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Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (thing)
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Tue Nov 14 2000 at 8:03:56
copyright
1981
Beverly Cleary
. intermediate fiction, ages 7-10.
190
pgs.
Damn, I love Ramona books.
Most of them.
Age 8 is a good one. This is about the closest a narrative can come to truthfully giving an eight-year-old's perspective without using first-person voice, which might sound dumb coming from some adult writers, but Beverly could handle it. She has an excellent understanding of what delights kids, and what pisses them off, and why they sometimes can't explain themselves, and
what they're really thinking
.
Beverly is good.
Ramona is having a crappy time of it - her sister's a bitch, this kid in her class calls her names, she accidentally smacks herself
in the head with a raw egg
in front of her whole class, she has to play with
the bratty whiner up the street
, and her parents are too preoccupied with money troubles to give her any attention. This is no
sob story
, just an explanation of how frustrated kids can become by a combination of trying events. And of course it's funny. It's funny because it's TRUE, haw haw haw.
The book wraps up nicely in a gently surprising way.
Beverly
is magically able to give Ramona's family a warm moment wherein each of them realize "Hey, we're pretty lucky to have each other" - but it's not dumb or Hallmarky in the least. That's talent. That's a good book.
Beverly Cleary
Ramona's World
Beezus
See Jane. See Jane run.
Ramona Quimby
Gorilla with no bones
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Beverly Cleary, age 90
ASCII porn
Brick House
Unbreakable
good clean fun
Beverly Crusher
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Ralph S. Mouse
Matchstick Men
1900 Summer Olympics
Beverly
Washington, D.C.
Bluing
Dreamweaver
1981
Burger King