Quimby always remembers these things.”īut there’s something wonky in the state of Oregon. Last spring powdered Jell-O eaten from the package had been the fad.

The chewy little bears were the most popular sweet at Glenwood School this fall. “His daughters pounced and opened the bag together,” writes Cleary. Quimby bringing home a little bag of candy as a present for Beezus and Ramona. Ramona and Her Father, the fourth book, opens with Mr. The Ramona series has many tiny pinpricks of the uncanny-and each is a delight. Cleary writes in Ramona Quimby, Age 8, “Ramona had reached the age of demanding accuracy from everyone, even herself.” As it turns out, this isn’t exactly true.

I’ve wanted to escape to Ramona’s Portland, with invisible lizards and makeshift sheep costumes and beloved red rubber boots.Īnd then, escapism turned into an enigma. Seeing images of Portland in tear gas, under an orange sky, I’ve felt enraged, terrified, and helpless.

Set on leafy Klickitat Street in Portland, the eight-book series follows the adventures of spunky Ramona Quimby, her sister Beezus (and, later, her baby sister Roberta), her cat Picky-picky, her parents, friends, and neighbors. What I found was even better: a mystery.īeloved Portland, Oregon, author Beverly Cleary wrote the Ramona books over four decades, from Beezus and Ramona (1955) to Ramona’s World (1999). I returned to Ramona Quimby for nostalgia.

Ramona quimby age 8 pages