One of my singular favorite things about being a teacher is the influence I can have over the books kids read. The right book or the right character introduced at the right time can lead to an explosion of reading about that particular character. It worked for Junie B. Jones, it worked for Fudge Hatcher, and it worked for one of my favorite literary heroines, Ramona Quimby.

Beverly Cleary has written eight books featuring Ramona as the primary character. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 is the sixth of those books, taking place when Ramona is eight years old (there's a surprise) and in third grade. In my opinion, it's the most "essential" Ramona book, the one where the most "classic" Ramona events happen. I used Ramona Quimby, Age 8 with six of the most advanced readers in my third grade class, and this, combined with a concurrent reading-aloud of Ramona's World, led to Ramona fever in my classroom.

For those uninitiated out there, Ramona Quimby is a spunky, creative girl with a unique talent for getting herself into scrapes. She has a perfectionist, practical older sister, whose official name is Beatrice but was nicknamed Beezus by Ramona when Ramona was learning to talk. Her mother is Dory, whose job as a receptionist at a doctor's office necessitates that Ramona stay with her friend Howie Kemp's grandmother after school. Her father is Bob, a supermarket-checker-turned-college-student, who hopes to obtain a job teaching art after receiving his teaching credential. The only other family member is Picky-Picky, a grumpy old cat.

In Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Ramona is struggling with the feeling that the success of the entire family depends on her. She hates her time after school at the Kemps' house because she is expected to play with Howie's preschool-aged sister Willa Jean AND keep her out of trouble. If Ramona doesn't keep Willa Jean entertained, Mrs. Kemp will not want to watch her. If Mrs. Kemp doesn't watch Ramona, her mother will not be able to keep her job. If her mother can't keep her job, her father will have to drop out of college. If her father drops out of college, he'll have to go back to being a grocery checker who comes home each night tired and cross. That's a lot for an eight-year-old to handle, but Ramona gives it her best effort.

In this book are four of what I consider to be the "classic Ramona moments." One is the chapter in which Ramona tries to follow the classroom fad of cracking a hard-boiled egg on her head during lunch. When Ramona cracks the egg on her head, she discovers that her mother accidentally gave her a raw egg.

The second "classic Ramona moment" takes place when Mrs. Quimby serves tongue for dinner. The girls like it fine when they don't know what it is, but refuse to eat it when they find out that it's tongue. As punishment, their parents inform them that it is their job to cook dinner the next evening. Even a non-cook reading what happens can tell that the results are disastrous!

A third Ramona moment happens when Ramona throws up at school. She had thought she had overheard her teacher calling her a nuisance when she got the egg in her hair, so she's sure that her teacher would just hate anybody who threw up in class.

The fourth classic moment happens when the Quimby family has had enough of being cooped up in the house on a rainy Saturday and decide to do something they rarely do: go out to dinner. When they get to the restaurant, Ramona bumps into an old man, who secretly pays for their dinners.

I read all of the Ramona books countless times while growing up, and would have to say that Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and Ramona Forever were my favorites. What amazes me today is knowing that the eight Ramona books were written between 1955 and 1998, and yet they flow together as well as if they were all written in the same year--with the exception of Beezus and Ramona, the first book, which does sound a little bit dated now. I think that's part of the reason for why Ramona has remained so popular over the years.

So now a good portion of the kids in my class are choosing to explore more Ramona books. I hope they'll be just as delighted with Ramona's antics as I always have been. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 is written at a high third grade reading level and would be enjoyed by all ages of elementary school kids--my fifth graders last year checked out Ramona books on a regular basis. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 is a Newbery Honor Book, meaning it was one of the best books of the year it was published. It is definitely a book that nearly all children should read!

Recommended: Yes

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