Ramona the Brave

Six-year-old Ramona Quimby is excited to be starting first grade at school! But on the first day, no one believes the amazing true story she shares for Show and Tell. Then having to sit near copycat Susan in class leads Ramona into quite the trouble one day. And not to mention Ramona's run-in with

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a big dog on the way to school one morning in Ramona the Brave by author Beverly Cleary.

This is at least the second time my adult self has revisited this book since I first read it as a kid. Although it's strange that I'm now, a-hem...older than Ramona's parents, this is still my favorite series of children's books. Hands down!

Even so, I can see why this book was a teensy bit on the gloomier side for me back when I was much closer to Ramona's age. Having a new schoolteacher who apparently doesn't like you and being scared of the dark every night when you're trying to sleep in your brand new room—oh, the woe for Ramona! And I wouldn't have been able to get away with acting out in Ramona-fashion when she loses her temper in front of her parents.

Even so, she's still quite the relatable heroine with interesting and funny adventures that I consider classic.

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4Q- Ramona' experiences are believable and Ramona is lovable, but this book may be outdated.
3Q- These books are not as popular as they once were, but they are similar to several other more current chapter books. With some suggestion, young readers would find this book worth the read.

5starP. Age 7-10. First grade is nothing like kindergarten. Ramona's teacher doesn't like her, she can't seem to do anything right and her treasured new very-own-for-six-months room turns out to be a very scary place after dark. But don't worry because she's Ramona the Brave!

Quote to come, I read

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the book at the library because I didn't have my license or my husky card, now I can't find it again.

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Ramona is entering the first grade and is incredibly excited about impressing her classmates with the fact that some men came and chopped a big hole in her house during the summer. Instead of being impressed, the children – and the teacher – laugh at her. Then, when the “hole in the house”

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finally turns into her new room at the back of the house, Ramona discovers that sleeping by herself in her own room is rather scary. Ramona is misunderstood by her teacher, her parents, and her classmates. Can an encounter with a ferocious dog change all of that? Can she ever be a brave little girl?

This book exposes some very raw emotions of a very little girl. I felt so sorry for Ramona in each situation. I kept wanting her to talk to an adult and to tell them the whole story: the hole in the house was to add on a room and she threw her owl in the trash because another girl copied her and it no longer felt like her own. She keeps her feelings inside instead of letting them out. I just want to hold her in my arms when she finally breaks down in the end. I was as proud as if she were my own daughter at the triumphant ending.

This would be a good book to open up discussions about bravery. What are some things that children might be scared of? What suggestions do they have for these fears? What would they do if faced by a ferocious dog? As a fun activity after reading the book, let the children use brown paper towels, scissors, and a stapler and design their own slippers.

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Ramona Quimby has to face all sorts of scary things to be her father's brave gal.

A good early chapter book, it is relatable to many young children who have some unexpected family things going on in their lives outside of school. The book will easily hold the attention of it's reader no matter what age.

I read this book aloud to my daughters.

In the third book of the Ramona Quimby series, Ramona has entered first grade. She realizes that it is much different than kindergarten, and she finds it a little bit frightening and misses her kindergarten teacher, Miss Binney.

Although initially excited at

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having her very own bedroom, Ramona finds that her room can be a scary place at night. I had to laugh as I remembered doing the exact same thing when I was a child: Standing in the doorway and turning off the light and then taking a flying leap to the bed so that the monsters underneath could not grab my ankles! I could always relate to Ramona's feelings when I was a child, and I know that my kids can relate to her as well.

I love how Cleary shows in her books that it is okay for kids to be frightened. The world can be a scary place for someone so little, and it is reassuring for kids to read that other kids their age have the same fears.

Cleary books are timeless! The issues and fears that Ramona has are just as relevant today as they were 36 years ago when the book was first written.

My girls can't wait to find out what happens next in the series!

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Ramona is now a first grader and ready to be a little more brave and adventurous. When she learns that her family is adding a new room to their house, she is excited to have her own room, but nervous to leave her sister Beezus.

Ramona is among my earliest memories of reading chapter books. They will

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always have a place in my classroom for just that purpose.

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Ramona is a bright eyed first grader who is ready to take on the world. She is overcoming the obsticals of the first grade, also adjusting to living in her big sisters shadow. It's a book that children of all generations can relate too.

3rd-6th grade, 4starP. Ramona is in 1st grade now, and she must navigate life through her cranky sister, not-so-nice teacher, and getting a new room! I personally wouldn't put this book in Radical Change, although it does very accurately depict the point of view of a 6-year-old.

Passage for

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discussion: "She pushed her bed out from the wall so that Something reaching out from under the curtains or slithering around the wall might not find her. She picked up Pandy, her battered old panda bear, and tucked it into bed with its head on her pillow. Then, she climbed into bed beside Pandy and pulled the blankets up under her chin" (126).

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A simply marvelous series that is only finally beginning to be dated just a tiny bit. Will always be worthy, though.

Teenagers think they've got it rough. Try being a misunderstood 6-year-old! Ramona Quimby is bound and determined to be brave as she weathers first grade, her mom's return to work, and sleeping in the spooky dark all alone. But nothing seems to go her way this year. From a fierce dog on the

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sidewalk to a copycat in her classroom, Ramona has her hands full.

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Ramona is now in first grade, maturing away from being a "pest" but still finding trouble. She also needs to conquer some fears. After workmen cut a hole in the side of her house and build a new room, Ramona gets the reward of having her own room, but she also has to face the fear of falling asleep

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when she imagines a gorilla without bones may ooze into the room. She also thinks that her teacher doesn't like her, and she has to face down a mean dog with her shoe. Another brilliant Ramona book from Cleary.

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In Ramona the Brave, Ramona has changed from the horrid demon-child of "Beezus and Ramona," the first book, into a likable, sympathetic character. Ramona is in first grade, and longs to back in kindergarten, where things were more fun. She's getting her own bedroom, something that excites her, but

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when she's actually in it, she finds herself afraid of the dark and of being alone. Nice little tale with some good genuine laughs.

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Ramona gets her own room and her mother gets a job. Life is changing for the little trouble maker.

Ramona, now in first grade, is having problems. For one thing, her teacher is unsympathetic, and when Ramona starts the school year off on a bad foot, she wonders if she will even make it through the year. Plus, what should have been an exciting event -- getting her very own room -- turns sour when

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she finds that she is afraid to sleep in the bedroom alone. Can Ramona find a way to work through all of these difficulties?

Cleary does a really excellent job of getting the reader into Ramona's head and making her a flawed, sympathetic character. I'm amused at some of the 1950s freedoms that the children have in these books. Despite the fact that the past may at times seem to young readers like a foreign country, I think Ramona, at heart, is still pretty relatable today.

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Beverly Cleary has a real gift. Although her books span a period of decades, they all read as though they were written today. There's a few odd details in some of them, but mostly they rely on good storytelling and... well, very real-seeming children.

This is the story of Ramona's first grade year.

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Her struggles sound authentically, well, first grade. She has to deal with a copycat neighbor... and then she has to deal with the fallout of acting without thinking. She doesn't think her teacher LIKES her (and we all know how important that is when you're six)! Her room is too dark and she's alone.

It's a good book, very real. I especially love the final chapter, where poor Ramona lost her shoe on her way to school. She'd just spent the chapter BEFORE detailing that she KNEW her teacher didn't like her because she never got to lead the Pledge, and now... well... I almost couldn't read it to my nieces, we were all laughing so hard *knowing* she was going to be called on this time, with one shoe off and one shoe on.

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Given what I just named my new baby goat, and that I came across this paperback in one of those little free libraries just a few weeks after she was born, it seemed it was meant to be: time for a re-read after 40 long years.

Yes, Beverly Cleary deserves to be remembered and read and re-read after

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all these years. Her Ramona is so very real, it was kind of a difficult read. After all, it's largely about her frustrations.

Real things:
- What it's like having a sibling 5 years older (yup)
- The details, like the kindergarten being in a 'temporary building'
- The little (used to be called normal-sized) house where everyone can hear everything; Beezus is constantly butting in
- Beezus being older but not so much older that she can't join in late night sessions of sisters scaring each other

The illustrations have evolved several times over the long, long shelf life of the Cleary books. This edition I happened to score is not the most modern - I see some actually have some stills from a movie that got made around 2010 - I disapprove wholeheartedly; Beezus looks to be cast way too old. But it's not exactly the edition that I read as a kid in grammar school, either. Ramona was cuter then, and in the older ones. I have to find those.

And indeed now I must, as they say, "collect them all." Ramona the Pest. Ramona Forever. Ramona forever, indeed!! Loving my little goat name even more.

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Even today, Beverly Cleary’s portrayal of a first grade girl stands true. Ramona navigates changes in her life like starting a new grade, having her mom return to work, and sleeping in her very own bedroom alone. Cleary beautifully describes Ramona’s fears and embarrassments while never

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downplaying the seriousness of her seven-year-old world.
There are a few moments that date the book, but for the most part, the conflicts and themes are timeless and would appeal to young readers today even after all these years. This book also makes a great read-aloud for parents whose children have “outgrown” nighttime picture books.

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Ramona is a young girl who is full of spunk. In Ramona The Brave, Ramona learns that getting what she wants isn't always for the better. She is excited to learn she will have her very own room, but once it happens she begins to feel alone in the dark. She also discovers that despite her feelings

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that everyone likes her sister better, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses much like her colleagues in Mrs. Griggs' first grade class.

I enjoyed this story because it is quite relatable. I can easily identify with feelings of competition between siblings and the discoveries that go along with growing up. It also reminded me fondly of my middle school years when I would read the Ramona series.

In the classroom, I would have a group discussion on the challenges that accompany growing up. I would ask the students if they have ever wished for something to only find it was not what they had hoped or dreamed it would be.

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Honestly, I can't remember when I read this book the first time. Or the last time--i read it to my nephew and nieces. The book is perfect for children (obviously) and is great for bedtime stories and family quality time.