Ramona and Her Mother (Ramona, 5)

by Beverly Cleary

Other authorsJacqueline Rogers (Illustrator)
Paperback, 2020

Status

Available

Publication

HarperCollins (2020), Edition: Illustrated, 224 pages

Description

Ramona at 7 1/2 sometimes feels discriminated against by being the youngest in the family.

User reviews

LibraryThing member bibliophile26
This book returns to the hilarity of earlier Ramona books. The first chapter with Willa Jean making a mess with the tissues had me laughing out loud
LibraryThing member temorrison
This book is about a seven year year girl, Ramona, and her mother. Ramona cannot decide whether she wants to stay mommy's little girl, or grow up. Ramona has an older sister who she does not exactly get along with. Ramona's mom invites some people over for lunch and Ramona has to watch the little
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girl. But Ramona always seems to get in trouble. Everything "bad" that happens in the house, she is a part of. At the end of the story, Ramona realizes that even though she wants to be mommy's little girl, it's time that she grows up some. I liked this book, a lot of young girls can relate to the things that happened in this story. I would love to have this book in my classroom library.
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LibraryThing member nmhale
Ramona is getting older. With each successive book in the series, another year passes, and now the creative and feisty girl is in second grade. She is still creative, her imagination burns just as bright, but she is learning some restraint. When her neighbor calls her Juanita, she doesn't blurt out
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that her name is actually Ramona. And when Willa Jean disrupts her checker game with Howie, she doesn't make a fuss, but finds something else to play. Unfortunately, their new game involves the bluing and a tub of water, and she and Howie end up with blue clothes and feet. Ramona may be more mature, but she is still only seven years old. When she sews pants for her elephant doll that don't fit right at all, she can't help losing her temper and throwing the doll against the wall. She thinks it is a wonderful idea to wear her new fluffy pajamas under her clothes when she goes to school, until the extra warmth leaches all her energy away.

This book is full of funny episodes such as these, but the smaller anecdotes are linked together with a larger plot line about the relationship between Ramona and her mom. Now that Ramona is more observant of others, she is jealous of the close relationship between her mother and Beezus. Everyone always says that Beezus is her mother's girl, but no one makes that comparison between Ramona and her mom. She longs for cozy special times with her mom, but she doesn't have the same domestic skills or grown-up interests as Beezus. Her complicated feelings, which she only half understands, build to a breaking point over a misunderstanding. Ramona declares that no one loves her and she is running away. When her mom comes in to help her pack, and fills her suitcase with so many items that Ramona can't even lift it off the ground, Ramona learns that she has her own special relationship with her mom.

Ramona captures the essence of a child, accurately reflecting a young person's thoughts and interests at various ages.Truly, Cleary impresses me with her ability to portray the many stages of childhood, and with the way she shows Ramona slowly maturing as she gets older. The book blends deeper issues of family relationships and self esteem with humor, making the story easy to read and laugh with, but also emotional and touching. I admit, I like the younger Ramona with her crazy antics, but I think her changes are inevitable, and she would be a poor character if she never evolved. She is still a sweet girl, and her domestic adventures very entertaining. As the series progresses, I feel like Ramona is a real girl, growing up in her family. I enjoy tagging along on her journey.
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LibraryThing member sbpagac
Ramona strives for and desires to be the apple of her mother's eye. Beezus, her sister, is the one always referred to as 'your mother's daughter', but Ramona wants that. After several mishaps along the way, Ramona doesn't realize how much her mother loves her until she packed her bags to run away
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and her mother told her how much she'd be missed. This would be a great read for any young classroom to read as a beginning chapter book.
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LibraryThing member HeatherSwinford
The book is a good story of classic Ramona and her wild imagination. This book is more focused on her relationship with her mother. The audio part of the book is different that acutally reading the story, sometimes one forgets how easy it is to imagine yourself what the characters are doing. The
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audio allows for the added bonus of adding excitment or seriousness to the story.
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LibraryThing member dgadkins88
At the age of 7, with working parents and a sister, Ramona Quimby tries hard to do her part to keep family peace. Usually, she ends up behind every uproarious incident in the house. Whether she's dying herself blue, watching while her young neighbor flings Kleenex around the house, or wearing her
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soft new pajamas to school one day. Ramona's life is never dull. Through it all, she is struggling for a place in her mother's heart, worried that she might be unlovable but there's not a chance. Ramona Quimby is nothing if not lovable.
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LibraryThing member KellyKnox
This is another sweet, charming story about plucky Ramona Quimby and her family. Ramona is growing up, and starting to question her family dynamics, wondering if her mother loves her as much or in the same way as she loves Ramona's older sister Beezus. While Ramona strives to be the perfect
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daughter, she accidentally causes all sorts of mishaps which make her question her place in her family even more.
Beverly Cleary absolutely has a knack for getting in the skin of the young girl and touching on the emotions that so many kids, not just girls, share. I personally love the older Ramona books more, but there's little to criticize in any Beverly Cleary book.
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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
I've read this numerous times, but each time I'm struck with how Ms. Cleary makes Ramona funny without making her out of the ordinary. In fact, part of the humor of Cleary's books is that her kids are so normal - and they are dealing with the typical problems of childhood. Great book in the series.
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(2009 reading was actually a listen to the audio version starring Stockard Channing.)
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LibraryThing member DBPeeples
This is a great book that most students can relate to. It talks about how Ramona is always trying to keep the peace in the family but is really the source of it all. She does a number of things that just funny and weird. As always, she only wants some attention.
LibraryThing member edtech5
Cleary, B., & Tiegreen, A. (1979). Ramona and her mother. New York: Morrow.
This is another addition to the delightful Ramona series, this time focusing on Ramona and her relationship with her mother. Although the book was written in 1979, the issues that families deal with is still relevant,
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especially with economic times being as they are today. The book honestly portrays the realities of life for children today and Ramona's thoughts, wishes for acceptance and love, and frustrations are typical for children in any family. One of Ramona's biggest struggle is with losing time with her mother because her mother has to work. Many children today face the same thing, and even though some of the content in the book is a little dated, the root of this conflict and others surfaces making it easy for the reader to relate.
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LibraryThing member nicholspdx
Another classic by Beverly Cleary. As a resident of Portland, OR I find it fun to come across land marks and references to my adopted hometown. Why else would so many childrens stories involve rain? Ramona is a perfect character for boys and girls to relate to with their own ordeals in growing up.
LibraryThing member tben7672
In the book "Ramona and her Mother", Ramona feels like she isn't her mothers girl and Beezus is the one making her mother proud. Even though the guests at the bruch and her parents feel like Ramona is like mess and bratty William Jean, Ramona highly doubts it. But as time goes on, she feels like
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her mother is right. When she tries to make slacks for her elephant, it looks horrible and she ends up quarraling with her mother. As she is staying at the Kemps, she spills blue coloring onto Howie and ends up getting into more disceraging trouble. To Ramona and her sister tension is growing when their parents have a big fight and her mom hits her dad. For Ramona, the last staw is drawn when she thinks her teacher tattled to her mother that she wore her pajamas to school. When she tried to run away, while she was packing her mother offered to help her. At first Ramona was shocked, but soon realised that her mother made it too heavy for her to carry. Then after a little bit of thinking, she now knows that she will always be her mothers girl.

People who read my reviews are probebly wondering why I am reading a book like this. I read Dracula for crying out loud! The reason I read this is because of the time. In my school I have to do 5 books a simester on here and write two paragraphes. Unfortunatly, I lost track of time and I have less then a day to do a Library Thing. Since this was short enough and it wasn't a baby book, I thought I could pull it off. From now on I need to read and do this sooner! I hope my teacher reads this.
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LibraryThing member xxgonecrazyxx
I thought it was a book that should be read by everyone of all ages from every generation:}
LibraryThing member LaurenDoubleU
4Q, 4P

The story itself, I would say, is a 5 in quality, as it really is true the emotions and inner-life of a second-grade child. Stockard Channing's performance on this audiobook is fantastic-- the pacing, expression, voicing, etc. are all wonderful. Aside from this wonderful and engaging
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performance, however, there is nothing about the production of the audio version that would take it to the level of 5 -- so sound effects or outstanding/unique elements.
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LibraryThing member ReneeRobinson
Ramona never changes and will always be well loved.
LibraryThing member NadineC.Keels
Sometimes it seems like Ramona Quimby's older sister, Beezus, gets all the attention and privileges in the family. In fact, Mrs. Quimby lets neighbors and friends know she couldn't get along without Beezus, and Ramona feels left out. Yet, a drastic decision Ramona makes will remind her just how her
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mother feels about her in Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary.

What a pleasure to revisit one of my favorites in the Ramona series. (What a double-pleasure to have obtained a copy that even smells like the one I read all those years ago. Oh yes indeed.) Cleary has such an understanding of life through the eyes of a seven-and-a-half-year-old, showing how much those childhood matters matter. Reading chapter books! Feeling carsick. New pajamas! Mom and Dad have a spat. And, yes—practicing one's cursive handwriting!

There are dashes of humor that got laughter out of me. But the story (and the Ramona series altogether) doesn't avoid real-life situations that friends and families can find themselves in. And, gee, much like when I recently reread Ramona and Her Father, being able now to understand this story on a greater level from both an adult's and a child's point of view makes it all the more touching.

Sure, I may be growing even more sensitive in my adult years, but if a children's book ever got a tear out of me toward the end, this one did. I blame the wonderful illustration that accompanies the scene!

Let's see now, I've got two more Ramona books to revisit, and the newer one I've not read before...
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LibraryThing member fingerpost
This is the best of the Ramona series so far.
Like others in the series, it is episodic, with some chapters laugh out loud funny (the toothpaste episode being the funniest). Cleary paints a believable happy family, in which there is not always perfect harmony, between sisters, between children and
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parents, or between the two parents themselves. But there is never a doubt in the reader's mind that it is a happy loving family.
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LibraryThing member Marse
Ramona, our favorite 7 and a half year old, is feeling unloved and unnoticed. Obviously, Beezus is the favorite and Ramona can't do anything right. As always, Beverly Clearly lets us get into a child's shoes without condescension or being overly cutsie. Lovely.
LibraryThing member bookworm12
I am learning so much about my role as a parent through these books. Ramona sees her parents fight and talks about moments where she is ashamed, worried, or angry. Cleary makes all of her emotions feel real and captures the vulnerability of childhood perfectly.
LibraryThing member foggidawn
Everyone always says that Beezus is her mother's girl, that her mother couldn't get along without her. Why doesn't anyone say that about Ramona? What will it take for her to be called "her mother's girl?"

Another solidly enjoyable entry in the Ramona series. I find that the episodic nature of these
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means that I have trouble remembering which anecdote belongs to which book -- if, as in the current case, I'm listening to the whole series without taking a lot of breaks between books, sometimes they start to blend together.
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LibraryThing member fuzzi
Another wonderful Ramona book by Beverly Cleary. It's a joy to read as an adult and I will reread it. What else can I say?
LibraryThing member SJGirl
Loved revisiting this old favorite, adored it as much as I did way back when I was seven.

There’s such a simplicity to Beverly Cleary’s writing yet it conveys so much truth and heart and makes me laugh, too. Moment after moment this brought back my own childhood, things I felt and experienced
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were so identifiable in Ramona and her big sister Beezus.

There’s nothing all that big about the plot which may not work for every reader but that’s what makes it so real and relatable for me, it’s the everyday stuff, their family not having a lot of money to spare, forgetting to plug in the slow-cooker, heartbreak over a haircut, getting into scrapes, worrying when your parents argue, and longing to indulge in little kid activities even though you know you’re supposed to be more grown up than that.

Ramona and her mother offers up plenty of fun moments like the situation where Ramona feels so cozy in her pajamas that it leads to an error in judgment but this book is also a heart-tugger as Ramona aches to be as close to her mother as her sister is, the closing moments, how a rash decision Ramona makes is handled, it epitomizes poignant and feel-good.
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Awards

National Book Award (Finalist — 1981)
Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee — 1982)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 1983)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1979

Physical description

7.62 inches

ISBN

038070952X / 9780380709526
Page: 0.3068 seconds