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    Ramona Forever
    Ramona Forever
    Ramona Forever
    Ebook128 pages1 hour

    Ramona Forever

    By Beverly Cleary and Jacqueline Rogers

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    About this ebook

    Newbery Medal winner Beverly Cleary continues to amuse readers with her wonderful, blunderful Ramona Quimby!

    Life can move pretty fast—especially when you're in the third grade, your teenage sister's moods drive you crazy, and your mom has a suspicious secret she just won't share. Plus, Mr. Quimby's new job offer could have the entire family relocating. It's a lot to handle for Ramona. But whatever trial comes her way, Ramona can count on one thing for sure—she'll always be Ramona…forever!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 6, 2009
    ISBN9780061972331
    Author

    Beverly Cleary

    Beverly Cleary is one of America's most beloved authors. As a child, she struggled with reading and writing. But by third grade, after spending much time in her public library in Portland, Oregon, she found her skills had greatly improved. Before long, her school librarian was saying that she should write children's books when she grew up. Instead she became a librarian. When a young boy asked her, "Where are the books about kids like us?" she remembered her teacher's encouragement and was inspired to write the books she'd longed to read but couldn't find when she was younger. She based her funny stories on her own neighborhood experiences and the sort of children she knew. And so, the Klickitat Street gang was born! Mrs. Cleary's books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association's Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented to her in recognition of her lasting contribution to children's literature. Dear Mr. Henshaw won the Newbery Medal, and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and Ramona and Her Father have been named Newbery Honor Books. Her characters, including Beezus and Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ralph, the motorcycle-riding mouse, have delighted children for generations.

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    Reviews for Ramona Forever

    4/5

    486 ratings20 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Ramona is finally allowed to come home after school instead of going to Howie's house to be cared for by his grandmother; Beezus deals with acne; their aunt gets married; and a new baby is on the way in the Quimby family.Through it all, Ramona takes her next few steps in growing up.
    • 5/5
      Changes are afoot in Ramona Quimby's neck of the woods. Her father is on a new job search, and a momentous turning point is coming for Ramona and her older sister, Beezus. Plus, there are surprises in store around the Quimby house: one big surprise, and one "little" surprise that's just as big! Through her adventures of growing up, Ramona is still Ramona in Ramona Forever by author Beverly Cleary.Well! This book was originally a smashing end to the Ramona series, back in 1984, before the 1999 addition of one more Ramona book. Even with Forever no longer being the last, it's a smashing continuation and still one of my favorites.It's got its laugh-out-loud moments and its heart-tugging moments when things get real. And, honestly, why do grownups treat children in some of the silly ways they do? (Yikes. I'm a grownup now. Do I do any of that silly stuff?) I understand Ramona's disinclination to giving people the silent treatment: "Ramona often yelled at people, but never refused to speak. Nothing could happen if you didn't speak, and she liked things to happen." And I've always been proud of the way Ramona saves the day in this story—oh, yes, she does!Never a dull moment in this book full of changes in Ramona's life, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series, which will be all-new to me.
    • 4/5
      Third-grader, Ramona, is faced with her aunt marrying the uncle of her friend, her cat, Pickey-Pickey's death and the birth of her new baby sister, Roberta. After going through all these trials, Ramona decides that she likes herself very much.
    • 4/5
      First published 1984. Ramona is now in Grade Three, her aunt Bea is getting married, and her mother is expecting a baby: Quimby number five! For kids who love the classic Cleary books about Ramona, sister Beezus and friend Henry, this should be another favourite. Good for grades 2 to 4.
    • 5/5
      Great book for the middle child! Ramona is concerned with many things that grown ups do and why they do it. Luckily, she has her sister Beezus and her best friend Howie to help figure things out.
    • 5/5
      Great easy chapter book by a once-local author. Ramona is a very relatable character for 2nd or 3rd graders, with everyday life experience they can connect to. Would be a good independent read or class read-aloud.Media: ink sketches
    • 4/5
      Ramona is sick and tired of going over to Mrs. Kemp’s after school while her mom and dad are at work. Mrs. Kemp’s rich son has come back from Saudi Arabia and he teases Ramona incessantly. Mrs. Kemp, herself, is always snapping at Ramona, telling her she needs to act her age. But Ramona IS acting her age! She and her sister, Beezus, are suspicious that their mother may be hiding a big secret in her belly and they both hope that will mean no more Mrs. Kemp and soon. Beverly Cleary’s classic sixth installment of the Ramona Series gives readers another glimpse into the precocious third-grader’s world and her struggles to be grown-up without being too grown-up. Ramona is a fantastic, utterly accessible heroine whose honesty and sincerity makes it look like writing her is easy. But only Cleary can instill the ideal balance of innocence and mischievousness that makes up Ramona. Tracey Dockray’s wispy pencil sketches are swishy and characteristic of Ramona, but they lack the gawky, lip-chewing perfection that was Louis Darling’s original cover art. A good choice for young readers facing the introduction of a new little sibling. Recommended for ages 7-9.
    • 5/5
      Even at the early age of 8, Ramona continues to find herself in trouble when she least expects it. Ramona's life changes very fast, her friend Howie's rich uncle comes to visit from Saudi Arabia, her mother seems suspiciously fatter, and Aunt Beatrice begins dating a mystery man. Ramona is also disturbed by the fact that Howie's uncle calls Ramona Howie's girlfriend. It's more important than ever for Ramona and her big sister Beezus to be good, but she can't quite behave.
    • 4/5
      I can't decide if I'm heartbroken or thrilled that they've made Cleary's books into a movie. In the same vein I cannot decide if I'll see said movie or not. I started ready Beverly Cleary's books when I was in the First grade and read every single one I could get my hands on as fast as I could- you could say I devoured them really. Her writing was so wonderfully appropriate to my life that I thought she had written them just for me. I later enjoyed reading the story of her life: A Girl From Yamhill. In rereading these books I can see that her writing, in being so detailed and specific, is actually perfectly universal. She is and will always be one of my very favorites.
    • 4/5
      I would definitely want my classroom to read Beverly Cleary because she is a local writer. Reading the Ramona books have names that many children will recognize. The simplicity and realism of these books make them excellent first reads for chapter book readers. Children can relate to annoying siblings, being blamed, weddings, and the birth of a new sibling. Ramona Forever is a recommended book for children in my future classroom.  
    • 3/5
      Romona Forever is a captivating book about a young girl dealing with daily struggles of life. An older sister that isn't so nice, a possible threat of having to move and even worse, a baby brother or sister on the way create a whirlwind life for Romona. Not to mention the neighborhood boy's rich uncle has returned. Romona is a heartwarming kid with lots of spunk. It is an appropriate reading level for struggling middle school reader.
    • 4/5
      i love beverly clearys books but i love the ramona books in particular bcuz wen i was little it was something i could relate to. read them and let your inner child soar!
    • 5/5
      It was really amazing and amusing, and I loved it!?
    • 5/5
      I just love Ramona series it’s so ........I mean very awesome and fun to read it’s very interesting I cannot think of better books than Ramona series thanks! Whoever wrote this is a genius and I wish he or she could make more books of Ramona series I just love it!
      Yessssss my favourite author
    • 5/5
      Please make the full story free!!
    • 4/5
      The further adventures of Ramona. In this book, she is tired of being baby-sat and having to play with Howie's little sister. And besides that, Howie's uncle is annoying. And then the cat dies...
    • 5/5
      great book
    • 5/5
      Ramona doesn't know it yet, but two big, exciting events are just around the corner. Her Aunt Beatrice has a boyfriend, and things are getting serious -- and are Ramona's parents acting like they have another secret? Maybe...I always think of this as the last book in the series, because it was, back when I first read it. It's also the one I remember best -- in reviews of other books, I have mentioned that they tend to run together in my memory, but this one stands out a little more.
    • 4/5
      A funeral for a pet, a wedding, and a new baby on the way, there's a lot of changes for Ramona in this book.
    • 2/5
      This book deals with a lot of life events, which seemed a little heavy for me. You have the death of a pet, family money problems, employment troubles, a wedding, a pregnancy and a birth. It felt a tad overwhelming for the reading level. But it is well written, except for the name of the cat, which I hated!

    Book preview

    Ramona Forever - Beverly Cleary

    1

    THE RICH UNCLE

    "Guess what?" Ramona Quimby asked one Friday evening when her Aunt Beatrice dropped by to show off her new ski clothes and to stay for supper. Ramona’s mother, father, and big sister Beezus, whose real name was Beatrice, paid no attention and went on eating. Picky-picky, the cat, meowed through the basement door, asking to share the meal.

    Aunt Beatrice, who taught third grade, knew how to behave toward her third-grade niece. What? she asked, laying down her fork as if she expected to be astounded by Ramona’s news.

    Ramona took a deep breath and announced, Howie Kemp’s rich uncle is coming to visit. Except for Aunt Bea, her family was not as curious as Ramona had hoped. She plunged on anyway because she was happy for her friend. Howie’s grandmother is really excited, and so are Howie and Willa Jean. And so, to be truthful, was Ramona, who disliked having to go to the Kemps’ house after school, where Howie’s grandmother looked after her grandchildren and Ramona while the two mothers were at work. A rich uncle, even someone else’s rich uncle, should make those long after-school hours more interesting.

    I didn’t know Howie had a rich uncle, said Mrs. Quimby.

    He’s Howie’s father’s little brother, only now he’s big, explained Ramona.

    Why, that must be Hobart Kemp, said Aunt Beatrice. He was in my class in high school.

    Oh, yes. I remember. That boy with the blond curly hair who played baseball. Mrs. Quimby motioned to her daughters to clear away the plates. All the girls said he was cute.

    That’s the one, said Aunt Bea. He used to chew licorice and spit on the grass to make the principal think he was chewing tobacco like a professional baseball player, which was what he wanted to be.

    Where’s this cute licorice-chewing uncle coming from, and how did he get so rich? asked Ramona’s father, beginning to be interested. Playing baseball?

    He’s coming from— Ramona frowned. I can’t remember the name, but it sounds like a fairy tale and has camels. Narnia? Never-never-land? No, those names weren’t right.

    Saudi Arabia, said Beezus, who also went to the Kemps’ after school. Being in junior high school, she could take her time getting there.

    Yes, that’s it! Ramona wished she had remembered first. Howie says he’s bringing the whole family presents. She imagined bags of gold like those in The Arabian Nights, which Beezus had read to her. Of course, nobody carried around bags of gold today, but she enjoyed imagining them.

    What’s Howie’s uncle doing in Saudi Arabia? asked Mr. Quimby. Besides spitting licorice in the sand?

    Daddy, don’t be silly, said Ramona. I don’t know exactly. Now that she was the center of attention, she wished she had more information. Something about oil. Drills or rigs or something. Howie understands all about it. His uncle earned a lot of money. The Quimbys were a family who had to worry about money.

    Oh, that kind of rich, said Mr. Quimby. I thought maybe a long-lost uncle had died and left him a castle full of servants, jewels, and rare old wines.

    Daddy, that’s so old-fashioned, said Ramona. That’s only in books.

    The conversation drifted off, leaving Ramona behind. Her father, who would earn his teaching credential in June, said he was inquiring around for schools that needed an art teacher, and he also told about the problems of the men who worked in the same frozen-food warehouse where he worked on weekends at below-freezing temperatures. Mrs. Quimby told about two people who got into an argument over a parking space at the doctor’s office where she worked. Aunt Bea talked about a man named Michael who had invited her to go skiing and was the reason she had bought new ski clothes. Beezus wondered aloud if Michael would ask Aunt Bea to marry him. Aunt Bea laughed at that, saying she had known him only two weeks, but since this was January, there were several months of skiing left and there was no telling what might happen.

    No more was said about Howie’s uncle that evening. Days went by. Uncle Hobart didn’t come and didn’t come. Every evening Mr. Quimby asked, Has Old Moneybags arrived? And Ramona had to say no.

    Finally one morning, as Ramona and Howie were waiting for the school bus, Ramona said, I don’t think you have a rich uncle at all. I think you made him up.

    Howie said he did too have a rich uncle. Even little Willa Jean, when Ramona went to the Kemps’ after school, talked about Uncle Hobart and the presents he was bringing. Ramona informed Howie and Willa Jean rather crossly that her mother said it wasn’t nice to talk about other people’s money. They paid no attention—after all, he was their very own uncle, not Ramona’s—and went right on talking about Uncle Hobart this and Uncle Hobart that. Uncle Hobart had landed in New York. He had actually telephoned, live and in person. Uncle Hobart was driving across the country. Uncle Hobart was delayed by a storm in the Rockies. Ramona wished she had never heard of Uncle Hobart.

    Then, one day after school, Ramona and Howie saw a muddy van parked on the Kemps’ driveway.

    It’s Uncle Hobart! Howie shouted, and began to run.

    Ramona took her time. Somehow she had expected Uncle Hobart to arrive in a long black limousine, not a muddy van. She followed Howie into the house, where the famous uncle turned out to be a medium-young man who had not shaved for several days and who was wearing old jeans and a faded T-shirt. He was holding Willa Jean on his lap. The warm, sweet smell of apple pie filled the air.

    Down you go, Doll, said Uncle Hobart, lifting Willa Jean to the floor and grabbing Howie in a bear hug. How’s my favorite nephew? he asked, and held Howie off to look at him while Mrs. Kemp hovered and Willa Jean embraced her Uncle Hobart’s knee.

    Ramona was embarrassed. She felt she was in the way because she was not related. She sat down on a chair, opened a book, but did not read. She studied Uncle Hobart, who didn’t look rich to her. He looked like a plain man—a big disappointment.

    Willa Jean let go of her uncle’s knee. See what Uncle Hobart brought us, she said, and pointed to a pair of objects that looked like two small sawhorses, each holding a red leather cushion. Willa Jean sat astride one. Giddyup, you old camel, she said and informed Ramona, This is my camel saddle.

    Hey, a camel saddle! said Howie when he saw his present. He imitated Willa Jean. After a few more giddyups, there was nothing more to do with a camel saddle except sit on it.

    Pooh, who wants a boring old camel saddle, Ramona wanted to say, at the same time wishing she had a saddle to sit on these winter days when she liked to read by the furnace outlet.

    Finally Uncle Hobart noticed Ramona. Well, who’s this young lady? he asked. Howie, you didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend.

    Both Ramona and Howie turned red and somehow felt ashamed.

    Aw, that’s just old Ramona, Howie muttered.

    To Ramona’s horror, Uncle Hobart began to strum an imaginary guitar and sing:

    "Ramona, I hear the mission bells above.

    Ramona, they’re ringing out

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