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    Ramona the Brave
    Ramona the Brave
    Ramona the Brave
    Ebook122 pages1 hour

    Ramona the Brave

    By Beverly Cleary and Jacqueline Rogers

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Newbery Medal–winning author Beverly Cleary lovingly chronicles the ups and downs of elementary school woes. This is perfect for fans of Clementine.

    For a girl as enthusiastic about life as Ramona, starting the first grade should be easy! But with a teacher who doesn't understand her, a tattletale classmate, and a scary dog who follows her on the walk home from school, Ramona has a hard time acting like the big girl everyone expects her to be. But when she shows up to school with a missing shoe, Ramona gets a fresh grip on her courage in order to make it through a mortifying situation.

    Ramona the Brave is a wonderful choice for independent reading, sharing in the classroom, homeschooling, and book groups.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 6, 2009
    ISBN9780061972355
    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 the Brave

    4.5/5

    62 ratings20 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Ramona is in the first grade and is getting her own room! I love when Ramona scrunches copycat Susan's owl and her walking around the school with one shoe. These books are warm, fuzzy reminders of my childhood.
    • 4/5
      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 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.
    • 4/5
      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 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!
    • 4/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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 always have a place in my classroom for just that purpose.
    • 4/5
      Ramona Quimby has to face all sorts of scary things to be her father's brave gal.
    • 4/5
      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 the book at the library because I didn't have my license or my husky card, now I can't find it again.
    • 4/5
      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 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).
    • 5/5
      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. 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.
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 4/5
      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 sidewalk to a copycat in her classroom, Ramona has her hands full.
    • 3/5
      hated it seriously terrible about the same thing with the new one 1⃣
    • 5/5
      I love the Ramona series and her ways of silliness make me laugh out loud! I especially like Beezus since she is so neat and has the ways of a girl. I am 10 years old now, and I want to grow up to be just like the friendly Beezus!
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      A simply marvelous series that is only finally beginning to be dated just a tiny bit. Will always be worthy, though.
    • 3/5
      good I guess
    • 5/5
      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 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 otherThe 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.
    • 4/5
      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 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.
    • 4/5
      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 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.

    Book preview

    Ramona the Brave - Beverly Cleary

    1

    TROUBLE IN THE PARK

    Ramona Quimby, brave and fearless, was half running, half skipping to keep up with her big sister Beatrice on their way home from the park. She had never seen her sister’s cheeks so flushed with anger as they were this August afternoon. Ramona was sticky from heat and grubby from landing in the sawdust at the foot of the slides, but she was proud of herself. When Mrs. Quimby had sent the girls to the park for an hour, because she had an errand to do—an important errand, she hinted—she told Beezus, as Beatrice was called, to look after Ramona.

    And what had happened? For the first time in her six years Ramona had looked after Beezus, who was supposed to be the responsible one. Bossy was a better word, Ramona sometimes thought. But not today. Ramona had stepped forward and defended her sister for a change.

    Beezus, said Ramona, panting, slow down.

    Beezus, clutching her library book in her sweaty hand, paid no attention. The clang of rings, the steady pop of tennis balls against asphalt, and the shouts of children grew fainter as the girls approached their house on Klickitat Street.

    Ramona hoped their mother would be home from her errand, whatever it was. She couldn’t wait to tell what had happened and how she had defended her big sister. Her mother would be so proud, and so would her father when he came home from work and heard the story. Good for you, Ramona, he would say. That’s the old fight! Brave little Ramona.

    Fortunately, the car was in the garage and Mrs. Quimby was in the living room when the girls burst into the house. Why, Beezus, said their mother, when she saw the flushed and sweaty faces of her daughters, one angry and one triumphant.

    Beezus blinked to hold back the tears in her eyes.

    Ramona, what happened to Beezus? Mrs. Quimby was alarmed.

    "Don’t ever call me Beezus again!" Beezus’s voice was fierce.

    Mrs. Quimby looked at Ramona for the explanation, and Ramona was eager to give it. Usually Beezus was the one who explained what had happened to Ramona, how she had dropped her ice-cream cone on the sidewalk and cried when Beezus would not let her pick it up, or how she tried, in spite of the rules, to go down a slide headfirst and had landed on her face in the sawdust. Now Ramona was going to have a turn. She took a deep breath and prepared to tell her tale. Well, when we went to the park, I slid on the slides awhile and Beezus sat on a bench reading her library book. Then I saw an empty swing. A big swing, not a baby swing over the wading pool, and I thought since I’m going to be in the first grade next month I should swing on the big swings. Shouldn’t I, Mama?

    Yes, of course. Mrs. Quimby was impatient. Please, go on with the story. What happened to Beezus?

    Well, I climbed up in the swing, Ramona continued, only my feet wouldn’t touch the ground because there was this big hollow under the swing. Ramona recalled how she had longed to swing until the chains went slack in her hands and her toes pointed to the tops of the fir trees, but she sensed that she had better hurry up with her story or her mother would ask Beezus to tell it. Ramona never liked to lose an audience. And I said, ‘Beezus, push me,’ and some big boys, big bad boys, heard me and one of them said— Ramona, eager to be the one to tell the story but reluctant to repeat the words, hesitated.

    Said what? Mrs. Quimby was baffled. Said what, Ramona? Beezus, what did he say?

    Beezus wiped the back of her wrist across her eyes and tried. He said, ‘J-j-j—’

    Eagerness to beat her sister at telling what had happened overcame Ramona’s reluctance. He said, ‘Jesus, Beezus!’ Ramona looked up at her mother, waiting for her to be shocked. Instead she merely looked surprised and—could it be?—amused.

    "And that is why I never, never, never want to be called Beezus again!" said Beezus.

    And all the other boys began to say it, too, said Ramona, warming to her story now that she was past the bad part. "Oh, Mama, it was just awful. It was terrible. All those big awful boys! They kept saying, ‘Jesus, Beezus’ and ‘Beezus, Jesus.’ I jumped out of the swing, and I told them—"

    Here Beezus interrupted. Anger once more replaced tears. And then Ramona had to get into the act. Do you know what she did? She jumped out of the swing and preached a sermon! Nobody wants a little sister tagging around preaching sermons to a bunch of boys. And they weren’t that big either. They were just trying to act big.

    Ramona was stunned by this view of her behavior. How unfair of Beezus when she had been so brave. And the boys had seemed big to her.

    Mrs. Quimby spoke to Beezus as if Ramona were not present. A sermon! You must be joking.

    Ramona tried again. Mama, I—

    Beezus was not going to give her little sister a chance to speak. No, I’m not joking. And then Ramona stuck her thumbs in her ears, waggled her fingers, and stuck out her tongue. I just about died, I was so embarrassed.

    Ramona was suddenly subdued. She had thought Beezus was angry at the boys, but now it turned out she was angry with her little sister, too. Maybe angrier. Ramona was used to being considered a little pest, and she knew she sometimes was a pest, but this was something different. She felt as if she were standing aside looking at herself. She saw a stranger, a funny little six-year-old girl with straight brown hair, wearing grubby shorts and an old T-shirt, inherited from Beezus, which had Camp Namanu printed across the front. A silly little girl embarrassing her sister so much that Beezus was ashamed of her. And she had been proud of herself because she thought she was being brave. Now it turned out that she was not brave. She was silly and embarrassing. Ramona’s confidence in herself was badly shaken. She tried again. Mama, I—

    Mrs. Quimby felt her older daughter deserved all her attention. Were they boys you know? she asked.

    Sort of, said Beezus with a sniff. "They go to our school, and now when school starts all the boys in the sixth grade will be saying it. Sixth-grade boys are awful."

    They will have forgotten by then. Mrs. Quimby tried to be reassuring. Beezus sniffed again.

    "Mama, I think we should stop calling her Beezus." Even though her feelings were hurt, and her confidence shaken, Ramona had a reason of her own for trying to help Beezus.

    Whenever someone asked Beezus where she got such an unusual nickname, Beezus always answered that it came from Ramona. When she was little she couldn’t say Beatrice. Now that Ramona was about to enter first grade, she did not like to remember there was a time when she could not pronounce her sister’s name.

    "Just because I

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