Beezus and Ramona

Rating:
Summary: A Simple but Wonderful Book
Review: 9-year old Beezus has a big problem- her little sister. She knows a lot of people with four-year old sisters, but none of them are nearly as much trouble as Ramona. She is always being an annoyance. She constantly wants her favorite book read to her, and Beezus gets stuck reading it to her. She rides her tricycle around the house and crashes into the table where Beezus and Henry are playing checkers. Then she gets into trouble and sent to her room, then decides to punish Henry's dog Ribsy by locking him in the bathroom. She ruins Beezus's birthday cake- twice!

Beezus decides she does not love her little sister. Not one bit. What kind of awful person doesn't love her own sister? She knows that sisters should get along, like her mother and Aunt Beatrice. But then she learns that all sisters fight and do not always love each other- even her mother and Aunt Beatrice.

Even though this book is at a quite easy reading level, I would recommend it even to adults because it is a humorous but wise book- Cleary knew how four-year old sisters thought when she wrote this.

Rating:
Summary: Funny
Review: A sweet story about a sensible girl and her spirited younger sister. Ramona is one of the funniest characters I have ever read about. I have enjoyed watching her grow through the series of books that Beverly Cleary has devoted to her, but I have never tired of reading about what a brat she was when she was little. I first read about Ramona in the Henry Huggins books. Since then I have thought she was as interesting as she was exasperating. When I have children, especially daughters, I will make sure that Beezus and Ramona is one of the first chapter books they read.

Rating:
Summary: A funny sister story with a message
Review: I have two younger sisters and I know the kind of trouble they can cause and how exasperating they can be. When I first read this book, I was in third grade. I'm 22 now, and I have read the book at least 20 times since then. Beverly Cleary's book tend to contain such true-to-life values that they remain timeless.
Beezus is the older sister, the responsible and smart one. Ramona is the precocious little sister, creative but messy, cute but needy. Beezus struggles with being nice and trying to entertain Ramona and trying to be firm with her at the same time. There are some great little stories in this book about Ramona's misadventures including her unwavering love for a certain picture book, her locking Henry Huggins' dog in the bathroom, and her deciding that she wants to throw a party for herself without asking her mother. Things finally come to a head at Beezus' birthday party. When attention-starved Ramona gets a little too obnoxious, she shamefully admits that she just doesn't love her little sister all the time.
Herein lies the lesson: Beezus' mother explains that Beezus is not expected to love Ramona all the time, that Ramona will do things that get on her nerves sometimes. But there will also be good times when the two will get along, work together, or share a laugh. And those are the moments that count in the sisterly bond. I have stuck to this mantra when trying to deal with my own two younger sisters so I don't go completely insane.
This is a great book for little girls who have sisters so that one may understand the other's point of view. It helps you take a great look at your own sibling relationships, or it will at least show you that your own younger sister is not NEARLY as bratty as Ramona. :)

Rating:
Summary: A funny sister story with a message
Review: I have two younger sisters and I know the kind of trouble they can cause and how exasperating they can be. When I first read this book, I was in third grade. I'm 22 now, and I have read the book at least 20 times since then. Beverly Cleary's book tend to contain such true-to-life values that they remain timeless.
Beezus is the older sister, the responsible and smart one. Ramona is the precocious little sister, creative but messy, cute but needy. Beezus struggles with being nice and trying to entertain Ramona and trying to be firm with her at the same time. There are some great little stories in this book about Ramona's misadventures including her unwavering love for a certain picture book, her locking Henry Huggins' dog in the bathroom, and her deciding that she wants to throw a party for herself without asking her mother. Things finally come to a head at Beezus' birthday party. When attention-starved Ramona gets a little too obnoxious, she shamefully admits that she just doesn't love her little sister all the time.
Herein lies the lesson: Beezus' mother explains that Beezus is not expected to love Ramona all the time, that Ramona will do things that get on her nerves sometimes. But there will also be good times when the two will get along, work together, or share a laugh. And those are the moments that count in the sisterly bond. I have stuck to this mantra when trying to deal with my own two younger sisters so I don't go completely insane.
This is a great book for little girls who have sisters so that one may understand the other's point of view. It helps you take a great look at your own sibling relationships, or it will at least show you that your own younger sister is not NEARLY as bratty as Ramona. :)

Rating:
Summary: Funny and wise.
Review: I read my daughter Beverly Cleary's Ramona the Pest last year, when she was in kindergarten (because in that book Ramona is also a kindergartner) and she instantly pronounced it her favorite chapter book of all time.

We've since been reading all the Ramona books, but we skipped this one for awhile. It's the first in the series, and takes place when Ramona is four years old. I knew from reviews that if focused more on Ramona's older, more serious sister, Beezus, and wasn't a "real" Ramona Quimby book. I somehow thought it would not be as funny as the others.

I was wrong. Ramona is even more exuberant in this book than in any of the others we've read, and her antics are hilarious. Seeing everything through the eyes of her serious sister does not make it one bit less funny.

But this is not just a funny book. It deals gently and honestly with the difficulty Beezus has in loving her sometimes exasperating little sister. Beezus and Ramona is more than forty years old, but I donÕt think anyone has ever come close to Beverly Cleary's ability to capture and sympathize with children's feelings. Cleary brings everything around to a happy, but entirely believable ending in this warm, wise book.

My daughter says this is her second favorite Ramona book (after Ramona the Pest), but so far it's my very favorite.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I read this in 3rd grade and I thought Ramona was a wonderfulbrat and I could identify with Beezus cause I had a sister who wasRamona's age at the time and sure got on my nerves. I remember taking this book out to recess with me cause it was so good I couldn't put it down. Then my bookmark fell out and two boys from class grabbed it and started tossing it back and forth like Yard Ape did with Ramona's eraser in Ramona Quimby, Age 8. (My teacher had read us that book and that's obviously where they picked that up!) But paper doesn't toss as well as rubber...of course I yelled "Give me my bookmarker, you yucky yardapes!" The playground lady came over and made them stop and then she said I should put the book away and go play. That was when I got to the part about Beezus's cake in the oven and I was in suspense wondering what would happen next. END

Rating:
Summary: A Little Girl With a Big Imagination
Review: Nine-year-old Beezus Quimby has her hands full with her little sister, Ramona who is always making trouble and somehow getting all the her parents attention. Every big sister can relate to the trials and tribulations Beezus must endure. Old enough to be expected to take responsibility for her little sister, yet young enough to be mortified by every embarrassing this that Ramona does. Beezus knows she's supposed to love and like Ramona no matter what, but she isn't sure she can do that anymore.

Beverly Cleary has written a ton of children's books that have managed to withstand the test of time for generations.She has won numerous awards including the Newbery Medal. Two of her other books also in the Ramona series, were also named Newbery Honor winners. I am always amazed by Ms. Cleary's novels, and have no doubt that they have a wonderful impact on children. ...

Rating:
Summary: Wow, What a litter sister!
Review: Poor Beezus. This story is mainly focused about her, and how her little sister, Ramona is always messing everything up for her. Beverly Cleary does a wonderful job of describing how horrible little sisters can be. Beezus feels like a terrible person because there are times when she doesn't love Ramona, but is reassured when she finds out that sisters don't have to love each other all the time. This book is a great read for children (especially those with siblings.)

Rating:
Summary: Wow, What a litter sister!
Review: The book, Beezus and Ramona is great. Read it now. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate it an 8 because big kids, like Beezus, should know that little kids can pests. Little kids, like Ramona, can do naughty things. Little kids should learn from their mistakes. It may take a few times, but one day they will learn.
Ramona is one crazy girl. She does pretty silly and extreme things. She is always causing trouble. My favorite character is Beezus because she is more civilized than Ramona. Beezus doesn't do things that could get her into trouble. Although Beezus is my favorite character, my favorite part is when Ramona breaks the eggs. I thought that was pretty funny. My other favorite part is when Beezus reads 202 Things to Do On a Rainy Afternoon.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has a younger brother or sister.
(...)

Rating:
Summary: The beginning...
Review: This is the beginning of the Ramona Quimby series. From my childhood I have memories of teachers reading to us about the little girl who likes to do things her way. This book introduces the character of Ramona at the age of four and of course her sister Beatrice (Beezus), their parents and Henry Huggins.

Cleary's writing has two clear advantages. 1) She creates real characters that children can relate to and make the mistakes and feel the same way they do. 2) The language she uses can be understood by all while still posing a slight challenge to be read individually. The only problem with the book is that it was written nearly 50 years ago and is slightly out of date. However, updated illustrations, Cleary's habit of using only fictitious names and r4eality based plots have helped to keep the book relevant to today's readers.

Why 4 stars?:
While it is not the best in the series it is the one that began the Ramona Series. Due to its age it has been dated to a point, but maintains its appeal to today's readers. The writing is appropriate and interesting to elementary school readers and will hopefully keep them interested in reading.