Book Review: Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  Reading a story to a child can be one of the best things that an adult can do. To see their happiness as you make their favorite story come to life is a joy to see. And when you are that child that is being read to you tend to hold onto those memories. And when you are an adult facing adult things, it is sometimes wise to shed your grown-up self and just be a kid again. I promised myself that I would occasionally hang up my grown up self, and sit down again to read a childhood favorite. For me this time it was Beezus and Ramona.     
 

  
  Beezus and Ramona is written by Beverly Cleary, and is published by HarperCollins.  This children's classic was first published in 1955, spawning a series of equally hilarious sequels. It tells the story of 9 year old Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby, and her daily struggles looking after her mischievous four year old sister, Ramona. First appearing in 1952's Henry and Beezus, Beatrice Quimby was introduced as Henry Huggins' neighbor. Her story was so well received that she went on to star in many more of Cleary's books.

  Beezus and Ramona is a laugh-out-loud hysterical romp that pulls the reader in quickly and never stops tickling you into laughter or pulling on your heart strings. Chapter after chapter we are left to chase after Ramona who writes in library books, locks doggies in bathrooms, and destroys her sister's birthday cake...twice. Ramona is adorable, incorrigible, and never stops making you love her no matter how many times she gets in trouble. Beezus is joined by her parents, Henry Huggins and Ribsy, and her namesake Aunt Beatrice. With the days leading up to her tenth birthday, Beezus must do her best to keep her cool and out-smart her little sister. But sometimes Ramona can be one step ahead of you.

  What makes Beezus and Ramona so relevant even sixty-three years later is its heart-felt depiction of sisterhood. Throw in some mad cap comedy and the imagination of a four year old, and you have a solid story that parents have loved to read to their children decade after decade. And reading this as an adult is just as fun as when I read this book as a kid.

  To add to the fun I was fortunate enough to read this book with the narration of Emmy Award-winning actress, Stockard Channing. Channing was charming as she displayed her voice-over talents that included voices for all the characters. But it was her delivery of Ramona Quimby's lines that had me laughing so hard I had to stop reading to catch my breath. I am very pleased to hear that she has narrated the rest of the series, and I look forward to returning to the story of Ramona with Stockard Channing as my storyteller. 

   If you are looking for a book to read to your child, or if you want to stop adulting for a few hours, then Beezus and Ramona is the book for you. Good old fashioned storytelling at its best. I gave this wonderful book five stars out of five. 

  Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.
 
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  Because there is always time to read,
   Xepherus3 



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