Product Description
Beverly Cleary has given books to each member of the Quimby household except Mrs. Quimby. Now she gets her turn at last in a story that hits the high and low points of a working mother’s life as seen from Ramona’s seven-and-a-half-year-old viewpoint.Inevitably domestic tensions, not without their amusing side, occasionally arise. Mr. and Mrs. Quimby sometimes forget who is to do what, as when the Crock-Pot is not plugged in and dinner remains uncooked. Beezus acquir… More >>
At 7 and a half Ramona Quimby tries hard to contribute to keeping the family peace. Usually, she ends up being the cause of every uproar and incident in the house despite her efforts. One could never say Ramona’s life is dull. She’s always up to something from dying herself blue, watching while her young neighbor flings Kleenex around the house, squeezing an entire tube of toothpaste into the bathroom sink, to wearing her soft new pajamas to school one day. All she wants is her Mother’s attention and recognition as she struggles for a place in her mother’s heart, as she has begun to worry that she might be unlovable.
Beverly Cleary’s undeniable gift for understanding the web of thoughts and emotions scrambling around in a child’s mind and heart is remarkable. Luckilyher novels will be around for a long time yet to come.
Rating: 5 / 5
This book was really good. I really liked it when Ramona
squirted out the whole tube of toothpaste. Ramona is a fun
girl. I like Ramona so much that if she were a real person,
I would be her best friend. I think that everybody should
read this book and other Ramona books, they are just wonderful!
Rating: 5 / 5
“Ramona And Her Mother” is a later entry in the Ramona & Beezus series, and yet it is also one of the finest books of its kind, another in a long line of great books by the masterful Beverly Cleary.
First pubished in 1979, the book finds the gauzy comfort of the Eisenhower era (when the first Henry Huggins and Beezus books were written) replaced by the strain and worry of the recessionary ‘Seventies. Ramona’s dad, who recently lost his job, has found new work at a local supermarket, but he doesn’t like the position, and having both parents out working full-time places new strains on the family. Ramona, who is now seven years old, is no longer an overt brat, but there’s a lot going on in her little head, as she struggles with the demands that come with growing up. She is envious of her teenage older sister, who she sees as a goodie-goodie and as her parent’s favorite. Her relationship with her mom seems to be up in the air as well, and her parents, both tired from long days at work, have started to argue, which worries the kids. Of course, Cleary finds the silver lining, and while young readers may both recognize their own families (and become anxious for exactly the same reasons as Ramona does) Cleary magically produces happy endings that still do not deny the hardships and imperfections of life. If you’ve enjoyed Ramona’s earlier adventures, you will not be disappointed with this funny, quick volume. (ReadThatAgain children’s book reviews)
Rating: 5 / 5
Anyone who is the youngest child in the family should have no problem relating to this book. Ramona Quimby is now seven and a half years old and feels as though her nice comfortable world is being rocked slightly. Her father, who after months of unemployment, finally finds a job at the check out counter at a Shop Rite grocery store. Despite her father now bringing in an income, Ramona’s mother has decided to remain at work because she enjoys her job and they have fallen behind on bills as a result of her father’s previous unemployment.
This is hard on Ramona for a number of reasons. First, both her her parents are stressed out from their jobs and come home tired and sometimes a bit impatient with one another. One incident had her mother throwing a dinner together in the Crock Pot in the morning, and when the family arrived home that evening, they realized that nobody remembered to turn on the Crock Pot. This resulted in the family scrambling to cook a dinner quickly and tensions between Ramona’s parents were high. This, coupled with the family’s financial struggles, caused Mr. and Mrs. Quimby to have disagreements more often, which worried Ramona and her sister Beezus.
A second worry of Ramona’s was the fact that she struggled for her mother’s attention moreso than before. Before her mother worked, she seemed to be there for her daughter more. Now, instead of coming home from school and being greeted by her mother, Ramona has to go to her friend Howie’s house after school and be taken care of by his grandmother. Mrs. Quimby seems to be closer to Beezus and this worries Ramona. Ramona starts doing silly things, like hop like a bunny to get her mom’s attention. She also daydreams about pretending to be sick at school so her mother would have to pick her up and they could spend the whole day together. However, all of her attempts are unsuccessful and this results in Ramona trying to take drastic measures to get her mom’s attention. She decides to run away!
I love Beverly Cleary as an author and feel as though she portrays a struggling suburban family very accurately. The Quimbys aren’t perfect but instead very realistic, suffering from typical everyday struggles that most families go through. They get stressed out from work, they get tired and sometimes argue, but their love for one another should be obvious and apparent to all readers. The old-fashioned tone of her books are very comforting to me, bringing me back to an era that I remember vividly. I can hardly wait to re-read more Ramona books!
Rating: 5 / 5
I had fun reading this book. It is a good book. I enjoyed reading it because, it was a sad story but then it got better at the end because she got what she wanted. I would rate this book a 5. I had a great time reading this book.
Rating: 5 / 5