First Pages: Ramona Quimby, Age 8
I don’t think there’s anything more classic from my childhood than Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. I’ve read countless numbers of both of their books and I’m a little sad that neither of my kids have read any. It’s partially because they have always favored fantasy/adventure/sci-fi genres and partially because they have so many MORE choices. And I’m okay with that. Whereas I never read about characters who looked like me, my Bookworm Kids have read characters with so much diversity, including main characters who look like them. It’s still important to mention that we need diverse books in 2023, especially in light of all the book banning happening across the good ole US of A.
Having said that, my original intent with this Flashback Friday First Pages was to showcase the Ramona books. Of course I had forgotten that the series really begins with Ramona’s older sister, Beatrice, in Beezus and Ramona. So why did I choose to share Ramona Quimby, Age 8 instead? Because as a child, it was Ramona who I related to. I was not a rule-breaker. I was the quiet student who everyone assumed was smart and well-behaved. So why did I relate to Ramona? Because she stated things like they were. She was just a little misunderstood. And she always, always seemed to be just a little bit in trouble.
Re-reading these first few pages take me back immediately to the Quimby family. I remember Ramona’s dad working at the grocery store and then going to school to become a teacher. I remember Ramona always getting into trouble. And I remember the Ramona-Beatrice dynamic well. If we as readers started with Beatrice, we fell in love with Ramona. (Sorry, Beezus.)
While re-reading the first pages of Beezus and Ramona and Ramona Quimby, Age 8, I am immediately pulled into 8-year-old Ramona’s world and wanting to read more. Not bad for something published over 40 years ago.
So, who is up for a read-along of Are you There God, It’s Me, Margaret? by Judy Blume before the movie release? :D As I posted in my Instagram stories when I first saw the trailer, I’m definitely going to watch it as it seems so true to the original.
