Ramona and Her Father (Paperback)

~ (Author), Tracy Dockray (Illustrator) "Ye-e-ep!" sang Ramona Quimby one warm September afternoon, as she knelt on a chair at the kitchen table to make out her Christmas list..." (more)
Key Phrases: sheep suit, sheep costume

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Second grade is not turning out the way it should for Ramona Quimby. Her dad has lost his job, her mom has found a full-time job, and her big sister Beezus has "reached a difficult age." In her inimitable way, Ramona decides to take charge. She practices TV commercials in hopes of earning a million dollars, but only ends up insulting her teacher and getting into a prickly mess with some burrs. Then she embarks on a campaign to make her father stop smoking. Mr. Quimby manages to hold up under all these strains, but the challenge is on for the whole family to prove their mettle.

Once again, Beverly Cleary proves her own mettle in this touching and hilarious Newbery Honor Book. Beloved author of over two dozen children's books, and recipient of many awards, including another Newbery Honor for Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and a Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw, Cleary's instinct for children's jumbled emotions is flawless. Alan Tiegreen's adroit line drawings perfectly complement Cleary's style; it's hard to imagine one without the other. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

Review

"True, warm-hearted, and funny." -- -- Booklist

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380709163
• ISBN-13: 978-0380709168
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,102 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #12 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Humorous > Ramona
  #24 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( C ) > Cleary, Beverly

• This is item 4 in The Ramona Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beverly Cleary Gets Serious., May 30, 2000

By A Customer

Beverly Cleary wrote some of the funniest books ever written for children with her Henry Huggins/Ramona series. However, her Newbery honor winner "Ramona and Her Father" marks the beginning of Mrs. Cleary's decision to include more serious situations into the lives of her characters to go along with their comic adventures. This book revolves around the very unfunny and realistic situation of Ramona's father losing his job. (Undoubtedly, Mrs. Cleary drew upon her own childhood memories of her father's unemployment during the Depression to tell this story.)

Ramona's life is turned upside down by her father's unemployment. Her father is cranky and depressed, her mother tired from overwork, and older sister Beezus, the funloving tomboy of the Henry Huggins books, is now a temperamental teenager. The book chronicles Ramona's attempts to deal with this difficult situation, and results are touching and very often hilarious. Despite its serious subject matter, the book still retains Mrs. Cleary's comic touch. This is one very funny book! The chapter about Ramona's hope of becoming a TV commericial actor, which she believes will end her family's problems, is one of the funniest Mrs. Cleary ever wrote. If I had to pick one book from the entire Henry Huggins/Ramona series "Ramona and Her Father" would be the one. Ramona's experiences with a difficult family situation are told with humor and candor.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Miss Ramona and Her Father!, May 8, 2002

A Kid's Review

Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary

Have you ever thought your father cared about you a lot? Well in Ramona and Her Father, her father loses his job, and starts smoking! Ramona's family is acting mad. But Ramona's father is acting nice to her, most of the time. Find out what happens in Ramona and Her Father.

I liked this book a lot, because Ramona went through all the trouble just to make her family happy.

I think Beverly Cleary wanted to share that even though you are upset with your family you still love them. I think the author wanted to teach us that no family is perfect.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my dad gave me this book when i was in the second grade, January 27, 2000

By	Ramona Hernandez (Virginia) - See all my reviews

i have the entire series of Ramona books, simply because my name is Ramona :) I will say though as a student of English literature these books are eonderful for the whole family to read. They deal with probamatic issues faceing families today. It also encourages young people to read more than one book!