Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Beezus is the tomboy to her best friend Mary Jane's girly girl. In ''Ramona's World'', Ramona is the tomboy to Daisy's girly girl.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 41 (click to see context) from:
* BerserkButton: Ramona's is when people find her amusing [[JustAKid when she is trying to be serious.]]
to:
* BerserkButton: Ramona's BerserkButton:
**Ramona's is when people find her amusing [[JustAKid when she is trying to be serious.]]]]
**Beezus' is her acne. Ramona triggered it inadvertently by calling her 'pizzaface'. Ramona just meant it as a variation on 'pieface', but Beezus took it as an acne joke.
**Ramona's is when people find her amusing [[JustAKid when she is trying to be serious.
**Beezus' is her acne. Ramona triggered it inadvertently by calling her 'pizzaface'. Ramona just meant it as a variation on 'pieface', but Beezus took it as an acne joke.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* EpicFail: According to Ramona, the letter Q written in cursive. It just looks like a sloppily written number 2.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BuffySpeak: Naturally, since most of the main characters aren't even in their teens. Ramona herself is a proud offender:
-->''Stuff'' was a perfectly good, handy, multipurpose word and easy to spell, too.
-->''Stuff'' was a perfectly good, handy, multipurpose word and easy to spell, too.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 41 (click to see context) from:
* BerserkButton: Ramona's is when people find her amusing when she is trying to be serious.
to:
* BerserkButton: Ramona's is when people find her amusing [[JustAKid when she is trying to be serious.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Deleted line(s) 39 (click to see context) :
* {{Americanitis}}: Inverted by the 1980s series which moved the setting from UsefulNotes/{{Portland}} to [[{{Toronto}} Southern Ontario]] [[CanadaDoesNotExist with the serial numbers filed off]].
Added DiffLines:
* ForeignRemake: The 1980s series moved the setting from UsefulNotes/{{Portland}} to [[{{Toronto}} Southern Ontario]] [[CanadaDoesNotExist with the serial numbers filed off]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 54 (click to see context) from:
* FashionHurts: Ramona and Beezus's shoes pinch their feet in ''Ramona Forever.'' They find a better use for them.
to:
* FashionHurts: Ramona and Beezus's shoes pinch their feet in ''Ramona Forever.'' They find a better use for them. {{Subverted}} when it turns out that this is by ''accident'': their mother hadn't realized the girls outgrew the shoes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 82 (click to see context) from:
* StockYuck: Tongue. Back in the days the Ramona series was written, tongue was a very cheap cut of meat, and kids of that era were actually subjected to it.
to:
* StockYuck: Tongue. Back in the days the Ramona series was written, tongue was widely availible a very cheap cut of meat, beef, and kids of that era were actually subjected to it. (Today you're more likely to find it in ethnic markets and Mexican ''tacos del lingua'' than western grocery stores.)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 58 (click to see context) from:
* HiddenDepths: Some characters introduced in early books reveal additional depth in later books, giving insight into why they are the way they are. Davy, TheWoobie who Ramona takes pity on in kindergarten? His parents divorce (it's mentioned in the background) when he's in second grade, implying that maybe his school troubles were related to home troubles (and one passage in Ramona The Brave suggests he's dyslexic). Susan, the spoiled too-perfect girl who Ramona at first likes (in early books), but gradually starts to not be able to stand (in later ones)? She has a breakdown in fourth grade about having "to be perfect all the time".
to:
* HiddenDepths: Some characters introduced in early books reveal additional depth in later books, giving insight into why they are the way they are. Davy, TheWoobie who Ramona takes pity on in kindergarten? His parents divorce (it's mentioned in the background) when he's in second grade, implying that maybe his school troubles were related to home troubles (and one passage in Ramona The Brave ''Ramona the Brave'' suggests he's dyslexic). Susan, the spoiled too-perfect girl who Ramona at first likes (in early books), but gradually starts to not be able to stand (in later ones)? She has a breakdown in fourth grade about having "to be perfect all the time".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 58 (click to see context) from:
* HiddenDepths: Some characters introduced in early books reveal additional depth in later books, giving insight into why they are the way they are. Davy, TheWoobie who Ramona takes pity on in kindergarten? His parents divorce (it's mentioned in the background) when he's in second grade, implying that maybe his school troubles were related to home troubles. Susan, the spoiled too-perfect girl who Ramona at first likes (in early books), but gradually starts to not be able to stand (in later ones)? She has a breakdown in fourth grade about having "to be perfect all the time".
to:
* HiddenDepths: Some characters introduced in early books reveal additional depth in later books, giving insight into why they are the way they are. Davy, TheWoobie who Ramona takes pity on in kindergarten? His parents divorce (it's mentioned in the background) when he's in second grade, implying that maybe his school troubles were related to home troubles.troubles (and one passage in Ramona The Brave suggests he's dyslexic). Susan, the spoiled too-perfect girl who Ramona at first likes (in early books), but gradually starts to not be able to stand (in later ones)? She has a breakdown in fourth grade about having "to be perfect all the time".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 4,5 (click to see context) from:
Well-known and beloved children's book series by BeverlyCleary about a girl named Ramona Quimby, whose age ranges from 4 to 10 as we see different years of her life.
to:
Well-known and beloved children's book series by BeverlyCleary Creator/BeverlyCleary about a girl named Ramona Quimby, whose age ranges from 4 to 10 as we see different years of her life.
Changed line(s) 32,33 (click to see context) from:
''Ramona Quimby, Age 8'' and ''Ramona and her Father'' are the two Newbery Honor books of the series. Despite being Newbery Honor, there is no DeathByNewberyMedal, nor are they depressing. They are in fact the same mix of light humor and mild drama as the rest of the series. The author, BeverlyCleary, has been named a "Living Legend" by the US Library of Congress.
to:
''Ramona Quimby, Age 8'' and ''Ramona and her Father'' are the two Newbery Honor books of the series. Despite being Newbery Honor, there is no DeathByNewberyMedal, nor are they depressing. They are in fact the same mix of light humor and mild drama as the rest of the series. The author, BeverlyCleary, Creator/BeverlyCleary, has been named a "Living Legend" by the US Library of Congress.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 47 (click to see context) from:
** It's surprising when you read ''Henry Huggins'' to see just how little Beezus and Ramona were in it. Beezus is just one of Henry's neighbourhood friends and she and Mary Jane are [[ThoseTwoGuys]] (with [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Beezus as the tomboy and Mary Jane as the girly girl]]). Ramona is only mentioned a few times as Beezus' younger sister. Their roles were greatly expanded in ''Henry and Beezus'' and, of course, they eventualy got their own series.
to:
** It's surprising when you read ''Henry Huggins'' to see just how little Beezus and Ramona were in it. Beezus is just one of Henry's neighbourhood friends and she and Mary Jane are [[ThoseTwoGuys]] ThoseTwoGuys (with [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Beezus as the tomboy and Mary Jane as the girly girl]]). Ramona is only mentioned a few times as Beezus' younger sister. Their roles were greatly expanded in ''Henry and Beezus'' and, of course, they eventualy got their own series.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** It's surprising when you read ''Henry Huggins'' to see just how little Beezus and Ramona were in it. Beezus is just one of Henry's neighbourhood friends and she and Mary Jane are [[ThoseTwoGuys]] (with [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl Beezus as the tomboy and Mary Jane as the girly girl]]). Ramona is only mentioned a few times as Beezus' younger sister. Their roles were greatly expanded in ''Henry and Beezus'' and, of course, they eventualy got their own series.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 41 (click to see context) from:
** Willa Jean for Howie as well. Aunt Bea was also implied to have been a lot like Ramona when she was young (while the girls' mother was a lot like Beezus.
to:
** Willa Jean for Howie as well. Aunt Bea was also implied to have been a lot like Ramona when she was young (while the girls' mother was a lot like Beezus.Beezus).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Willa Jean for Howie as well. Aunt Bea was also implied to have been a lot like Ramona when she was young (while the girls' mother was a lot like Beezus.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* NowILayMeDownToSleep: Recited by Ramona after burying [[spoiler:=Picky Picky]]. Beezus replies, "That's not right. You're not the one who's being buried."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** In kindergarten Ramona's told to sit at a particular seat "for the present" which she thinks means a real wrapped gift. She struggles to remain sitting the entire day in anticipation for the supposed present, and is justifiably upset when the teacher finally explains what she meant, ie, "sit here for now", leaving Ramona feeling cheated.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* ClosestThingWeGot: Ramona and Beezus end up substituting banana yogurt for buttermilk, cream of wheat for cornmeal, and apricot jam for jelly while cooking dinner for their parents in one book.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* RelationshipSalvagingDisaster: A platonic example in ''Ramona Forever.'' After Beezus and Ramona have a fight that ends with Beezus calling her a "hateful little creep", it takes [[spoiler:the death of Picky Picky]] to bring them back together again.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
fixing formatting, and merging explanation
Changed line(s) 42 (click to see context) from:
* BrattyHalfPint: Willa Jean, Howie's little sister, who is four years younger than Ramona and Howie. Both Ramona and Howie can't stand her, and especially the fact that Willa Jean never seems to get in trouble for the things she does. Or the fact that Ramona is blamed when Willa Jean does something wrong, because supposedly looking after a bratty little kid is another kid's job.
to:
* BrattyHalfPint: Willa Jean, Howie's little sister, who is four years younger than Ramona and Howie. Both Ramona and Howie can't stand her, and especially the fact that Willa Jean never seems to get in trouble for the things she does. Or the fact that Ramona is blamed when Willa Jean does something wrong, because supposedly looking after a bratty little kid is another kid's job. She does, however, get a lot better in ''Ramona Forever'' (the last book she appeared in).
Deleted line(s) 45 (click to see context) :
*** Willa Jean also gets a lot better in ''Ramona Forever'' (the last book she appeared in).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 45 (click to see context) from:
*** Willa Jean also gets a lot better in Ramona Forever (the last book she appeared in).
to:
*** Willa Jean also gets a lot better in Ramona Forever ''Ramona Forever'' (the last book she appeared in).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
italicizing book name
Changed line(s) 72 (click to see context) from:
* NotSoDifferent: Ramona can't stand BrattyHalfPint Willa Jean's antics for most of the series but won't admit that she used to be a lot like her. In fact, her original role was annoying Henry Huggins in a similar way. A sign that Ramona is growing up in Ramona Forever is that fact that she acknowledges this and starts to sympathize with Willa Jean.
to:
* NotSoDifferent: Ramona can't stand BrattyHalfPint Willa Jean's antics for most of the series but won't admit that she used to be a lot like her. In fact, her original role was annoying Henry Huggins in a similar way. A sign that Ramona is growing up in Ramona Forever ''Ramona Forever'' is that fact that she acknowledges this and starts to sympathize with Willa Jean.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 72 (click to see context) from:
* NotSoDifferent: Ramona can't stand BrattyHalfPint Willa Jean's antics for most of the series but won't admit that she used to be a lot like her. In fact, her original role was annoying Henry Huggins in a similar way. A sign that Ramona is growing up in Ramona Forever is that fact that she acknowledges that fact and starts to sympathize with Willa Jean.
to:
* NotSoDifferent: Ramona can't stand BrattyHalfPint Willa Jean's antics for most of the series but won't admit that she used to be a lot like her. In fact, her original role was annoying Henry Huggins in a similar way. A sign that Ramona is growing up in Ramona Forever is that fact that she acknowledges that fact this and starts to sympathize with Willa Jean.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* NotSoDifferent: Ramona can't stand BrattyHalfPint Willa Jean's antics for most of the series but won't admit that she used to be a lot like her. In fact, her original role was annoying Henry Huggins in a similar way. A sign that Ramona is growing up in Ramona Forever is that fact that she acknowledges that fact and starts to sympathize with Willa Jean.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
*** Willa Jean also gets a lot better in Ramona Forever (the last book she appeared in).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 50 (click to see context) from:
* DeathByNewberryMedal: ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8'' and ''Ramona and Her Father'' avert this trope: despite each winning a Newberry Medal, neither book has anyone die.
to:
* DeathByNewberryMedal: DeathByNewberyMedal: ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8'' and ''Ramona and Her Father'' avert this trope: despite each winning a Newberry Medal, neither book has anyone die.
Added DiffLines:
* LiteralMinded: Ramona is once told to wait until "a quarter after seven" to walk to school. She thinks this means to leave at 7:25 (since a quarter is worth 25 cents) instead of 7:15, and ends up being late.
** As noted below under LostWeddingRing, Ramona finds the ring, but because she was told to sit still and be quiet, she has a moment of ToBeLawfulOrGood, wondering if she'd get in trouble for speaking up.
** As noted below under LostWeddingRing, Ramona finds the ring, but because she was told to sit still and be quiet, she has a moment of ToBeLawfulOrGood, wondering if she'd get in trouble for speaking up.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* DeathByNewberryMedal: ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8'' and ''Ramona and Her Father'' avert this trope: despite each winning a Newberry Medal, neither book has anyone die.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* StockYuck: Tongue. Back in the days the Ramona series was written, tongue was a very cheap cut of meat, and kids of that era were actually subjected to it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
No, Susan isn\'t popular enough
Deleted line(s) 38 (click to see context) :
** Susan.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:280:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ramona-illustration.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:280:The first grade teacher's lavishing praise on the copycat instead of Ramona! (One of many real-life situations covered by these books)]]
Well-known and beloved children's book series by BeverlyCleary about a girl named Ramona Quimby, whose age ranges from 4 to 10 as we see different years of her life.
The books are famous for their excellent and light-hearted mixture of believable real-life situations, humor, and personality.
Part of what makes the books work so well is the portrayal of various events that are a huge deal to a child, but which are normally overlooked by adult eyes. For example, in ''Ramona the Brave'', the first grade class has to make owls using paper bags, glue, and several other things. Ramona notices that Susan, who she doesn't get along with in the first place, is copying all of Ramona's attempts at originality. When Susan's owl gets praise from the teacher for being original, Ramona, in fear that she will be considered the copycat rather than Susan, tears up her own owl, then later, Susan's, and stomps out of the classroom and runs home in tears.
That's the sort of event that many adults would see as simply a little kid being overdramatic about some little thing, but the way the story tells it from Ramona's eyes (in third-person limited), we understand her pain, her hurt at having been copied by the kid sitting next to her, and her fear of being mistakenly thought to be the copycat herself. And of course, her rage at being made to apologize and at Susan's smug look, so we can't help but relate (and yet also, as adults, cringe) when Ramona follows up the apology with a whispered insult.
There's plenty of light humor as well. Some of Ramona's behaviors and solutions to problems are a little odd or occasionally bizarre to an adult, but make perfect sense from her point of view. For example, also in ''Ramona the Brave'', Ramona tries to fight a scary dog by throwing her shoe at it; the dog promptly steals and runs off with said shoe. Ramona tries to hide her socked foot in class, then later decides to create a makeshift slipper out of paper towels stapled together in a slipper shape and use that as a substitute. Cute, funny stuff from an adult (or older kid) perspective, and an excellent example of why these books have so many adults as a PeripheryDemographic.
Even as Ramona ages throughout the series, the issues she faces and the "important to kids, usually overlooked by adults" problems she deals with continue to be age-appropriate relative to her current age. In ''Ramona Forever'', in which Ramona enters fourth grade, Ramona finds herself blamed when bratty Willa Jean, then aged 5, breaks an accordion. After all, shouldn't 9-year-old Ramona have been looking after her more closely and stopped it? Ramona soon learns in no uncertain terms that Willa Jean's lazy grandmother hates looking after kids, and doesn't like Ramona. (This time, her parents are more understanding.)
And things like that are why these books just work.
The series has been made into a short-lived TV show in Canada, simply called ''[[Series/RamonaQuimby Ramona]]'', which emphasized the light drama found in the books over the light humor, and is most heavily based on ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8''. Notable in that it completely averts DawsonCasting.
A movie, titled ''[[Film/RamonaAndBeezus Ramona and Beezus]]'', has also been made.
The list of books includes:
* ''Beezus and Ramona'' (1955) - Ramona is in preschool, and the story is mostly about Beezus, who is turning nine. This is more of a bridge between the earlier ''Henry Huggins'' series and Ramona's own, as Beezus never actually had her own series but was a character in Henry's.
* ''Ramona the Pest'' (1968) - Ramona is in kindergarten. Too-perfect Susan, and poor struggling Davy, are introduced.
* ''Ramona the Brave'' (1975) - Ramona is in first grade.
* ''Ramona and her Father'' (1977) - Ramona is in second grade.
* ''Ramona and her Mother'' (1979) - Ramona is still in second grade.
* ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8'' (1981) - Ramona is in third grade. Yard Ape, a male friend/rival, is introduced.
* ''Ramona Forever'' (1984) - Ramona is inbetween third and fourth grade, during the summer. A new baby sister, Roberta, is born.
* ''Ramona's World'' (1999) - Ramona is in fourth grade. A new female friend, Daisy, is introduced.
''Ramona Quimby, Age 8'' and ''Ramona and her Father'' are the two Newbery Honor books of the series. Despite being Newbery Honor, there is no DeathByNewberyMedal, nor are they depressing. They are in fact the same mix of light humor and mild drama as the rest of the series. The author, BeverlyCleary, has been named a "Living Legend" by the US Library of Congress.
----
!!This series contains examples of:
* AgeAppropriateAngst: It actually is age-appropriate. Ramona's problems are all things kids her current age can relate to.
* AlphaBitch: Although she's only mentioned, Beezus' classmate Pamela appears to be one of these.
** Susan.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Susan is pretty, sweet, and good at looking good in front of adults. Ramona envies and is jealous of her and it colors their relation for the entire run of the series.
* {{Americanitis}}: Inverted by the 1980s series which moved the setting from UsefulNotes/{{Portland}} to [[{{Toronto}} Southern Ontario]] [[CanadaDoesNotExist with the serial numbers filed off]].
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Beezus considers Ramona to be this. When Ramona is first introduced in ''Beezus and Ramona'', she comes off like this to the reader, but becomes more sympathetic as time goes on and we see things from her point of view in her own series.
* BerserkButton: Ramona's is when people find her amusing when she is trying to be serious.
* BrattyHalfPint: Willa Jean, Howie's little sister, who is four years younger than Ramona and Howie. Both Ramona and Howie can't stand her, and especially the fact that Willa Jean never seems to get in trouble for the things she does. Or the fact that Ramona is blamed when Willa Jean does something wrong, because supposedly looking after a bratty little kid is another kid's job.
** In the first book and possibly the second, Ramona also qualifies.
*** Ramona herself was actually introduced as the BrattyHalfPint of the Henry Huggins series. She played this role through that series, in the single book written from Beezus' point of view, and was still obviously this to some people in her first couple books.
* BreakoutCharacter: Ramona and Beezus first appeared as side characters in ''Henry Huggins''.
* BreakTheCutie: Ramona has an instance of at least one of these in every book except ''Ramona's World,'' but the most obvious instances are in ''Ramona The Brave'' and ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8.''
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Henry Huggins wasn't so much as mentioned in ''Ramona's World'' even though he'd appeared in all the Ramona books previously and hadn't moved away or stopped being friends with Beezus or anything.
* ComicBookTime: All books take place when they were written. This means that Ramona ages from a preschooler to a fourth-grader while experiencing more than four decades. This results in some slight AnachronismStew when it comes to social and speaking norms. For example, ''Ramona's World'', written in 1999, when the author was in her late 70s, adds more modern speech elements such as the overuse of "stuff" in kids' dialog (e.g. "We brought snacks and stuff.") while still using the old-fashioned word "cross" to mean "angry"/"annoyed".
* CompressedVice: Mr. Quimby has a smoking problem in ''Ramona and her Father''. He never seemed to have that problem before, but Ramona hadn't really thought about it before. It got brought up when Beezus angrily asked why he could afford to smoke when the family couldn't afford decent food for the cat.
* FashionHurts: Ramona and Beezus's shoes pinch their feet in ''Ramona Forever.'' They find a better use for them.
* FloorboardFailure: In one of the books, Ramona falls halfway through the unfinished floor of a friend's attic. She's very annoyed when she tries to tell the story at the dinner table with what she feels is an appropriate amount of drama, and her older sister interrupts, saying how easy it is to step onto the plaster and that she knows someone who fell all the way through.
* FootFocus: Very odd usage in ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8''. Ramona's dad is studying to become an art teacher, and has to draw a picture of his own bare foot for one of his classes. Ramona decides to pull off her shoe and sock and does the same. She later thinks about how great it would be if her dad's drawing of a foot gets hung up on a refrigerator like proud parents do to their kids' drawings. Sort of a "mental" foot focus!
* FullNameUltimatum: Ramona knows she's in big trouble when she's called either "Ramona Geraldine Quimby" or "Young Lady".
* HiddenDepths: Some characters introduced in early books reveal additional depth in later books, giving insight into why they are the way they are. Davy, TheWoobie who Ramona takes pity on in kindergarten? His parents divorce (it's mentioned in the background) when he's in second grade, implying that maybe his school troubles were related to home troubles. Susan, the spoiled too-perfect girl who Ramona at first likes (in early books), but gradually starts to not be able to stand (in later ones)? She has a breakdown in fourth grade about having "to be perfect all the time".
** And, indeed, the Ramona series itself was a spin-off from the Henry Huggins books, which focused around Beezus'(implied) boyfriend Henry and his adventures with his dog Ribsy. Ramona, in contrast, was rarely the focus of any scene and was more of a nuisance than anything.
* HypocriticalHeartwarming: Beezus displays this towards Ramona on several occasions, especially in the earlier books.
* IAteWhat: Beezus and Ramona are horrified to discover that the meat they were enjoying is actually tongue.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Picky-Picky in ''Ramona Forever.'']]
** [[spoiler: He died quietly of old age. The girls bury him in the back yard and share memories of him.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Yard Ape. He hassles Ramona a lot. He also sticks up for her when she's nearly in tears over her teacher having been mean, and when she's sick with the flue sends her a unique get-well-soon card instead of copying from the blackboard like most of the kids did.
* LIsForDyslexia: Although it's never mentioned by name or even diagnosed, Ramona's classmate Davy clearly has this.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Ramona feels upset that no one told her about Aunt Bea marrying Howie's uncle.
* LostWeddingRing: In ''Ramona Forever'', the wedding ring gets lost because it was stitched to the pillow it was carried on too tightly, and when the bride pulls it loose, it flies into the air and gets lost. Ramona eventually finds it on the heel of the bride's shoe.
* {{Mondegreen}}: In-universe in ''Ramona the Pest'', which takes place when Ramona's in kindergarten, Ramona mistakes the lyrics "the dawn's early light" (in the Star Spangled Banner) for "the dawnzer's lee light" and comes to the conclusion that "dawnzer" means "lamp". This leads to her trying to show off her knowledge ("why don't you turn on the dawnzer?"), to the befuddled reactions of her parents and sister.
** Howie also stumbles across a mondegreen in ''Ramona Forever''. Everyone's puzzled when he asks what kind of cat a Hysle Cat is - until he sings a song about a 'high silk hat'.
** Ramona herself is also misunderstood by others in her kindergarten incarnation. "I'd like to make Q's." "Make use of what?" She then wonders what kind of grown-up doesn't know what the letter "Q" is. (The substitute, obviously, because substitutes are stupid - so Ramona thinks at that age)
* MostWritersAreAdults: Averted. When reading the books, it's easy to identify with Ramona in whatever year of life and grade she's currently in.
* ParentsAsPeople: The adults are fleshed out too, and have their own problems. Ramona's parents deal with on-and-off unemployment and dislike of their jobs, along with other adult problems. As the story is told from Ramona's perspective, we only know what she knows about their lives, but she knows enough to be aware of these things.
* PokeThePoodle: In ''Ramona the Brave'', where she's 6, Ramona is so angry she threatens to say a bad word. So she shouts '''"GUTS!"''' at the top of her lungs again and again, and rather than get in trouble, she gets laughed at.
* SliceOfLife: A big part of why the books are so much fun!
* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: Largely in the middle. There's a lot of humor that comes from the situations Ramona gets into as well as her thoughts and views on things, but also a lot of drama coming from Ramona's dealing with the world and problems in her life from a child's eye perspective (e.g. her frustration at people not taking her seriously and laughing at her unintentional malapropisms in the younger stories, getting in trouble for things she didn't mean to do - this stuff is devastating to a little kid!). The stories are neither very silly nor very serious, and do a good job of balancing humor with drama. As Ramona gets older, the focus does swing closer to drama, but still remains in the center.
* ToBeLawfulOrGood: There are several instances where Ramona comes to realize that doing the right thing might mean getting in trouble. Should she help Davy, who's struggling with his writing, or "keep [her] eyes on [her] own paper" like the teacher said? When instructed to be quiet and stay in place during a wedding, should she point out where the missing wedding ring is that everyone's looking for, or just keep quiet like she was told to and therefore prolong the search?
* UnreliableIllustrator: In the reissues with the new artist, the picture doesn't completely match what the text says in a few instances when characters are specifically described wearing a certain outfit, and the illustration contradicts it. This includes modernization - for example, Ramona is said to use rollerskates, but the illustration depicts rollerblades, which are more modern.
* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Averted in these and the Henry Huggins series; they all explicitly take place in [[TheOtherRainforest Portland, Oregon]] (Cleary's former hometown). Local streets and landmarks (as well as Mount Hood) are mentioned, and the city of Portland responded by placing statues of the characters in a park. The two ''Ellen Tebbits'' books take place on the ''other side'' of Portland.
* YourOtherLeft / WhosOnFirst: "Do I turn left?"/"Right" happens in ''Ramona and Her Mother'', when Beezus is giving her mother directions to get to the hairstylist's.
----
[[caption-width-right:280:The first grade teacher's lavishing praise on the copycat instead of Ramona! (One of many real-life situations covered by these books)]]
Well-known and beloved children's book series by BeverlyCleary about a girl named Ramona Quimby, whose age ranges from 4 to 10 as we see different years of her life.
The books are famous for their excellent and light-hearted mixture of believable real-life situations, humor, and personality.
Part of what makes the books work so well is the portrayal of various events that are a huge deal to a child, but which are normally overlooked by adult eyes. For example, in ''Ramona the Brave'', the first grade class has to make owls using paper bags, glue, and several other things. Ramona notices that Susan, who she doesn't get along with in the first place, is copying all of Ramona's attempts at originality. When Susan's owl gets praise from the teacher for being original, Ramona, in fear that she will be considered the copycat rather than Susan, tears up her own owl, then later, Susan's, and stomps out of the classroom and runs home in tears.
That's the sort of event that many adults would see as simply a little kid being overdramatic about some little thing, but the way the story tells it from Ramona's eyes (in third-person limited), we understand her pain, her hurt at having been copied by the kid sitting next to her, and her fear of being mistakenly thought to be the copycat herself. And of course, her rage at being made to apologize and at Susan's smug look, so we can't help but relate (and yet also, as adults, cringe) when Ramona follows up the apology with a whispered insult.
There's plenty of light humor as well. Some of Ramona's behaviors and solutions to problems are a little odd or occasionally bizarre to an adult, but make perfect sense from her point of view. For example, also in ''Ramona the Brave'', Ramona tries to fight a scary dog by throwing her shoe at it; the dog promptly steals and runs off with said shoe. Ramona tries to hide her socked foot in class, then later decides to create a makeshift slipper out of paper towels stapled together in a slipper shape and use that as a substitute. Cute, funny stuff from an adult (or older kid) perspective, and an excellent example of why these books have so many adults as a PeripheryDemographic.
Even as Ramona ages throughout the series, the issues she faces and the "important to kids, usually overlooked by adults" problems she deals with continue to be age-appropriate relative to her current age. In ''Ramona Forever'', in which Ramona enters fourth grade, Ramona finds herself blamed when bratty Willa Jean, then aged 5, breaks an accordion. After all, shouldn't 9-year-old Ramona have been looking after her more closely and stopped it? Ramona soon learns in no uncertain terms that Willa Jean's lazy grandmother hates looking after kids, and doesn't like Ramona. (This time, her parents are more understanding.)
And things like that are why these books just work.
The series has been made into a short-lived TV show in Canada, simply called ''[[Series/RamonaQuimby Ramona]]'', which emphasized the light drama found in the books over the light humor, and is most heavily based on ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8''. Notable in that it completely averts DawsonCasting.
A movie, titled ''[[Film/RamonaAndBeezus Ramona and Beezus]]'', has also been made.
The list of books includes:
* ''Beezus and Ramona'' (1955) - Ramona is in preschool, and the story is mostly about Beezus, who is turning nine. This is more of a bridge between the earlier ''Henry Huggins'' series and Ramona's own, as Beezus never actually had her own series but was a character in Henry's.
* ''Ramona the Pest'' (1968) - Ramona is in kindergarten. Too-perfect Susan, and poor struggling Davy, are introduced.
* ''Ramona the Brave'' (1975) - Ramona is in first grade.
* ''Ramona and her Father'' (1977) - Ramona is in second grade.
* ''Ramona and her Mother'' (1979) - Ramona is still in second grade.
* ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8'' (1981) - Ramona is in third grade. Yard Ape, a male friend/rival, is introduced.
* ''Ramona Forever'' (1984) - Ramona is inbetween third and fourth grade, during the summer. A new baby sister, Roberta, is born.
* ''Ramona's World'' (1999) - Ramona is in fourth grade. A new female friend, Daisy, is introduced.
''Ramona Quimby, Age 8'' and ''Ramona and her Father'' are the two Newbery Honor books of the series. Despite being Newbery Honor, there is no DeathByNewberyMedal, nor are they depressing. They are in fact the same mix of light humor and mild drama as the rest of the series. The author, BeverlyCleary, has been named a "Living Legend" by the US Library of Congress.
----
!!This series contains examples of:
* AgeAppropriateAngst: It actually is age-appropriate. Ramona's problems are all things kids her current age can relate to.
* AlphaBitch: Although she's only mentioned, Beezus' classmate Pamela appears to be one of these.
** Susan.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Susan is pretty, sweet, and good at looking good in front of adults. Ramona envies and is jealous of her and it colors their relation for the entire run of the series.
* {{Americanitis}}: Inverted by the 1980s series which moved the setting from UsefulNotes/{{Portland}} to [[{{Toronto}} Southern Ontario]] [[CanadaDoesNotExist with the serial numbers filed off]].
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Beezus considers Ramona to be this. When Ramona is first introduced in ''Beezus and Ramona'', she comes off like this to the reader, but becomes more sympathetic as time goes on and we see things from her point of view in her own series.
* BerserkButton: Ramona's is when people find her amusing when she is trying to be serious.
* BrattyHalfPint: Willa Jean, Howie's little sister, who is four years younger than Ramona and Howie. Both Ramona and Howie can't stand her, and especially the fact that Willa Jean never seems to get in trouble for the things she does. Or the fact that Ramona is blamed when Willa Jean does something wrong, because supposedly looking after a bratty little kid is another kid's job.
** In the first book and possibly the second, Ramona also qualifies.
*** Ramona herself was actually introduced as the BrattyHalfPint of the Henry Huggins series. She played this role through that series, in the single book written from Beezus' point of view, and was still obviously this to some people in her first couple books.
* BreakoutCharacter: Ramona and Beezus first appeared as side characters in ''Henry Huggins''.
* BreakTheCutie: Ramona has an instance of at least one of these in every book except ''Ramona's World,'' but the most obvious instances are in ''Ramona The Brave'' and ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8.''
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Henry Huggins wasn't so much as mentioned in ''Ramona's World'' even though he'd appeared in all the Ramona books previously and hadn't moved away or stopped being friends with Beezus or anything.
* ComicBookTime: All books take place when they were written. This means that Ramona ages from a preschooler to a fourth-grader while experiencing more than four decades. This results in some slight AnachronismStew when it comes to social and speaking norms. For example, ''Ramona's World'', written in 1999, when the author was in her late 70s, adds more modern speech elements such as the overuse of "stuff" in kids' dialog (e.g. "We brought snacks and stuff.") while still using the old-fashioned word "cross" to mean "angry"/"annoyed".
* CompressedVice: Mr. Quimby has a smoking problem in ''Ramona and her Father''. He never seemed to have that problem before, but Ramona hadn't really thought about it before. It got brought up when Beezus angrily asked why he could afford to smoke when the family couldn't afford decent food for the cat.
* FashionHurts: Ramona and Beezus's shoes pinch their feet in ''Ramona Forever.'' They find a better use for them.
* FloorboardFailure: In one of the books, Ramona falls halfway through the unfinished floor of a friend's attic. She's very annoyed when she tries to tell the story at the dinner table with what she feels is an appropriate amount of drama, and her older sister interrupts, saying how easy it is to step onto the plaster and that she knows someone who fell all the way through.
* FootFocus: Very odd usage in ''Ramona Quimby, Age 8''. Ramona's dad is studying to become an art teacher, and has to draw a picture of his own bare foot for one of his classes. Ramona decides to pull off her shoe and sock and does the same. She later thinks about how great it would be if her dad's drawing of a foot gets hung up on a refrigerator like proud parents do to their kids' drawings. Sort of a "mental" foot focus!
* FullNameUltimatum: Ramona knows she's in big trouble when she's called either "Ramona Geraldine Quimby" or "Young Lady".
* HiddenDepths: Some characters introduced in early books reveal additional depth in later books, giving insight into why they are the way they are. Davy, TheWoobie who Ramona takes pity on in kindergarten? His parents divorce (it's mentioned in the background) when he's in second grade, implying that maybe his school troubles were related to home troubles. Susan, the spoiled too-perfect girl who Ramona at first likes (in early books), but gradually starts to not be able to stand (in later ones)? She has a breakdown in fourth grade about having "to be perfect all the time".
** And, indeed, the Ramona series itself was a spin-off from the Henry Huggins books, which focused around Beezus'(implied) boyfriend Henry and his adventures with his dog Ribsy. Ramona, in contrast, was rarely the focus of any scene and was more of a nuisance than anything.
* HypocriticalHeartwarming: Beezus displays this towards Ramona on several occasions, especially in the earlier books.
* IAteWhat: Beezus and Ramona are horrified to discover that the meat they were enjoying is actually tongue.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: Picky-Picky in ''Ramona Forever.'']]
** [[spoiler: He died quietly of old age. The girls bury him in the back yard and share memories of him.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Yard Ape. He hassles Ramona a lot. He also sticks up for her when she's nearly in tears over her teacher having been mean, and when she's sick with the flue sends her a unique get-well-soon card instead of copying from the blackboard like most of the kids did.
* LIsForDyslexia: Although it's never mentioned by name or even diagnosed, Ramona's classmate Davy clearly has this.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Ramona feels upset that no one told her about Aunt Bea marrying Howie's uncle.
* LostWeddingRing: In ''Ramona Forever'', the wedding ring gets lost because it was stitched to the pillow it was carried on too tightly, and when the bride pulls it loose, it flies into the air and gets lost. Ramona eventually finds it on the heel of the bride's shoe.
* {{Mondegreen}}: In-universe in ''Ramona the Pest'', which takes place when Ramona's in kindergarten, Ramona mistakes the lyrics "the dawn's early light" (in the Star Spangled Banner) for "the dawnzer's lee light" and comes to the conclusion that "dawnzer" means "lamp". This leads to her trying to show off her knowledge ("why don't you turn on the dawnzer?"), to the befuddled reactions of her parents and sister.
** Howie also stumbles across a mondegreen in ''Ramona Forever''. Everyone's puzzled when he asks what kind of cat a Hysle Cat is - until he sings a song about a 'high silk hat'.
** Ramona herself is also misunderstood by others in her kindergarten incarnation. "I'd like to make Q's." "Make use of what?" She then wonders what kind of grown-up doesn't know what the letter "Q" is. (The substitute, obviously, because substitutes are stupid - so Ramona thinks at that age)
* MostWritersAreAdults: Averted. When reading the books, it's easy to identify with Ramona in whatever year of life and grade she's currently in.
* ParentsAsPeople: The adults are fleshed out too, and have their own problems. Ramona's parents deal with on-and-off unemployment and dislike of their jobs, along with other adult problems. As the story is told from Ramona's perspective, we only know what she knows about their lives, but she knows enough to be aware of these things.
* PokeThePoodle: In ''Ramona the Brave'', where she's 6, Ramona is so angry she threatens to say a bad word. So she shouts '''"GUTS!"''' at the top of her lungs again and again, and rather than get in trouble, she gets laughed at.
* SliceOfLife: A big part of why the books are so much fun!
* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: Largely in the middle. There's a lot of humor that comes from the situations Ramona gets into as well as her thoughts and views on things, but also a lot of drama coming from Ramona's dealing with the world and problems in her life from a child's eye perspective (e.g. her frustration at people not taking her seriously and laughing at her unintentional malapropisms in the younger stories, getting in trouble for things she didn't mean to do - this stuff is devastating to a little kid!). The stories are neither very silly nor very serious, and do a good job of balancing humor with drama. As Ramona gets older, the focus does swing closer to drama, but still remains in the center.
* ToBeLawfulOrGood: There are several instances where Ramona comes to realize that doing the right thing might mean getting in trouble. Should she help Davy, who's struggling with his writing, or "keep [her] eyes on [her] own paper" like the teacher said? When instructed to be quiet and stay in place during a wedding, should she point out where the missing wedding ring is that everyone's looking for, or just keep quiet like she was told to and therefore prolong the search?
* UnreliableIllustrator: In the reissues with the new artist, the picture doesn't completely match what the text says in a few instances when characters are specifically described wearing a certain outfit, and the illustration contradicts it. This includes modernization - for example, Ramona is said to use rollerskates, but the illustration depicts rollerblades, which are more modern.
* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Averted in these and the Henry Huggins series; they all explicitly take place in [[TheOtherRainforest Portland, Oregon]] (Cleary's former hometown). Local streets and landmarks (as well as Mount Hood) are mentioned, and the city of Portland responded by placing statues of the characters in a park. The two ''Ellen Tebbits'' books take place on the ''other side'' of Portland.
* YourOtherLeft / WhosOnFirst: "Do I turn left?"/"Right" happens in ''Ramona and Her Mother'', when Beezus is giving her mother directions to get to the hairstylist's.
----
