog.
We were no further than chapter one when my 10-year-old started giggling in the back seat and finally spit out, “Mom, these two girls fight just like we do!”
Ah, it's all so relatable (Even for me. When their mother, Mrs. Quimby, sighs deeply in exasperation, I sighed right along with her).
Does any author capture childhood better than Beverly Cleary?
Ramona had had enough. She had been miserable the whole first grade, and she no longer cared what happened. She wanted to do something bad. She wanted to do something terrible that would shock her whole family, something that would make them sit up and take notice. “I'm going to say a bad word!” she shouted with a stamp of her foot.
That silenced her family. Picky-picky stopped washing and left the room. Mr. Quimby looked surprised and—how could he be so disloyal?—a little amused. This made Ramona even angrier. Beezus looked interested and curious. After a moment Mrs. Quimby said quietly, “Go ahead, Ramona, and say the bad word if it will make you feel any better.”
Ramona clenched her fists and took a deep breath. “Guts!” she yelled. “Guts! Guts! Guts!” There. That should show them.
October 4, 2020
Ramona Quimby is an ICON!
In my ongoing book unhaul project I came across another childhood favorite Ramona the Brave. I'm donating this book but I decided to reread first.
I haven't read this book in well over 25 years(I'm old). I expected to find Ramona to be annoying because I find most children to be annoying. But shock of shocks
RAMONA IS A MOTHERFUCKING ICON!
Ramona is a mess in the best way. She is always ready to fight, she loves putting people in their place, and she takes shit from NO ONE!
Ramona is everything. She was one one my favorite characters as a child( Harriet from Harriet the Spy was another one) and I still love her. Ramona like all iconic women, is unappreciated by those around her. Ramona is extra in every sense of the word.
Maybe I loved and continue to love Ramona because I was just like her as a child. I was alot to handle and sure my parents often wished that they had used more effective birth control but they loved me and they never tried to tame me. Little girls are often forced to conform to society's view of how girls and women should behave. I wish more little girls got to be themselves like Ramona and like I did.
All Time Fave!
Iconic!
A Must Read At Any Age!
In my ongoing book unhaul project I came across another childhood favorite Ramona the Brave. I'm donating this book but I decided to reread first.
I haven't read this book in well over 25 years(I'm old). I expected to find Ramona to be annoying because I find most children to be annoying. But shock of shocks
RAMONA IS A MOTHERFUCKING ICON!
Ramona is a mess in the best way. She is always ready to fight, she loves putting people in their place, and she takes shit from NO ONE!
Ramona is everything. She was one one my favorite characters as a child( Harriet from Harriet the Spy was another one) and I still love her. Ramona like all iconic women, is unappreciated by those around her. Ramona is extra in every sense of the word.
Maybe I loved and continue to love Ramona because I was just like her as a child. I was alot to handle and sure my parents often wished that they had used more effective birth control but they loved me and they never tried to tame me. Little girls are often forced to conform to society's view of how girls and women should behave. I wish more little girls got to be themselves like Ramona and like I did.
All Time Fave!
Iconic!
A Must Read At Any Age!
June 6, 2021
Well to tell the truth, the episodic nature of Beverly Cleary’s third Ramona Quimby novel, with her 1975 Ramona the Brave (and much more so than with the first two series novels, than with both Beezus and Ramona and Ramona the Pest) really do tend to make the connections and transitions from chapter to chapter feel a bit choppy and sometimes even leave the presented episodes rather hanging in midair so to speak (such as for example that I textually find it kind of both frustrating and annoying how after Ramona and her friend Howie have a pretty major falling out regarding the playing of their brick factory game, that entire scenario simply ceases and Cleary’s text pretty rapidly moves on to something completely different without really any closure, without us knowing if and when Howie and Ramona will be mending their proverbial fences).
However, and the above having been said, I still have totally and utterly enjoyed my reading time with Ramona the Brave, can certainly well understand that for many of my Goodreads friends who fondly remember Beverly Cleary’s Ramona novels from their childhood, Ramona Quimby is obviously a wonderful and relatable book comrade/ally and therefore I do kind of wish that I had also encountered the Ramona series when I was a young reader (at least those Ramona Quimby novels which Beverly Cleary penned from the 1950s to the early 1980s). For yes indeed, many of the both school and home related issues and anecdotes that Ramona experiences and has to deal with throughout Ramona the Brave feel very much familiar to me and likely to many of us (from our own childhoods), and for me, in particular Ramona being afraid of the dark etc. and not wanting to, not daring to admit this to anyone, not to her family, not to her teacher, this most definitely is majorly personally relatable, as is my reading joy of encountering Ramona (and her friends) delightfully playing rough and tumbling outside in Ramona the Brave (and with Ramona’s mother like my own mother not really ever caring and worrying all that much about skinned knees and mild bruises, which sadly though, in today’s atmosphere of fear and helicopter parenting, would likely mean suspicion and/or parents often not even allowing any rough and outdoor playing time at all for their young children).
Four solid stars for Ramona the Brave, as even though the above mentioned choppiness of some if not many of Beverly Cleary’s presented episodes does frustrate me a bit, this is certainly very much mitigated by Cleary obviously both understanding and appreciating children and writing a story that reads not only engagingly and humorously but also with much authorial empathy and sympathy. And yes and finally, for today’s children and their parents reading, encountering Ramona the Brave, in my humble opinion, it really is also time to rediscover the many joys and advantages of outdoor playing (that children, like it is shown by both Ramona and her friend Howie in Ramona the Brave should be engaging in outdoor and even rough and tumble fun and games, both invented games like Ramona and Howie’s Brick Factory and traditional games like tag and the like).
However, and the above having been said, I still have totally and utterly enjoyed my reading time with Ramona the Brave, can certainly well understand that for many of my Goodreads friends who fondly remember Beverly Cleary’s Ramona novels from their childhood, Ramona Quimby is obviously a wonderful and relatable book comrade/ally and therefore I do kind of wish that I had also encountered the Ramona series when I was a young reader (at least those Ramona Quimby novels which Beverly Cleary penned from the 1950s to the early 1980s). For yes indeed, many of the both school and home related issues and anecdotes that Ramona experiences and has to deal with throughout Ramona the Brave feel very much familiar to me and likely to many of us (from our own childhoods), and for me, in particular Ramona being afraid of the dark etc. and not wanting to, not daring to admit this to anyone, not to her family, not to her teacher, this most definitely is majorly personally relatable, as is my reading joy of encountering Ramona (and her friends) delightfully playing rough and tumbling outside in Ramona the Brave (and with Ramona’s mother like my own mother not really ever caring and worrying all that much about skinned knees and mild bruises, which sadly though, in today’s atmosphere of fear and helicopter parenting, would likely mean suspicion and/or parents often not even allowing any rough and outdoor playing time at all for their young children).
Four solid stars for Ramona the Brave, as even though the above mentioned choppiness of some if not many of Beverly Cleary’s presented episodes does frustrate me a bit, this is certainly very much mitigated by Cleary obviously both understanding and appreciating children and writing a story that reads not only engagingly and humorously but also with much authorial empathy and sympathy. And yes and finally, for today’s children and their parents reading, encountering Ramona the Brave, in my humble opinion, it really is also time to rediscover the many joys and advantages of outdoor playing (that children, like it is shown by both Ramona and her friend Howie in Ramona the Brave should be engaging in outdoor and even rough and tumble fun and games, both invented games like Ramona and Howie’s Brick Factory and traditional games like tag and the like).
December 9, 2021
re-read for book club...GOD DAMN BEVERLY CLEARY WENT SO FUCKING HARD, EXPOSING THE RAWEST PUREST EMOTIONS...NO GRITTY PRESTIGE DRAMA COULD DARE TO TOP THE EXQUISITE TORMENT OF RAMONA DESTROYING HER OWN PAPER OWL TO PROTECT THE PURITY OF HER ARTISTIC VISION......A MILLION STARS.
July 29, 2021
Twenty five years later, Ramona is still entertaining!
July 3, 2010
I recall loving the Ramona books as a child (I think I was about 9 when I read them), but I really appreciated re-reading this one as an adult and as the mother of a child of my own. Beverly Cleary knows how to climb inside the head of a six-year-old girl, a six-year-old girl that in many way resembles my own six-year-old girl. Reading Ramona the Brave reminded me for a moment of what it’s like to be a child, of how dramatic little things seem, of how little adults seem to understand and appreciate the seriousness of these matters, and it made me feel more sympathy for my daughter and her childhood trials. I think I had as much fun reading it as she had listening to it.
January 31, 2019
The third book in the Ramona series finds Ramona starting first grade.
Before the start of school though Ramona is getting her own bedroom. I loved remembering my own fears, I had as a kid, of the dark.
At school are some wonderful moments with Susan, who still has her curls. Many characters are still present from earlier book's, like calm unexcitable Howie.
On the home front, her mom is working at a doctor's office, and Beezus's loves her teacher, he can do no wrong.
These book's are nostalgic for me. I read them as a little kid, and now as an adult I am revising them. Enjoy the wonderful talent of Beverly Cleary.
Before the start of school though Ramona is getting her own bedroom. I loved remembering my own fears, I had as a kid, of the dark.
At school are some wonderful moments with Susan, who still has her curls. Many characters are still present from earlier book's, like calm unexcitable Howie.
On the home front, her mom is working at a doctor's office, and Beezus's loves her teacher, he can do no wrong.
These book's are nostalgic for me. I read them as a little kid, and now as an adult I am revising them. Enjoy the wonderful talent of Beverly Cleary.
March 1, 2013
Beverly Cleary really knows the way kids think. She nails it on the head.
The million dollar question is: Did Susan really copy or was it just some sort of freaky coincidence? I often wondered this when I was a kid, but now rereading it I think Cleary implies that Susan probably did copy.
As a kid, I thought that Ramona must have grown up in an extremely tame household if she did not know any truly bad words. Still, it was pretty funny.
On another note, I think this book is where Cleary breaks away into more modern storytelling. The books prior to this had stay at home moms and a ninety fifties feel. This book uses the word "liberated" and Ramona's mom gets a job. In the original books, this book had brand new illustrations, more modern, I guess. When I was a kid and found this book on my brother's bookshelf, I was confused because the illustrations were so radically different than the sweet ones in the previous books. Nevertheless, I read the book and I remember loving it. Ramona's got spunk!
The million dollar question is: Did Susan really copy or was it just some sort of freaky coincidence? I often wondered this when I was a kid, but now rereading it I think Cleary implies that Susan probably did copy.
As a kid, I thought that Ramona must have grown up in an extremely tame household if she did not know any truly bad words. Still, it was pretty funny.
On another note, I think this book is where Cleary breaks away into more modern storytelling. The books prior to this had stay at home moms and a ninety fifties feel. This book uses the word "liberated" and Ramona's mom gets a job. In the original books, this book had brand new illustrations, more modern, I guess. When I was a kid and found this book on my brother's bookshelf, I was confused because the illustrations were so radically different than the sweet ones in the previous books. Nevertheless, I read the book and I remember loving it. Ramona's got spunk!
August 31, 2022
Just the absolute best.
Beverly Cleary wrote Ramona with such clarity and specificity that you absolutely fall in love with her and root for her through every mishap.
This was a great back-to-school read and I felt so much for Ramona, who likes to write her Q's with cat ears, is bursting with creativity, and is struggling to transition to 1st grade with a teacher who doesn't always see her for who she is.
I can't recommend it enough.
Beverly Cleary wrote Ramona with such clarity and specificity that you absolutely fall in love with her and root for her through every mishap.
This was a great back-to-school read and I felt so much for Ramona, who likes to write her Q's with cat ears, is bursting with creativity, and is struggling to transition to 1st grade with a teacher who doesn't always see her for who she is.
I can't recommend it enough.
March 22, 2023
LITTLE KID BOOKS ARE SO UNDERRATED. WE’RE TALKING HUGE FONT AND FIRST GRADE PROBLEMS AND PICTURES AND SILLY CHAPTER TITLES ! sometimes I just need a quick chill read & this did the trick but lost points bc that one copieuse didn’t get punished 😤😤Ramona is so valid for all her thoughts & feelings here though fr
July 14, 2021
My eight-year-old daughters and I loved reading about Ramona tackling first grade. She's just such a fun and spunky character. Even though these books were written some time ago, Ramona has such a timeless quality about her. Her story remains funny and often poignant. Love her!
June 19, 2017
Ah, the woes of a six-year-old! :)
October 25, 2019
”Mama, why doesn’t Picky-Pick [the cat] like me?”
“Because he has grown grouchy in his old age and because you were rough with him when you were little. Now go to sleep.”
.........
Ramona was left alone in the dark. She said her prayers and then repeated them in case God was not listening the first time.
I’ve been recuperating from surgeries this fall, and there are days when I’ve found returning to this series so soothing. Cleary began writing her first series about Henry Huggins to give kids a relatable character and she understands them so well and effortlessly that it’s deeply endearing. And her novels have a timeless feel and gentle humor that will resonate just as well as it did when they were first published in 1975 (the year I, like Ramona, turned 6.)
And Ramona will need to be brave for the terrors ahead: older boys who tease Beezus in the park, first grade, a teacher who doesn’t get her, unleashed dogs, the ghost gorilla under her bed, Women’s Liberation. Will she triumph in these trials of fortitude?
Duh.
Cleary wrote about these characters off and from 1955 to 1999, well beyond when I had moved on to different reading. I think I’ll just finish the series while I’m at it. It’s like getting a warm hug from someone you love.
“Because he has grown grouchy in his old age and because you were rough with him when you were little. Now go to sleep.”
.........
Ramona was left alone in the dark. She said her prayers and then repeated them in case God was not listening the first time.
I’ve been recuperating from surgeries this fall, and there are days when I’ve found returning to this series so soothing. Cleary began writing her first series about Henry Huggins to give kids a relatable character and she understands them so well and effortlessly that it’s deeply endearing. And her novels have a timeless feel and gentle humor that will resonate just as well as it did when they were first published in 1975 (the year I, like Ramona, turned 6.)
And Ramona will need to be brave for the terrors ahead: older boys who tease Beezus in the park, first grade, a teacher who doesn’t get her, unleashed dogs, the ghost gorilla under her bed, Women’s Liberation. Will she triumph in these trials of fortitude?
Duh.
Cleary wrote about these characters off and from 1955 to 1999, well beyond when I had moved on to different reading. I think I’ll just finish the series while I’m at it. It’s like getting a warm hug from someone you love.
April 11, 2020
Another amusing entry in Ramona Quimby's life. She's in grade one now, and also has her own bedroom. Both are a source of stress, as Ramona feels like her grade one teacher doesn't understand her, and she's become a little afraid of the dark in her bedroom.
I totally understood Ramona's frustration with her teacher. I also liked how Ramona dealt with losing her new shoe.
These stories make me laugh and remind me of how enormous some problems seemed in grade one.
I totally understood Ramona's frustration with her teacher. I also liked how Ramona dealt with losing her new shoe.
These stories make me laugh and remind me of how enormous some problems seemed in grade one.
July 8, 2024
2024 update: I'm on a full Ramona Quimby series read through now for real. I love how these books just feel timeless.
*
2016 update: Podling 5 and I finished this together today. I never tire of Ramona!
*
2016 update: Podling 5 and I finished this together today. I never tire of Ramona!
September 10, 2019
صحبت از مشکلات واقعیِ بچههای واقعی. معلمهای بیانصاف و معلمهای باحال. ترسها و رفاقتها. هاویای که هیچوقت به هیجان نمیآید!
April 22, 2021
Guts! Guts, guts, guts! (Kate)
July 30, 2021
My latest read from a series which I wish I'd read as a child, but which still has plenty of rewards for an adult reader of children's books. Entertaining. I liked the brick factory game best -- the beautiful pointlessness of it!
April 28, 2009
Oh how I loved Ramona when I was a little girl! I look forward to revisting her with my own children!
September 24, 2024
This series is sweet and cute, but this book is by far my favorite so far. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so realistically in the head of a first grader. Beautiful, messy, and so fantastic.
May 27, 2021
I'm very much enjoying my reading of the Ramona series. This is the third book in the series and I find Ramona to be a relatable character. Her childish ideas and opinions resonate with me, even though I'm 68! I've never read this series before... but despite my advanced age I am enjoying the humor about sticky situations Ramona gets herself into.
Each chapter is like a short story about Ramona and her family and school. There were nine chapters in this book and they work together to show Ramona growing and learning during her 1st grade year at school. Of course I don't want to go into too much detail about these stories, as spoilers aren't needed to be able to tell you I find Beverly Cleary's writing to be delightful.
One could say it is too bad I left this experience for the month after Beverly Cleary's passing, but I didn't intend it to be this way. I ordered the 8-book boxed set of Ramona books a full 10 days before she passed away. I wanted to share them with a neighbor who is at a more appropriate age for these lower middle grade novels. They are easy reading, and fine for children 7 to 10. Definitely recommended!
Each chapter is like a short story about Ramona and her family and school. There were nine chapters in this book and they work together to show Ramona growing and learning during her 1st grade year at school. Of course I don't want to go into too much detail about these stories, as spoilers aren't needed to be able to tell you I find Beverly Cleary's writing to be delightful.
One could say it is too bad I left this experience for the month after Beverly Cleary's passing, but I didn't intend it to be this way. I ordered the 8-book boxed set of Ramona books a full 10 days before she passed away. I wanted to share them with a neighbor who is at a more appropriate age for these lower middle grade novels. They are easy reading, and fine for children 7 to 10. Definitely recommended!
April 17, 2021
There is some problematic parenting in this entry in the series that I did not recognize until I became a mother myself. Nevertheless, I owned this book as a child and read it so many times I practically have it memorized. For me, the nostalgia value is off the charts.
February 10, 2018
it was better than the second one.
But it was okay.
But i`m actually not sure if it was better than the second or not ya know.............i don`t know.
But it was okay.
But i`m actually not sure if it was better than the second or not ya know.............i don`t know.
April 9, 2020
My favorite parts were when the workers cut a hole in their house to put in Ramonas new room. And when Ramona threw her shoe to a mean dog and made her own shoe.
April 17, 2021
Read too many times to count.
March 2, 2025
Been reading this out loud to Indi every night so I decided to count it LOL. Very good story! We are excited to watch the movie soon.
June 19, 2021
I distinctly remember owning
this edition when I was 8 or 9. I THOUGHT this was my favorite, or one of my favorites, but last night's reread didn't bring up any memories. I vaguely remembered the new room but that was about it.
Ramona is growing up and still struggling with impulse control but better able to keep her feelings to herself. I like how proud she is to have stood up for her sister. That's showing she's decentered and thinking of other people, even if Beezus didn't appreciate it. She still feels misunderstood and unappreciated. Ramona's imagination is pretty vivid and I appreciate her independent spirit. Her teacher is so dull and uninspiring. I feel bad for Ramona. The teacher is pretty awful and can't control the class when they start laughing at Ramona for telling about the hole chopped in her house. The teacher SHOULD have asked her to explain and asked her how she planned to decorate her new room, etc. Even I know how to do that and I'm not an early childhood education teacher.
I also like the episode where she lost her shoe to a curious dog. Ramona shows great ingenuity it coming up with a shoe solution. I may have made myself a slipper like that once upon a time. I love her creativeness and how she thinks outside the box.
What on earth are the Quimbys thinking making Beezus and Ramona split the new room for 6 months at a time? That's so unsettling and strange. I would prefer to stay in my old room permanently. I remember writing notes to my mom like that and then falling asleep against my will before she came home and I could tell her what I wanted to say. Ramona's anxieties and fears will still be relatable for young kids today if they bother to read these books. The incident where she was so frustrated she wanted to say a BAD WORD was so funny. "GUTS!" She hasn't learned to communicate her feelings very well yet.
I kind of like Howie now. He's very literal minded which I can relate to and he certainly seems to have an engineering brain. Susan is less sympathetic. She's one of those annoying smug kids the adults just love and other kids hate.
I did not remember church, sermons and Sunday School lessons being mentioned a lot. I was kind of taken aback by that. It dates the story a little but mostly it's only dated from the lack of technology. I didn't highlight anything major.
I do remember enjoying the series more as Ramona got older and that seems to be the case even today.
this edition when I was 8 or 9. I THOUGHT this was my favorite, or one of my favorites, but last night's reread didn't bring up any memories. I vaguely remembered the new room but that was about it. Ramona is growing up and still struggling with impulse control but better able to keep her feelings to herself. I like how proud she is to have stood up for her sister. That's showing she's decentered and thinking of other people, even if Beezus didn't appreciate it. She still feels misunderstood and unappreciated. Ramona's imagination is pretty vivid and I appreciate her independent spirit. Her teacher is so dull and uninspiring. I feel bad for Ramona. The teacher is pretty awful and can't control the class when they start laughing at Ramona for telling about the hole chopped in her house. The teacher SHOULD have asked her to explain and asked her how she planned to decorate her new room, etc. Even I know how to do that and I'm not an early childhood education teacher.
I also like the episode where she lost her shoe to a curious dog. Ramona shows great ingenuity it coming up with a shoe solution. I may have made myself a slipper like that once upon a time. I love her creativeness and how she thinks outside the box.
What on earth are the Quimbys thinking making Beezus and Ramona split the new room for 6 months at a time? That's so unsettling and strange. I would prefer to stay in my old room permanently. I remember writing notes to my mom like that and then falling asleep against my will before she came home and I could tell her what I wanted to say. Ramona's anxieties and fears will still be relatable for young kids today if they bother to read these books. The incident where she was so frustrated she wanted to say a BAD WORD was so funny. "GUTS!" She hasn't learned to communicate her feelings very well yet.
I kind of like Howie now. He's very literal minded which I can relate to and he certainly seems to have an engineering brain. Susan is less sympathetic. She's one of those annoying smug kids the adults just love and other kids hate.
I did not remember church, sermons and Sunday School lessons being mentioned a lot. I was kind of taken aback by that. It dates the story a little but mostly it's only dated from the lack of technology. I didn't highlight anything major.
I do remember enjoying the series more as Ramona got older and that seems to be the case even today.
March 27, 2017
Ramona Quimby, 1st grader supremo, doesn't need to worry about lockdowns, ISIS, or overly indulgent parents! Her greatest worry is the dog eating her shoe the next street over when she walks to school. Alone. You read that right.
I love these darn books. They're an invocation of a time when being a kid meant being afraid of oozing boneless gorillas instead of the brown people moving into your gated community and when it was okay to hate your sibling and everyone would have a good laugh about local disaster.
Forget all that Hunger Games crap, kids--Ramona is way more fun and relevant (or should be) and there's little-to-no death and starvation.
I love these darn books. They're an invocation of a time when being a kid meant being afraid of oozing boneless gorillas instead of the brown people moving into your gated community and when it was okay to hate your sibling and everyone would have a good laugh about local disaster.
Forget all that Hunger Games crap, kids--Ramona is way more fun and relevant (or should be) and there's little-to-no death and starvation.
December 1, 2020
Beverly Cleary has a knack for capturing things from a child's point of view. All those little things that seem so minor to adults, but are a huge deal to kids. It helps me to remember. The grown-ups around Ramona are well-intentioned, but they are so concerned with her "behaving' that they tend to stifle the things that make her HER. Ramona is the best, and while this one isn't my favorite in the series, it is still great.
November 7, 2019
Ramona is now in first grade and 6 years old. This is a lot like #2, Ramona the Pest, except that Ramona is clearly more mature now. Ramona’s friendship with Howie has developed from book #2. I liked this one but not quite as much as #2.
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