Beverly Cleary (1916–2021)

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 show more 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. show less

Generations of children have read Beverly Cleary’s books. From Ramona Quimby to Henry Huggins, Ralph S. Mouse to Ellen Tebbits, she has created an evergreen body of work based on the humorous tales and heartfelt anxieties of middle graders. But in A Girl from Yamhill, Beverly Cleary tells a more personal story—her story—of what adolescence was like. In warm but honest detail, Beverly describes life in Oregon during the Great Depression, including her difficulties in learning to read, show more and offers a slew of anecdotes that were, perhaps, the inspiration for some of her beloved stories. show less

Ramona is starting first grade, and she wants to be known as brave, not as a pest. From telling off boys who are teasing her sister to dealing with a difficult teacher, she has a new set of challenges to tackle as she continues to grow and try to understand.

I really love the family dynamics between Ramona, her sister, and her parents. I love how Cleary's writing allows you both to relate to the child - and I very much related with Ramona when I read these as a kid, despite being the oldest show more child - and also see things from the parents' point of view now that I'm rereading it as an adult. There's a richness and realness there, and complete avoidance of talking down to a kid. This book had some of the incidences I remember most clearly, such as Ramona's fear of the dark and the conversation she has with her mother where Mrs. Quimby assures her, "Love isn't like a cup of sugar that gets all used up." I remember how meaningful that was to read as a child. I'm looking forward to reading Ramona and Her Father and seeing what scrapes Ramona gets into next. show less

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 show more 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. show less