Beezus and Ramona (Ramona Quimby Book 1)

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In 1955, after finishing three Henry books, Cleary wrote Beezus and Ramona, a novel in which Beezus was the central character. The plot revolved around fourth grade Beezus' frustrations with her younger sister. Then in 1968, having concluded the Henry Huggins series, Cleary returned to focus on the two sisters in Ramona the Pest. It became the foundation book of the Ramona series. As publisher, writer and reviewer Anita Silvey says, "It was almost inevitable that Cleary would publish a series of books about this boisterous yet appealing character." [2] Beverly Cleary does have remarkable insight into the minds of children. Ramona as a character feels like a vivid recollection of the hundred miniature crises that successively fill life's horizon when one is very young. I appreciate how how Cleary writes in a matter-of-fact way that produces gentle humor and maturation rather than heedless sermonizing. I enjoyed my hours spent with Ramona. The first book, Beezus and Ramona, appeared in 1955. The final book, Ramona's World, was published in 1999. In 1940 she married Clarence T. Cleary and they moved to Oakland, California. The Clearys became parents to a set of twins, Marianne Elisabeth and Malcolm James, in 1955. Clarence Cleary died in 2004. Beverly Cleary lived in Carmel, California until her death in 2021 at the age of one-hundred and four.

I’ve had Beverly Cleary on my mind for a while now ever since NPR did a story about her (as of this writing, she is 103 years old!), so it suddenly seemed ideal to take a break in the middle of the dystopian novel I’m reading and turn to the gentle adventures of Ramona Quimby and her long-suffering older sister, Beezus. The Lexile level of “Beezus and Ramona” by Beverly Cleary is approximately 830L. The Lexile level is a measure of text complexity that takes into account both the difficulty of the vocabulary and the sentence structure. A Lexile level of 830L indicates that the book is suitable for readers in the upper elementary grades, typically around grades 3 to 5. Beezus And Ramona Guided Reading Level (GRL)

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When I was a child, I never read the Ramona books, because my mom thought they displayed Bad Attitudes and encouraged me to read other things instead. I never cared, but recently, I thought I should try out the classic stories for cultural knowledge and appreciation. I now have cultural knowledge and an increased appreciation for my mother's discernment. I really did not need to read this book when I was little, and would have been even more scandalized by it than I was now.

The book follows the story of nine-year-old Beezus Quimby and her lively four-year-old sister Ramona. As you read, you’ll find that the reading level is appropriate for children aged 7 and up, with a GRL (Guided Reading Level) of O, a DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) level of 34, and a Lexile measure of 780 L. The language used in the story is accessible for young readers, with only mild sass, such as the use of the word “dumb.” Ramona's issues happened at home and at a babysitter's house too. But it wasn't just Ramona going through changes. Her mother and father were going through things too. They both got new jobs, a baby was born, and a room was built onto their house.Willa Jean Kemp: Howie's bratty little sister, who is frequently thrust on Ramona. People say that she is very like Ramona when she was little; however, Willa Jean does not seem to possess Ramona's imagination. She moved to California to attend the University of California, Berkeley, and after graduation with a B.A in English in 1938, studied at the School of Librarianship at the University of Washington in Seattle, where she earned a degree in librarianship in 1939. Her first job was as a librarian in Yakima, Washington, where she met many children who were searching for the same books that she had always hoped to find as a child herself. In response, she wrote her first book, Henry Huggins, which was published in 1950. Beezus and Ramona, Cleary's first novel to feature the Quimby sisters as the central focus of the story, was published in 1955, although Beezus and Ramona made frequent appearances in the Henry Huggins series as supporting characters. The Lexile score for “Beezus and Ramona” is 780L, which corresponds to an approximate reading level of 3rd-5th grade. Reading the series all at once also makes her process of growing up more clear; learning how to get along with her sister, her parents, figuring out her teachers and struggling with classroom behavior -- it really is a joy to watch her grow from a pesky toddler scribbling in library books to a 'zero-teen' year old being trusted to watch her baby sister on her own.

Librarian Kathleen Odean appreciates Ramona's fearless attitude, calling her "irrepressible" and saying "She represents the kind of girl who has not been subdued by adults or the world in general." [7] Twentieth-Century Children's Writers cites Ramona's "spunk, her impermeable but often ambivalent bond to Beezus, and her unsurpassed creativity... (Cleary) never sacrifices Ramona's integrity or intelligence". Ramona and Her Father: When Mr. Quimby loses his job, the entire family faces challenges, including Ramona. This story grapples with serious themes while maintaining its lovable charm.

Howie Kemp: Ramona's friend who loves building things. He becomes Ramona's cousin in Ramona Forever when his Uncle Hobart marries her Aunt Beatrice. He never gets excited about anything, which really makes Ramona disappointed. As a teacher, I appreciated the diversity of teaching styles and teacher personalities. The teachers each had their own quirks and impressions on Ramona. All in all, they were safe adults with good intentions, and Ramona grew to accept that she'll love some and learn to deal with others. It was fun, too, to see her relationships with particular classmates evolve over time. She goes from fascinating with Susan's curls to rancor with her about Susan copying her owl project to increased understanding of the pressures that Susan feels to "be perfect." That was awesome -- an evolution that merits re-reading... readers can gain more and more with re-reads. I have a soft spot for Howie too, since he's a steady buddy. His interest in building and fixing is constant and develops into more sophisticated projects over time. His younger sister, Willa Jean, also develops her own version of spunk without just being Ramona's mirror. The side storyline about Aunt B. and Howie's uncle was an interesting twist, and one that also served a purpose.