Ramona's World (Ramona Series)

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Summary: not the same as the others...
Review: I was excited when I found the new Ramona book in the library; I thought that Beverly Cleary had finished the series. I liked the book, but i thought that it was lacking something that the others have. Ramona doesn't seem to have the same spunkiness and sparkle as in previous books like Ramona Forever, and her relationships with her family don't seem as well-developed either. i think that the book is good enough on its own, but it doesn't quite measure up to the other Ramona books. Read the previous ones first so you don't miss out!

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Summary: Ramona's back -- almost
Review: Beverly Cleary's latest foray into Ramona's world is a welcome addition to her series, but the book isn't quite the joyful reunion one might expect. Ramona doesn't seem the same somehow; she still gets into scrapes, but her new adventures don't come across quite as vividly or seem as catastrophic as her old ones did. Having trouble keeping track of a baby and a cat at the same time could happen to anyone, but only Ramona could dye herself blue in Howie's sink or decide to wear her pajamas to school, as she did in previous books. Maybe Cleary is trying to show that Ramona is growing up a little, or maybe she just had trouble getting back inside her head (it has been a long time since the last book).

The whole feel of the book was a little different, maybe because Cleary modernized the setting a bit or even because the Quimbys seem to have gotten past their financial troubles. The older books were a nice mix of Ramona's escapades and her relationship with her family. There was a real "times may be tough but we'll get through it together" sort of feeling in previous books, and while there is a family component to this one (especially Ramona trying to adjust to her new role as the middle child), this book doesn't deal as much with the Quimbys trying to get along as a family. The issues (except for the financial ones) don't seem to have changed, either. Beezus is still trying to deal with her "good" image and grow up at the same time, and Ramona is still trying to deal with the fact that she's not Beezus.

Unfortunately, the school scenes aren't as well developed as they could be, either. Ramona's rivalry with Susan still comes into play, but there aren't any spectacular owl-crushing incidents. She also has to deal with Yard Ape, but he's almost nice now. Her new friend Daisy is not very memorable, and Howie is largely absent from the book. Ramona has a new teacher to deal with, too, which is always important, but she doesn't compare to the others, either in personality or in her run-ins with Ramona. It's Ramona's world, all right, but maybe not quite the way you remember it.

The same goes for the illustrations. Alan Tiegreen, who did most of the other Ramona books, has illustrated this one as well. These drawings are less detailed than some of the earlier ones, at times almost cartoonish. Still, it's great to have Tiegreen back too, because seeing another artist's image of Ramona would be strange at this point.

Although it's not the best of the bunch, _Ramona's World_ is a must read for Cleary fans, old and young. It's great to see Ramona again.

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Summary: Another Delightful Excursion Into Childhood!
Review: Cleary does a wonderful job of portraying 9 year-old Ramona's character by showing, for example, how excited Ramona was to start 4th grade. Ramona was at the bus stop early, and the author says something like: "Ramona was always early. Something might happen that she wouldn't want to miss." What a great summary of the character's exuberant personality!

Childhood comes flooding back reading Ms. Cleary. I forgot how something like a baby sister is such a huge event, you can't wait to tell EVERYONE - the whole WORLD must know this! I forgot how you have a sort of crush on someone and you don't want anyone to know - not even your best friend. I forgot how kids jump to the craziest conclusions! After Ramona has an accident involving her best friends attic ceiling (well, she darn near falls through it!) she cries and cries. Not so much because the scratches and bumps hurt, but because now she can't come play with Daisy any more and she no longer has a best friend! Poor Ramona automatically assumed her friend's mom would no longer want her around. But you can certainly see a child thinking like this.

I still have a lot of Cleary to discover, and I plan to keep reading!

Rating:
Summary: Lawn Monkey
Review: I was sooooo happy when this book finally came out; I'd been waiting ten years! Coincidentally, Ramona celebrates her tenth birthday in this story. (I found it interesting that the only birthday parties in the whole series were for Beezus' tenth and Ramona's tenth. The author must perceive age 10 to be very important.) Although I don't think this book has quite as much punch as the others, it's a wonderful conclusion to one of the best series of the twentieth century.

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Summary: Another Funny Book About Everyone's Favourite Character!
Review: Ramona Quimby's back! After years of waiting and anticipation, Beverly Cleary's given us another fabulous book in the popular Ramona series.

Ramona's all grown up, 'practically a teenager!' and ready to take on the fourth grade. With her new new best friend, Daisy, at her side, she's off for many new and exciting adventures, including falling through a ceiling while playing princess, and cat-sitting! Her friends Howie and Yard Ape, and her not-so-good-friend Susan are all in her class, and together they get in a bunch of hilariously sticky situations. Beezus has started high school, and her life is filled with baby-sitting, parties, (although they don't QUITE turn out the way she'd expected!) and a few very interesting events.

I loved reading about Ramona again, and would definitely recommend Ramona's World to any Ramona fans. Years have passed, but this spunky go-getter hasn't changed a bit! She's still as funny to me now as she was when I was her age.

Rating:
Summary: Lawn Monkey
Review: Ramona's World by: Beverly Cleary is a very good book! Ramona is eight years old and thinks that her fourth grade year is going to be GREAT!!! Once she meets her teacher and figures out that she has the kind of teacher that is TERRIFIC at spelling, she thinks the very opposite! Now she thinks that she pretty much knows it's going to be a not so GREAT year for her. She has no friends except the dorky guy next door named "Howie". Then she meets her new best friend Daisy! Daisy and Ramona teach each other alot! Daisy teaches Ramona about school and how to spell. Ramona helps out Daisy by showing her around her new school. Ramona finally figures out that her fourth grade year isn't too bad after all. She gets a valentine from the guy that she likes alot named "yard ape" and she meets her new best friend. She also finds out that her teacher Mrs. Meacham doesn't hate her after all and that she can spell. I liked this book alot because it is about normal kids and what it is like growing up. Ramona gets herself into some situations that every kid can relate to. She's a "goofy" everyday girl that likes to have fun with her classmates. I would recommend this book to other kids my age because it's funny. It is a good read!

Rating:
Summary: Ramona's World
Review: Ramona's World is one of Beverly Cleary's best Ramona books. Ramona is just a regular girl growing up. She is in 4th grade in this book and she has some trouble with kids but in the end she figures them out. I think that Ramona is just like some of the girls I knew in 4th grade. She's even kind of like me! I also think that Ramona is a role model to some people. This book is very easy to read and I would reccomend it to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: It's Ramona...but not quite
Review: When compared to the other books, this one is lacking something. Maybe depth, maybe heart? I can't quite decide, but it definitely isn't written with the same tone as its predecessors. The characters seem to simply exist and DO, they don't interact with each other as they do in the other books. Ramona's family isn't cohesive, her parents seem disinterested and distracted and there is none of the family warmth we've come to expect. Also, I know Ramona is growing up, but she's lost a lot of her fire and nerve here and I missed that.

Ramona is only one year older, yet the story has modern touches, while the others are decidedly more old-fashioned. I couldn't quite resolve the changes in my mind and consequently, I felt this book didn't match the others. It's still a good story, but the originals are much better.