“Ramona Quimby, Age 8” by Beverly Cleary

1. “Ramona Quimby, Age 8”by Beverly Cleary Theme 6

2. Awards • Newbery Honor Book • ALA Notable Children’s Book • American Book Award Nominee • Buckeye Children’s Book Award (Ohio) • Michigan Young Readers Award

3. Genre: Realistic Fiction • A realistic fiction story is about realistic (could happen in real life, but they aren’t real) people, things, and events. • The plot-including events, problem, solution-is made up (fictional).

4. Summary Ramona and her family struggle with a dismal, rainy Sunday. Beezus is moody, Ramona is sulky, and Mr. and Mrs. Quimby seem tired and discouraged. The day turns around, though, when a trip to Whopperburger gives all of the Quimbys something to smile about.

5. Background Information Everyone has many different moods or feelings. We can even have several feelings at once! Ramona’s family experiences many different moods and feelings in Ramona Quimby, Age 8.

6. Key Concept rainy day moods

7. Key Vocabulary • ceaseless • companionable • discouraged • dismal • dreary • exhausted • pelting • sullenly

8. ceaseless not stopping

9. companionable friendly

10. discouraged having no hope or happiness

11. dismal gloomy

12. dreary gloomy

13. exhausted very tired

14. pelting beating against

15. sullenly angrily; not happily; gloomily

16. Strategy Focus: Summarize • You will use this strategy after reading to “wrap up” what you’ve read. • When you summarize, think about: • the characters • where and when the story takes place • the problem in the story • how the problem was solved • the beginning, middle, and end of the story

17. Strategy Focus: Summarize Let’s try it! How does Ramona feel about Rainy Sundays by page 321? ~or~ How does Ramona’s day change by the end of the story?

18. Comprehension Skill Focus: Making Generalizations • When you make generalizations you make a broad statement that is true most of the time, but not always. • For example, we could make the generalization that puppies and kittens are cute animals. Most are, but some are UGLY! J

19. Graphic Organizer Fill in the organizer with details from the story to make generalizations about each heading. Rainy Days Older Sisters Parents Restaurants

20. Meet the Author Although her books have been enjoyed by generations of kids, Beverly Cleary herself didn't enjoy reading as a child — at least not at first. When Cleary became a librarian, she met children who were bored with traditional children's books, just as she had been. So she began writing a book of her own, the book that became Henry Huggins. When she finished the book, Cleary had an experience most authors only dream about: Her manuscript was accepted by the first publisher she sent it to. That was 50 years ago. Now she has many beloved books to her credit and is appreciated by young and not-so-young readers alike. In 1995, bronze statues of her three best-known characters, Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Henry's dog, Ribsy, were dedicated in a park in Portland, Oregon, where the young Cleary lived and where books featuring those characters are set. Beverly Cleary encourages young people who would like to be writers, but she also offers very practical advice: "If you're serious about becoming a professional writer, prepare to have some other way of earning a living. Many fine writers don't earn enough to live on. Read widely. Master the tools of writing. I know that spelling, punctuation, and grammar are boring, but they are necessary.” (from www.eduplace.com)

21. Link to Houghton Mifflin If you enjoyed reading “Ramona Quimby, Age 8” and would like to check out some more information and activities, click below to go to www.eduplace.com, Houghton Mifflin’s web site. Click Here!