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Ramona Quimby #6
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
In this special reissue of Ramona Quimby, Age 8, the timeless classic now features a special foreword written by actress, producer, and author Amy Poehler, as well as an exclusive interview with Beverly Cleary herself.
Ramona likes that she’s old enough to be counted on, but must everything depend on her? Mrs. Quimby has gone back to work so that Mr. Quimby can return to school, and Ramona is expected to be good for Mrs. Kemp while her parents are away, to be brave enough to ride the school bus by herself, and to put up with being teased by Danny the Yard Ape. In Ramona’s world, being eight isn’t easy, but it’s never dull!
In this Newbery Honor Book, Beverly Cleary lovingly chronicles Ramona’s experiences.
Ramona likes that she’s old enough to be counted on, but must everything depend on her? Mrs. Quimby has gone back to work so that Mr. Quimby can return to school, and Ramona is expected to be good for Mrs. Kemp while her parents are away, to be brave enough to ride the school bus by herself, and to put up with being teased by Danny the Yard Ape. In Ramona’s world, being eight isn’t easy, but it’s never dull!
In this Newbery Honor Book, Beverly Cleary lovingly chronicles Ramona’s experiences.
185 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
About the author
Beverly Cleary
256 books3,255 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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February 22, 2021childhood favourite book re-reads vlog: https://youtu.be/7mD8UUiDnKE
August 16, 2018
It's 1981 and Ramona Quimby is 8-years-old.
She's in the 3rd grade at a new school. . .
and she still doesn't have her own bike.
She's also stuck in after school care with the cold Mrs. Kemp and the annoying Willa Jean. Her older sister's in the heart of hormonal angst, and her father's taking classes in college, resulting in two parents who are stressed about money.
So, when Ramona accidentally overhears her teacher call her a “show-off” and a “nuisance,” she doesn't know what to do. She can't turn to her teacher. . . about her teacher, or ask her emotionally erratic sister or her stressed out parents what to do. It's 1981, and she realizes, quickly, she's on her own.
As I've told my own kids. . . the 1970s were a very different time. Yes, the music was a hell of a lot better. . . so was the hair, but subjects that fell on the emotional spectrum? Um, not so much.
Strangely enough, I'm the same age as Ramona, and I can tell you, if I'd have had the same problem in the late 70s/early 80s, I'd have been on my own, too. Not all teachers or all parents were the same, of course, and some of them were excellent, but my particular parents were infuriatingly hands-off.
Mine would have acted the way Ramona's did, when she finally turned to them to let them know how upset she'd been for weeks, knowing that her teacher thought of her as a “show-off” and a “nuisance.”
Ramona: “Mrs. Whaley doesn't like me. She's supposed to like me. It's her job to like me.”
Mom: “If you're this grouchy at school, liking you could be hard work.”
Ramona: “I don't want my teacher to say I'm a nuisance.”
Dad: “You didn't do those things on purpose. Now run along. I have studying to do.”
Okay, so there's not a lot of hand holding here, but it's also refreshing that her parents aren't micromanaging her or calling the principal in a panic every time she sneezes.
But, the best part of this dilemma is watching Ramona finally summon the courage to self-advocate for her emotional well-being. It's pretty cool, it really is.
And, beyond that. . . this is a book for the 2nd-5th grade crowd that I just can't find fault with or gush about enough.
It's basically a story about EVERYTHING that bothers you or inspires you when you're a kid, and it is beautifully, almost flawlessly, written.
She's in the 3rd grade at a new school. . .
and she still doesn't have her own bike.
She's also stuck in after school care with the cold Mrs. Kemp and the annoying Willa Jean. Her older sister's in the heart of hormonal angst, and her father's taking classes in college, resulting in two parents who are stressed about money.
So, when Ramona accidentally overhears her teacher call her a “show-off” and a “nuisance,” she doesn't know what to do. She can't turn to her teacher. . . about her teacher, or ask her emotionally erratic sister or her stressed out parents what to do. It's 1981, and she realizes, quickly, she's on her own.
As I've told my own kids. . . the 1970s were a very different time. Yes, the music was a hell of a lot better. . . so was the hair, but subjects that fell on the emotional spectrum? Um, not so much.
Strangely enough, I'm the same age as Ramona, and I can tell you, if I'd have had the same problem in the late 70s/early 80s, I'd have been on my own, too. Not all teachers or all parents were the same, of course, and some of them were excellent, but my particular parents were infuriatingly hands-off.
Mine would have acted the way Ramona's did, when she finally turned to them to let them know how upset she'd been for weeks, knowing that her teacher thought of her as a “show-off” and a “nuisance.”
Ramona: “Mrs. Whaley doesn't like me. She's supposed to like me. It's her job to like me.”
Mom: “If you're this grouchy at school, liking you could be hard work.”
Ramona: “I don't want my teacher to say I'm a nuisance.”
Dad: “You didn't do those things on purpose. Now run along. I have studying to do.”
Okay, so there's not a lot of hand holding here, but it's also refreshing that her parents aren't micromanaging her or calling the principal in a panic every time she sneezes.
But, the best part of this dilemma is watching Ramona finally summon the courage to self-advocate for her emotional well-being. It's pretty cool, it really is.
And, beyond that. . . this is a book for the 2nd-5th grade crowd that I just can't find fault with or gush about enough.
It's basically a story about EVERYTHING that bothers you or inspires you when you're a kid, and it is beautifully, almost flawlessly, written.
February 7, 2018
I may never have read this excellent children’s book had I not read an article in “Business Insider” magazine titled, “the most famous authors from each state”. It also listed their best known book. I like to scan these types of lists out of curiosity, and to find books that I may want to read. Now I didn’t agree with their picks for most famous author in every instance; for example, in Nebraska they chose Nicholas Sparks. While I admit he is well known, and I have even read and liked several of his books, he is certainly not on the level of Willa Cather, who, in my opinion, is one of the best American authors of the 20th century. In Oregon they listed Beverly Cleary, and her best known book was this one, Ramona Quimby, Age 8. And Ramona, she’s now one of my favorite characters in children’s literature.
4.5 Stars
4.5 Stars
June 11, 2017
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (Ramona Quimby #6), Beverly Cleary
عنوانها: رامونای هشت ساله؛ رامونای 8 ساله؛ نویسنده: بورلی کلی یری؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: پهاردهم فوریه سال 2005 میلادی
عنوان: رامونای هشت ساله؛ نوشته: بورلی کلی یری؛ مترجم: پروین علیپور، تهران، نشر: افق، کتابهای فندق، 1381؛ در 143 ص؛ شابک: 9643690032؛ چاپ دوم 1382؛ چاپ ششم 1386؛ شابک: 9789643690038؛ چاپ هفتم 1387؛ چاپ یازدهم 1392، چاپ دوازدهم 1393؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی برای کودکان و نوجوانان - قرن 20 م
عنوان: رامونای هشت ساله؛ نوشته: بورلی کلی یری؛ مترجم: احمد کسایی پور، تهران، کتابهای هرمس، 1383؛ در 134 ص؛ شابک: 9643632326؛ چاپ سوم 1389؛ شابک: 9789643632328؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی برای کودکان و نوجوانان - قرن 20 م
سری داستانهای رامونا ماجراهای زندگی دختر کوچکی ست که گاهی از برخورد بزرگترهایش (پدر، مادر، خانم معلمش و خواهرش بیزوس) به تنگ میآید و به زیبایی دیدگاه های بزرگترها را به چالش میکشد. ...؛ این دفعه دیگه ترس بی ترس! اما خیلی هم کار ساده ای نیست. رامونا باید با خیلی چیزها کنار بیاید. اول از همه با تنها خوابیدن در اتاق خواب جدید و ترسناکش. بعد با شغل جدید مادر و از همه مهمتر، با معلم جدیدی که اصلاً نمیخواهد بفهمد رامونای کوچولو دارد برای بزرگ شدن این همه تلاش میکند...؛ البته رامونا هم بیدی نیست که با این بادها بلرزد! بورلی کلییری کتابهای زیادی با نگرش روانشناختی به مشکلات بچه ها بنوشته است؛ ا. شربیانی
عنوانها: رامونای هشت ساله؛ رامونای 8 ساله؛ نویسنده: بورلی کلی یری؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: پهاردهم فوریه سال 2005 میلادی
عنوان: رامونای هشت ساله؛ نوشته: بورلی کلی یری؛ مترجم: پروین علیپور، تهران، نشر: افق، کتابهای فندق، 1381؛ در 143 ص؛ شابک: 9643690032؛ چاپ دوم 1382؛ چاپ ششم 1386؛ شابک: 9789643690038؛ چاپ هفتم 1387؛ چاپ یازدهم 1392، چاپ دوازدهم 1393؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی برای کودکان و نوجوانان - قرن 20 م
عنوان: رامونای هشت ساله؛ نوشته: بورلی کلی یری؛ مترجم: احمد کسایی پور، تهران، کتابهای هرمس، 1383؛ در 134 ص؛ شابک: 9643632326؛ چاپ سوم 1389؛ شابک: 9789643632328؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی برای کودکان و نوجوانان - قرن 20 م
سری داستانهای رامونا ماجراهای زندگی دختر کوچکی ست که گاهی از برخورد بزرگترهایش (پدر، مادر، خانم معلمش و خواهرش بیزوس) به تنگ میآید و به زیبایی دیدگاه های بزرگترها را به چالش میکشد. ...؛ این دفعه دیگه ترس بی ترس! اما خیلی هم کار ساده ای نیست. رامونا باید با خیلی چیزها کنار بیاید. اول از همه با تنها خوابیدن در اتاق خواب جدید و ترسناکش. بعد با شغل جدید مادر و از همه مهمتر، با معلم جدیدی که اصلاً نمیخواهد بفهمد رامونای کوچولو دارد برای بزرگ شدن این همه تلاش میکند...؛ البته رامونا هم بیدی نیست که با این بادها بلرزد! بورلی کلییری کتابهای زیادی با نگرش روانشناختی به مشکلات بچه ها بنوشته است؛ ا. شربیانی
January 31, 2019
I have been a fan of Beverly Cleary since I was a little kid. I love and enjoy all her book's, but I have to confess that this one has always been my favorite.
It begins with Ramona starting the third grade. She is exited because she will be riding the bus by herself. In this book she meets the boy she name's Yard Ape.
The hard part for Ramona is getting along with Willa Jean.
Some of my favorite moments are the hard boiled egg incident, and when the girl's have to make dinner one night, because of their complaints.
Ramona faces the fear that her teacher considers her a nuisance.
At the end we find a happy family continuing to grow and change.
It begins with Ramona starting the third grade. She is exited because she will be riding the bus by herself. In this book she meets the boy she name's Yard Ape.
The hard part for Ramona is getting along with Willa Jean.
Some of my favorite moments are the hard boiled egg incident, and when the girl's have to make dinner one night, because of their complaints.
Ramona faces the fear that her teacher considers her a nuisance.
At the end we find a happy family continuing to grow and change.
July 29, 2021
This book is so fun and interesting. You learn a lot about Ramona and her family. It is also so easy and hard to read at th same time like it has really good details about Ramona like how she felt an ho an e was acting. Also in some parts when you read the author Beverly Cleary tries to make you think about what's happening and see if you could picture the scene in your head cause then, for me it helps me understand a lot more what's happening. I actually love this book is good for adults and children. I love the details and the chapters and how it's written. I am a child and I love it so I think a lot of other people will like it so please buy this book and read it ENJOY!
March 24, 2011
Ramona was my heroine. I just adored her. I read every book (published before I turned ten. I've not read the new ones) multiple times. I'd hide them under my desk and pretend that I wasn't reading. I pretended that I was sleeping, sometimes. That was probably worse, but kid me didn't really think of that. Y'see, I did all the wrong things just like Ramona.
Coolest things about Ramona from my memories (books may overlap) :
I loved how she'd pretend that a camera was on her at all times. Just in case she was spotted by someone for future stardom she'd always act out in ways that she thought were totally cute. Me! I'd feel embarrassed and affectionate for her at the same time. Reading 'Ramona' would make me stop doing it for a little while before I'd forget and do it all over again. It's still a feeling I get sometimes, like I'm in a movie. [I'm so crazy. I get paranoid about it too. I'll also make sure not to think about anything I wouldn't want anyone else to mind-overhear, just in case there were mindreaders about. Um, I haven't done that last one for a while... Say for four years.]
I loved it when she thought "be there for the present" meant be there to get a present. Everything seemed so special and then she was deflated when she found out what it meant. Got my hopes up in stupid ways like that too. Ramona is the best! She'd get back up again.
I really love how badly behaved she was in the first book Ramona the Pest. Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little sister myself, but I never sympathized with Beezus. My bird pulled a Ramona once and ate one bit out of every apple in the bag. "Because the first bite always tastes best!" Awwww.
Ramona is awesome.
Coolest things about Ramona from my memories (books may overlap) :
I loved how she'd pretend that a camera was on her at all times. Just in case she was spotted by someone for future stardom she'd always act out in ways that she thought were totally cute. Me! I'd feel embarrassed and affectionate for her at the same time. Reading 'Ramona' would make me stop doing it for a little while before I'd forget and do it all over again. It's still a feeling I get sometimes, like I'm in a movie. [I'm so crazy. I get paranoid about it too. I'll also make sure not to think about anything I wouldn't want anyone else to mind-overhear, just in case there were mindreaders about. Um, I haven't done that last one for a while... Say for four years.]
I loved it when she thought "be there for the present" meant be there to get a present. Everything seemed so special and then she was deflated when she found out what it meant. Got my hopes up in stupid ways like that too. Ramona is the best! She'd get back up again.
I really love how badly behaved she was in the first book Ramona the Pest. Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little sister myself, but I never sympathized with Beezus. My bird pulled a Ramona once and ate one bit out of every apple in the bag. "Because the first bite always tastes best!" Awwww.
Ramona is awesome.
June 20, 2019
Yaaay, Ramona's 8! And Beezus is dealing with growing pains of her own... actually, the whole family is dealing with growing pains, both as a whole and as individuals, so this was a nice book in the Ramona series dealing with realistic problems. There's a reason the Ramona books are so loved, and the author has done a consistently good job with this series.
December 30, 2023
Ramona decided that she preferred Sustained Silent Reading to DEAR because it sounded more grown-up. When time came for everyone to Drop Everything And Read, she sat quietly doing her Sustained Silent Reading.
Oh, Ramona. Such a bright, anxious, adorably pretentious*, boisterous and, as she would surely tell us, grievously misunderstood child. Part of her appeal is that she reminds some of us adults of younger versions of ourselves.
*I say "pretentious" with nothing but love, Ramona. I'm positive I would have preferred Sustained Silent Reading too.
It's book #6 in the series. Ramona is in third grade and has--oh no!--another teacher she doesn't vibe with. She and her older sister Beezus are even sort of friends and allies these days some of the time, but Beezus is now far away in the junior high school. Most importantly though, her father is going back to college and the financial strain this puts on the family--who are mostly living on their mother's income as a doctor's receptionist--and the time lost with the parent who gets Ramona best will be recurring themes throughout the story.
As usual, the lightness and humor are mixed with plenty of real world issues delivered in Cleary's empathetic way. Ramona overhears her new teacher saying some not too complimentary things about her which puts her in a bit of a tailspin and her parents, who have problems of their own, brush off it off as Ramona being Ramona. Additionally, Ramona and Beezus must now go to Mrs. Kemp's house after school since their parents aren't home in the afternoons. And I'm 100% Team Ramona on this one: Mrs. Kemp kind of sucks.
As always, there are some hysterical scenes included, like Ramona's oral book report and Beezus and Ramona struggling to cook dinner as punishment for complaining. About dinner the night before, naturally.
This book is probably the most serious in the series thus far but it's still pitch perfect in that Beverly Cleary sweet but realistic way.
"That man paying for our dinner was sort of like a happy ending," remarked Beezus as the family, snug in their car, drove through the rain and the dark toward Klickitat Street.
"A happy ending for today," corrected Ramona. Tomorrow they would begin all over again.
Oh, Ramona. Such a bright, anxious, adorably pretentious*, boisterous and, as she would surely tell us, grievously misunderstood child. Part of her appeal is that she reminds some of us adults of younger versions of ourselves.
*I say "pretentious" with nothing but love, Ramona. I'm positive I would have preferred Sustained Silent Reading too.
It's book #6 in the series. Ramona is in third grade and has--oh no!--another teacher she doesn't vibe with. She and her older sister Beezus are even sort of friends and allies these days some of the time, but Beezus is now far away in the junior high school. Most importantly though, her father is going back to college and the financial strain this puts on the family--who are mostly living on their mother's income as a doctor's receptionist--and the time lost with the parent who gets Ramona best will be recurring themes throughout the story.
As usual, the lightness and humor are mixed with plenty of real world issues delivered in Cleary's empathetic way. Ramona overhears her new teacher saying some not too complimentary things about her which puts her in a bit of a tailspin and her parents, who have problems of their own, brush off it off as Ramona being Ramona. Additionally, Ramona and Beezus must now go to Mrs. Kemp's house after school since their parents aren't home in the afternoons. And I'm 100% Team Ramona on this one: Mrs. Kemp kind of sucks.
As always, there are some hysterical scenes included, like Ramona's oral book report and Beezus and Ramona struggling to cook dinner as punishment for complaining. About dinner the night before, naturally.
This book is probably the most serious in the series thus far but it's still pitch perfect in that Beverly Cleary sweet but realistic way.
"That man paying for our dinner was sort of like a happy ending," remarked Beezus as the family, snug in their car, drove through the rain and the dark toward Klickitat Street.
"A happy ending for today," corrected Ramona. Tomorrow they would begin all over again.
June 17, 2020
My 5yo loves listening to the Ramona books on audio (read by Stockard Channing). I loved these books when I was a kid, too. But imagine my horror when she started calling one of her toys Yard Ape because Ramona says it. In the books, Ramona calls one of her classmates Yard Ape because he teases her. His real name is Danny, but she continues to call him Yard Ape even after they become friends -- like it's an affectionate nickname. In the real world, Yard Ape is a racist slur (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yard_ape).
So I had a Serious Talk with her about never calling anyone that. Ramona does a lot of things we should never do (e.g. destroying her classmate's art project, sticking burrs in her hair, ruining Beezus's birthday cake), so it was not difficult to convince my daughter that she shouldn't always follow Ramona's example.
Now I'm concerned as a children's librarian that this very popular classic uses a racial slur as a nickname, even though Beverly Cleary intended it in the "unruly child" sense. As I've learned, the impact is more important than the intent.
As far as I know, "yard ape" will not be a familiar insult to most kids today. It wasn't familiar to me, but when I heard the word "ape" I instantly knew I didn't want my kid (or any kid) saying that. I've learned a lot about the problems with monkeys in children's literature from the librarian and blogger Edith Campbell (https://crazyquiltedi.blog/2018/07/20...). The racist associations between primates and Black people are well documented.
So reader beware. All your faves are problematic.
So I had a Serious Talk with her about never calling anyone that. Ramona does a lot of things we should never do (e.g. destroying her classmate's art project, sticking burrs in her hair, ruining Beezus's birthday cake), so it was not difficult to convince my daughter that she shouldn't always follow Ramona's example.
Now I'm concerned as a children's librarian that this very popular classic uses a racial slur as a nickname, even though Beverly Cleary intended it in the "unruly child" sense. As I've learned, the impact is more important than the intent.
As far as I know, "yard ape" will not be a familiar insult to most kids today. It wasn't familiar to me, but when I heard the word "ape" I instantly knew I didn't want my kid (or any kid) saying that. I've learned a lot about the problems with monkeys in children's literature from the librarian and blogger Edith Campbell (https://crazyquiltedi.blog/2018/07/20...). The racist associations between primates and Black people are well documented.
So reader beware. All your faves are problematic.
May 27, 2009
For my eighth birthday, a box arrived from my aunt in Los Angeles, and she had sent me this book. Every defining experience Ramona Quimby went through was mine, even though I was living a life totally different than hers. It's obvious that Ms. Cleary's straightforward language and writing talent will live on as long as reading exists. Several years ago, I myself gifted it to my husband's then eight year old little sister, and had the pleasure of seeing her running through the woods of their home in Montana with the book tightly clutched in her hand as she ran about in wildflowers and grasses, pausing only to read from the book in favored stops. There's a great writer for you.
August 27, 2018
Ramona is a very lovely, intelligent and cute girl. And her family is great too! It would be good if every family would get along so well and would stick always together. This reading was difficult for me at the beginning because the vocabulary is a little complex to an English learner and I finished that only with the help of an audiobook.
April 12, 2018
I remember reading this book when I was eight, and feeling so thrilled that I was reading a book just for me.
May 10, 2020
از وقتی که پنج شیش ساله بودم و هنوز مدرسه نمیرفتم، مامان و بابام همیشه برام کتابای جورواجور میخریدن که یه بچه کوچولو که هنوز مدرسه نمیره و همیشه تو خونه تنهاست بتونه خودشو سرگرم نگه داره. یه موقعی مامانم که داشت رشته کتابداری میخوند و با ادبیات کودک و نوجوان آشنا بود منو با رامونا آشنا کرد و من تقریبا کل دوران بچگیم رو با این آدم گذروندم. (میگم آدم، چون دیگه برام حکمِ یه کاراکتر داستانی رو نداشت و یه جورایی شده بود دوست خیالیم) هر کتابشو صد بار خونده بودم تا دوران راهنمایی و درواقع رامونا کتابِ مرجع من بود، کتابخونهم بود. هروقت کتاب نداشتم یا حوصلهم سر میرفت دوباره از اول راموناهامو میخوندم. دوستداشتنیتر از رامونا رو ندیده بودم و حتی تا بهحال هم ندیدهم و همیشهی همیشه درکش میکردم. وقتی یهچیزی میگفت و بزرگترا بهش میخندیدن. وقتی آرزوی دوچرخه داشت ولی نمیتونستن براش یکی بخرن، وقتی یه چیزیو میگفت که به نظر خودش خیلی مهم و جدی بود ولی هیشکی حرفشو باور نمیکرد، وقتی سوزان ازش تقلید میکرد، وقتی تو کلاسشون تک افتادهبود، حتی وقتی باباش برای یه مدتی بیکار شده بود هم دقیقاً برای من مثل اون دورهای بود که بابام کارشو از دست داده بود و صبح تا شب، صمبکم یه گوشه میشست و یا نیازمندیهای همشهری رو میجوید پیِ کار، یا به در و دیوار زل میزد و فکر مشکلاشو میکرد و نگاهش پر از غصه بود. همیشه رامونا رو دوست داشتم و همیشه، همهی فکرها و رفتارا و زندگیش برام آشنا بود. انگار که همیشه با یه رامونا تو وجود خودم زندگی کرده بودم. رامونا برام مث یه دوستی بود که خ-ی-ل-ی خوب میشناختمش، اونم منو میشناخت، و همیشه حرف دل منو میزد. :]
May 17, 2020
After learning to read in kindergarten, Ramona Quimby was my favorite character because I was Ramona, well-meaning, imperfect, messy and never measuring up (in my mind). She made me feel less alone and at times even likable.
When I saw RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8 on a kindle daily deal, I grabbed it, eager to revisit the girl I’ve loved for half a century. Just as charming as even, third grade Ramona is dealing with her family’s financial difficulties as her father heads back to school to pursue a new career. With her mother working full time she has to go to Mrs. Kemp’s house after school and deal with the annoying four-year-old Willa Dean. Beezus is at junior high, no longer around when school is tough. When Ramona overhears her teacher call her a show-off and a nuisance, she tries hard to do better. But then, the worst thing possible happens, she throws up in class.
Kids will find much to love ab our the timeless RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8 and their parents will be charmed by this Beverly Cleary gem.
When I saw RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8 on a kindle daily deal, I grabbed it, eager to revisit the girl I’ve loved for half a century. Just as charming as even, third grade Ramona is dealing with her family’s financial difficulties as her father heads back to school to pursue a new career. With her mother working full time she has to go to Mrs. Kemp’s house after school and deal with the annoying four-year-old Willa Dean. Beezus is at junior high, no longer around when school is tough. When Ramona overhears her teacher call her a show-off and a nuisance, she tries hard to do better. But then, the worst thing possible happens, she throws up in class.
Kids will find much to love ab our the timeless RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8 and their parents will be charmed by this Beverly Cleary gem.
July 23, 2011
Wow! I loved the Ramona Quimby books when I was a kid. (Who didn't?) But I'm pretty sure the last time I read this book, I too was 8. Reading it as an adult is a completely different experience.
The book is still hilarious, but it's an entirely different set of jokes that cracked me up. The book is thick with a deadpan humor that's obviously meant to appeal solely to adults. Mad props to Beverly Cleary for writing something that is literally fun for all ages.
On the darker side, I had forgotten how Ramona's interior life is filled with worry, anxiety, and dread. This didn't seem unusual to me when I was eight, because I was, too. I think Ramona is normal in this, and it's only the prejudice of adulthood that makes us believe that children's lives are careless and worry-free. The reality could not be farther from the truth.
I had also forgotten that her working-class family was constantly plagued by financial concerns and the odd disaster. At one point their car's transmission dies, and having it repaired is a major hardship on the family.
In this book, Ramona's father has quit his job as a grocery store clerk in order to go back to school to earn his teaching certificate. To help make ends meet, he works nights shifting grocery inventory around a cold storage facility. Reading the book as an adult, I was just as engaged by the adult dramas taking place at the edges of the stage as I was by Ramona's story.
This is an incredible work, and all the more incredible for seeming to have been effortlessly written. I am green with professional envy, and thrilled to have had such an amazing experience re-visiting a childhood love. (Because let's face it, most of the time when you re-read something you loved as a kid, it turns out to be pretty crappy.)
The book is still hilarious, but it's an entirely different set of jokes that cracked me up. The book is thick with a deadpan humor that's obviously meant to appeal solely to adults. Mad props to Beverly Cleary for writing something that is literally fun for all ages.
On the darker side, I had forgotten how Ramona's interior life is filled with worry, anxiety, and dread. This didn't seem unusual to me when I was eight, because I was, too. I think Ramona is normal in this, and it's only the prejudice of adulthood that makes us believe that children's lives are careless and worry-free. The reality could not be farther from the truth.
I had also forgotten that her working-class family was constantly plagued by financial concerns and the odd disaster. At one point their car's transmission dies, and having it repaired is a major hardship on the family.
In this book, Ramona's father has quit his job as a grocery store clerk in order to go back to school to earn his teaching certificate. To help make ends meet, he works nights shifting grocery inventory around a cold storage facility. Reading the book as an adult, I was just as engaged by the adult dramas taking place at the edges of the stage as I was by Ramona's story.
This is an incredible work, and all the more incredible for seeming to have been effortlessly written. I am green with professional envy, and thrilled to have had such an amazing experience re-visiting a childhood love. (Because let's face it, most of the time when you re-read something you loved as a kid, it turns out to be pretty crappy.)
May 20, 2014
Listening to it in my car. Stockard Channing does the narration. I have always said, and still believe the Channing/Ramona combo is the the greatest achievement ever in audiobooks.
July 2, 2014
I would like to write a review in the spirit of participating in a discussion about whether this book is "dated" and what, if anything, that means for today's young readers.
(Though first let me get out of the way the fact that this IS unquestionably a delightful book, as is the whole Ramona series up to this point. Cleary is a brilliant writer who has crafted a young protagonist who honestly and often humorously depicts the kind of excitement that most people only ever feel when they are young and the frustrations that are unique to that time in your life, as well. Ramona is a precocious, imaginative, aware, excited, frustrated child, and Cleary brings her to life with SO MUCH life it's astounding. This is all objectively true, and these are awesome books. So, there's my endorsement.)
Now on to the issue about which there is dissent. Some people are calling these books naive and picturesque, some are saying they are clearly set in Another Time, some talk about how unrealistic it is in today's economy for a family where both parents have to work to manage to have a mom who is still such a Perfect Mom in the traditional stay-at-home '50s sense, etc, etc. I would add that what come across the most dated to me are the mentions of Beezus' life -- i.e. the teen culture -- of Cleary's time. I think parents and young children actually have more in common across time than teenagers do, and it's Beezus' life that seems the most unrealistically wholesome and tame in light of teen literature now.
That said... I don't think any of this actually detracts from the value of the books for any young reader who is going to grow up to be a reader. Sure, short attention span kids who might occasionally tolerate a book but would rather play with their DS or watch tv might not love this book because there's essentially no material about technology or youth culture that resonates with them, and that's their primary criterion for whether something is relevant or enjoyable.
But real readers recognize at an early age, and continue to enjoy throughout their lives, the fact that books provide windows into different times and places, into characters who are not just avatars for ourselves in settings that are either identical to our own or so fantastically different that they are unequivocally Fantasy. Children still love fairy tales, which introduce them to more-or-less Medieval times. Children still love The Moffats, All of a Kind Family, Little House on the Prairie -- books set in the 1800s and early 1900s. The 1950s and '60s are rapidly receding and becoming the Unfathomable Past for current generations; but I posit that if anything, that makes it easier for children to appreciate books set in that era as being windows into a different world as well as being compelling stories about young characters.
When a period of time is just recently past, it becomes uncool to be "stuck in it" and not looking forward. When a place and time is as far past as post-War America now is, however, that is no longer the concern of anyone who would be on the lookout to criticize someone who is not adapting to the times. Those unfortunate sources of derision are now people who are stuck in the 1980s or '90s, not the '50s. In that way, I think the Ramona books escape being dated-and-uncool, and now are just books-about-a-cool-kid-set-in-a-different-time.
These books provide an opportunity to ask questions and learn and discuss what has changed in the world -- and why, and how, and whether that's all for the best -- if children want to have those kinds of discussions. But they are also spirited, fun, wry, intelligent works that can entertain children who want to enjoy themselves with books. Any child who knows what it's like to wake up each day with a hundred ideas and questions and things you want to try, and feels like the world is always telling you "No" or "Not now" will identify with Ramona -- feeling for her when "No" is the final answer, and exulting with her when she finds some very creative ways around it to "Yes."
(Though first let me get out of the way the fact that this IS unquestionably a delightful book, as is the whole Ramona series up to this point. Cleary is a brilliant writer who has crafted a young protagonist who honestly and often humorously depicts the kind of excitement that most people only ever feel when they are young and the frustrations that are unique to that time in your life, as well. Ramona is a precocious, imaginative, aware, excited, frustrated child, and Cleary brings her to life with SO MUCH life it's astounding. This is all objectively true, and these are awesome books. So, there's my endorsement.)
Now on to the issue about which there is dissent. Some people are calling these books naive and picturesque, some are saying they are clearly set in Another Time, some talk about how unrealistic it is in today's economy for a family where both parents have to work to manage to have a mom who is still such a Perfect Mom in the traditional stay-at-home '50s sense, etc, etc. I would add that what come across the most dated to me are the mentions of Beezus' life -- i.e. the teen culture -- of Cleary's time. I think parents and young children actually have more in common across time than teenagers do, and it's Beezus' life that seems the most unrealistically wholesome and tame in light of teen literature now.
That said... I don't think any of this actually detracts from the value of the books for any young reader who is going to grow up to be a reader. Sure, short attention span kids who might occasionally tolerate a book but would rather play with their DS or watch tv might not love this book because there's essentially no material about technology or youth culture that resonates with them, and that's their primary criterion for whether something is relevant or enjoyable.
But real readers recognize at an early age, and continue to enjoy throughout their lives, the fact that books provide windows into different times and places, into characters who are not just avatars for ourselves in settings that are either identical to our own or so fantastically different that they are unequivocally Fantasy. Children still love fairy tales, which introduce them to more-or-less Medieval times. Children still love The Moffats, All of a Kind Family, Little House on the Prairie -- books set in the 1800s and early 1900s. The 1950s and '60s are rapidly receding and becoming the Unfathomable Past for current generations; but I posit that if anything, that makes it easier for children to appreciate books set in that era as being windows into a different world as well as being compelling stories about young characters.
When a period of time is just recently past, it becomes uncool to be "stuck in it" and not looking forward. When a place and time is as far past as post-War America now is, however, that is no longer the concern of anyone who would be on the lookout to criticize someone who is not adapting to the times. Those unfortunate sources of derision are now people who are stuck in the 1980s or '90s, not the '50s. In that way, I think the Ramona books escape being dated-and-uncool, and now are just books-about-a-cool-kid-set-in-a-different-time.
These books provide an opportunity to ask questions and learn and discuss what has changed in the world -- and why, and how, and whether that's all for the best -- if children want to have those kinds of discussions. But they are also spirited, fun, wry, intelligent works that can entertain children who want to enjoy themselves with books. Any child who knows what it's like to wake up each day with a hundred ideas and questions and things you want to try, and feels like the world is always telling you "No" or "Not now" will identify with Ramona -- feeling for her when "No" is the final answer, and exulting with her when she finds some very creative ways around it to "Yes."
June 29, 2020
Thinking about it now, when we read Ramona around the same age as the character, we didn't just read Ramona, we were Ramona.
Also, Hobart, oh, uncle Hobart, I was too innocent to realize you were supposed to be cool and hot. Even when you married aunt Bea in the next book, I didn't realize it. Oh well, I don't think Ramona did either.
Also, Hobart, oh, uncle Hobart, I was too innocent to realize you were supposed to be cool and hot. Even when you married aunt Bea in the next book, I didn't realize it. Oh well, I don't think Ramona did either.
July 15, 2024
Ramona is growing up, and although I'm sorry to see some of the funnier foibles of her childhood go, she's still as real and relatable as ever. Cleary is the master.
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December 31, 2022Oh man, Ramona. Whether she’s freaking out because she thinks her teacher doesn’t like her, or standing up for herself to boisterous boys, or unexpectedly barfing in the middle of math class, she’s a child after my own heart. She does her best, she’s too noisy for the family cat, she’s learning to read…I love these books.
July 16, 2016
I was 8ish the last time I read this book and it really resonated with me back then. Now, as the mother of an 8 year old girl, I find it still resonates with me. I just really love everything about this book. The humor, the seriousness, the illustrations, the characters, the simple plot, the authenticity.
There is a passage later in the book when Ramona asks her father what he's studying in college and he answers that he's studying Child Psychology and Development. In other words, he's studying how kids think. This makes Ramona very uncomfortable because 8 year olds can be very private with their thoughts sometimes. What struck me most about this passage is how meta it is, since Beverly Cleary, as author, really has pinned down the way an 8 year old girl's mind works. At least, in my experience as a former 8 year old and someone who currently cohabits with an 8 year old.
I had fun reading this with my daughter. She shook her fists at Yard Ape. Laughed at the Hard Boiled Egg Fad, and nodded in solidarity with Ramona every time our heroine had to deal with her mother momming her and Wilma Jean annoying her. There were instances where I was able to pause and ask if she would have handled certain situations differently than Ramona and was not in the least bit surprised at her answers (she would not have been embarrassed by the Hard Boiled Egg Fad incident, for instance.)
There is a passage later in the book when Ramona asks her father what he's studying in college and he answers that he's studying Child Psychology and Development. In other words, he's studying how kids think. This makes Ramona very uncomfortable because 8 year olds can be very private with their thoughts sometimes. What struck me most about this passage is how meta it is, since Beverly Cleary, as author, really has pinned down the way an 8 year old girl's mind works. At least, in my experience as a former 8 year old and someone who currently cohabits with an 8 year old.
I had fun reading this with my daughter. She shook her fists at Yard Ape. Laughed at the Hard Boiled Egg Fad, and nodded in solidarity with Ramona every time our heroine had to deal with her mother momming her and Wilma Jean annoying her. There were instances where I was able to pause and ask if she would have handled certain situations differently than Ramona and was not in the least bit surprised at her answers (she would not have been embarrassed by the Hard Boiled Egg Fad incident, for instance.)
April 24, 2009
The main character in this book is Ramona Quimby who is eight years old and starting the third grade. There are many changes that happen in this point in her life. Money is tight for her family because her father decides to go back to school to get his degree in art and become a teacher. Her mother works at a Doctors office during the day so she can't pick ramona up from school so she has to go over to her friend Howie's house. She hates going over there because Howie's little sister Willa Jean is always wanting to play with her and getting her in trouble. School is always a little dificult for Ramona because she is made fun of by her squeaky shoes and when she cracks an egg on her head following a school fad and thinking her mother had hard boiled it and on top of that she thinks her teacher dislikes her.
Oh this book is perfect for younger readers. It is funny, but realistic fiction. Children can really relate to Ramona in this book because she goes through a lot of the same things that kids her age do also. It stresses the importance of sticking together with your family even when the hard times comes. I would definally recommend this book for any person to read. You will just get a kick out of the character Ramona.
Oh this book is perfect for younger readers. It is funny, but realistic fiction. Children can really relate to Ramona in this book because she goes through a lot of the same things that kids her age do also. It stresses the importance of sticking together with your family even when the hard times comes. I would definally recommend this book for any person to read. You will just get a kick out of the character Ramona.
December 4, 2007
سری 8 جلدی کتابهای رامونا رو به پیشنهاد و برای همراهی و تشویق خواهرزادهی 10 سالهام که تازه شروع به مطالعه کرده است خوندم.
خیلی خیلی از خوندنشون لذت بردم. کتابها با اینکه در غالب داستان برای بچهها نوشته شده بود ولی در اصل روانشناسی کودک بود. بعد از خوندن این سری کتابها دیدم نسبت به دنیای بچهها و کارهایی که میکنند عوض شد. فکر میکنم از بعد از اون روابطم هم با بچهها بهتر شده. از سری کتابهایی هستند که حتما باز هم میخونمشون.
خیلی خیلی از خوندنشون لذت بردم. کتابها با اینکه در غالب داستان برای بچهها نوشته شده بود ولی در اصل روانشناسی کودک بود. بعد از خوندن این سری کتابها دیدم نسبت به دنیای بچهها و کارهایی که میکنند عوض شد. فکر میکنم از بعد از اون روابطم هم با بچهها بهتر شده. از سری کتابهایی هستند که حتما باز هم میخونمشون.
January 15, 2012
This book surprised me. I haven't read a children's book in ages, and I was expecting the story to be fluffy and cute. What I actually found was a simple, but accurate view of how a child sees the world - the problems of adults, their own problems (enormously magnified and all consuming) and the joy of being 8 years old, and owning a "Pearly" pink eraser.
This is a great read!
This is a great read!
April 3, 2009
Here Ramona cracks a raw egg on her head, throws up in front of her whole first-grade class, and then learns about being part of a family or something. I once vomited in front of my whole 11th-grade class. Some of us really have it rough, Ramona.
August 29, 2016
I really love Stockton Channing as the audio narrator for this series. She really captures the characters so well, and I am completely enjoying my slow reread of this series. It's still funny, very classic, and still so easy to recommend to younger readers.
July 3, 2018
I just LOVE Ramona and this book is one of my favorites. From the egg escapade to the kitten report, I just love it all. Perfect listening in the car this summer.
April 5, 2017
My girls and I listened to this on audiobook and truly enjoyed it. We laughed aloud quite a few times. Such a cute book!
April 16, 2021
of course it’s five stars. ramona is all of us in elementary school and she makes it feel easier to be little, even when we’re misunderstood. 2928822829182/10
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