How does Ramona and her Father show a family dealing with change? What change has your family experienced? Ramona and Beezus have a rocky relationship, but do you think they really love each other? Why or why not? Can you think of any moments from the story which prove this? Think of the three best words to describe Ramona, and then try to identify the scene or moment from the book that you think most defines who Ramona is as a person. Ramona and her Father discussion questions:ĭid you like Ramona and her Father? What did you enjoy? What didn’t you enjoy?

Ramona and her Father is a light, joyful read, suitable even for the youngest listeners in the family (though you may want to have some family chats around the smoking and spanking references in the dialogue), yet it contains hidden depths that explore the heart of what it means to be a small kid navigating a big old world. But it’s a big burden for such small shoulders, and Ramona’s family just don’t always get her. Ramona, self-appointed family cheergiver, sets out to figure out how she can help contribute to the family’s income, stop her dad from smoking himself slowly to death, and lighten the mood. Everyone is just a little bit grumpier, things are strained, and Ramona’s dad seems even more entrenched in his smoking habit than he was before. The mood in the Quimby house shifts then, as Ramona and her folks navigate this bump in the road. But then Ramona’s dad comes home from work on payday (just as the girls are anticipating a delicious dinner out) and informs the family that he has lost his job. Smart, funny, inventive, brave, and cheeky, Ramona feels deeply, dreams big, and is not afraid to live out loud.Īs the book begins, Ramona’s biggest dilemmas are her clashes with her older sister Beezus and figuring out what to put on her epic Christmas wishlist. Ramona is - at least according to this probably biased reviewer - one of kidlit’s most genuine child characters. Ramona and Her Father was a Newbery Honor Book in 1978, and it’s not hard to see why. Ramona and Her Father is the fourth book in Cleary’s series devoted to the Quimby family, and appeared in print twelve years after the Quimbys first leapt onto the world stage in 1955. This month, we spent time with Beverly Cleary’s enduring, precocious, and precious character, Ramona Quimby.

Ramona and her father book