Beezus and Ramona [Hardcover]

Beverly Cleary (Author), Tracy Dockray (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1955 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Ramona Quimby is the youngest of all the famous characters in Mrs. Cleary's wonderful Henry Huggins stories. She is also far and away the most deadly. Readers of the earlier books will remember that Ramona has always been a menace to Beezus, her older sister, to Henry, and to his dog Ribsy. It is not that Ramona deliberately sets out to make trouble for other people. She simply has more imagination than is healthy for any one person.

In this book Ramona and her imagination really come into their own. Starting with a fairly mild encounter with the librarian, which is harder on Beezus than anyone else, Ramona goes from strength to strength, winding up by inviting her entire kindergarten class to a part at her home without mentioning it to her mother. The riot that ensues is probably the most hilarious episode in this extremely funny book, which proves that Mrs. Cleary's imagination is almost as lively as Ramona's.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Nine-year-old Beezus Quimby has her hands full with her little sister, Ramona. Sure, other people have little sisters that bother them sometimes, but is there anyone in the world like Ramona? Whether she's taking one bite out of every apple in a box or secretly inviting 15 other 4-year-olds to the house for a party, Ramona is always making trouble--and getting all the attention. Every big sister can relate to the trials and tribulations Beezus must endure. Old enough to be expected to take responsibility for her little sister, yet young enough to be mortified by every embarrassing plight the precocious preschooler gets them into, Beezus is constantly struggling with her mixed-up feelings about the exasperating Ramona.

There's no one in the world like Beverly Cleary, either. This terrifically popular author of over two dozen children's books has withstood the test of time for generations, as her many awards, including the Newbery Medal, attest. Two books in the Ramona series, Ramona and Her Father and Ramona Quimby, Age 8, were also named Newbery Honor Books. Louis Darling's wonderful ink illustrations are the kind that will stay with a reader for a lifetime. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

From the Inside Flap

2 hours, 22 minutes
2 cassettes
Performance by Stockard Channing

Beezus Quimby's four-year-old sister, Ramona, is exasperating. Ramona always manages to get her way. Poor Beezus, she must be the only ten-year-old in the world with such a pest for a sister. How can she learn to love and accept this four-year-old terror? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 1, 1955)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688210767
• ISBN-13: 978-0688210762
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #728,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Beverly Cleary's birthday, April 12th, is celebrated across the country on D.E.A.R. Day, with activities related to the Drop Everything and Read Program. One of the most popular and honored authors of all time, Beverly Cleary has won the Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw, and both Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and Ramona and Her Father have been named Newbery Honor Books. She makes her home in coastal California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and wise., December 27, 2001

By 

slomamma (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beezus and Ramona (Paperback)

I read my daughter Beverly Cleary's Ramona the Pest last year, when she was in kindergarten (because in that book Ramona is also a kindergartner) and she instantly pronounced it her favorite chapter book of all time.

We've since been reading all the Ramona books, but we skipped this one for awhile. It's the first in the series, and takes place when Ramona is four years old. I knew from reviews that if focused more on Ramona's older, more serious sister, Beezus, and wasn't a "real" Ramona Quimby book. I somehow thought it would not be as funny as the others.

I was wrong. Ramona is even more exuberant in this book than in any of the others we've read, and her antics are hilarious. Seeing everything through the eyes of her serious sister does not make it one bit less funny.

But this is not just a funny book. It deals gently and honestly with the difficulty Beezus has in loving her sometimes exasperating little sister. Beezus and Ramona is more than forty years old, but I donÕt think anyone has ever come close to Beverly Cleary's ability to capture and sympathize with children's feelings. Cleary brings everything around to a happy, but entirely believable ending in this warm, wise book.

My daughter says this is her second favorite Ramona book (after Ramona the Pest), but so far it's my very favorite.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A funny sister story with a message, July 31, 2002

By 

M. Hind "daria_m" (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beezus and Ramona (Paperback)

I have two younger sisters and I know the kind of trouble they can cause and how exasperating they can be. When I first read this book, I was in third grade. I'm 22 now, and I have read the book at least 20 times since then. Beverly Cleary's book tend to contain such true-to-life values that they remain timeless.
Beezus is the older sister, the responsible and smart one. Ramona is the precocious little sister, creative but messy, cute but needy. Beezus struggles with being nice and trying to entertain Ramona and trying to be firm with her at the same time. There are some great little stories in this book about Ramona's misadventures including her unwavering love for a certain picture book, her locking Henry Huggins' dog in the bathroom, and her deciding that she wants to throw a party for herself without asking her mother. Things finally come to a head at Beezus' birthday party. When attention-starved Ramona gets a little too obnoxious, she shamefully admits that she just doesn't love her little sister all the time.
Herein lies the lesson: Beezus' mother explains that Beezus is not expected to love Ramona all the time, that Ramona will do things that get on her nerves sometimes. But there will also be good times when the two will get along, work together, or share a laugh. And those are the moments that count in the sisterly bond. I have stuck to this mantra when trying to deal with my own two younger sisters so I don't go completely insane.
This is a great book for little girls who have sisters so that one may understand the other's point of view. It helps you take a great look at your own sibling relationships, or it will at least show you that your own younger sister is not NEARLY as bratty as Ramona. :)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book for Young Children!, December 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beezus and Ramona (Hardcover)

Even fifty years later there is no stop to the love of this book, and everyone who has read it can relate to it. In this, you might sympathize with Beezus over the trials and tribulations of little Ramona, act like a pest (as Grown-ups called her) like Ramona, and enjoy the ups and downs of having a little sister. When I was twelve, I was fortunate enough to fly across the country with my family just so we could see the "Ramona Setting" in Portland, Oregon. In tow with all the Beverly Cleary books (although in these days, there were not much) I had, I checked out all of the important points in the books. If you ever go to Portland, OR, take a look at Kickalat Street - it's great!