Life as a third grader is tough!

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 ~ by Beverly Cleary, 1981, children's book

Ramona's job is to be nice to fussy Mrs. Kemp, who watches her while her mother works.  If Mrs. Quimby didn't work, Mr. Quimby couldn't return to college.  On top of all that, third grade isn't turning out as Ramona expected, even though she enjoys her class's new reading program, D.E.A.R.  Danny the Yard Ape teases her, and, on one horrible day, she throws up — at school.  Being eight isn't easy, but it's never dull!

Beverly Cleary, the author of this and many other books, has died at the age of 104.  I love her books.  When I read today that Beverly Cleary had died, I searched my blog to see what I've written about her and found this 2010 blog post, for example.  When I decided to write this post about her and searched the net for a photo, the one at the top is what I found.  I was not familiar with the book in her hands, so I looked it up online.

"In this special edition of Newbery Honor Book Ramona Quimby, Age 8, the timeless classic now features a special foreword written by actress, producer, and author Amy Poehler, as well as an exclusive interview with Beverly Cleary herself."

You may have guessed by now that I got it for my Kindle and will have the whole 119 pages read before bedtime tonight.   Did you notice D.E.A.R. above?  In case it's new to you, that acronym means "Drop Everything And Read."  That's sort of a slogan for book lovers.