Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby

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Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby is a character from the Henry Huggins and Ramona series of books by Beverly Cleary. She is a friend of Henry and the big sister of Ramona. Ramona had a hard time saying "Beatrice" as a young child and thus called her "Beezus." She was then known as Beezus to her friends and family. Beezus and Ramona is the only book in the series, so far, that concentrates on her point of view.

Compared to Ramona, Beatrice is the responsible good student in the family. She takes the burden of being the big sister seriously but is sometimes jealous of the attention Ramona gets, such as the family putting Ramona's art and school work on the refrigerator. She also mildly rebels against her image as the sensible sister at times. In Ramona and Her Mother, she saves her allowance so she can get her hair cut in a beauty salon rather than have it cut at home by her mother. She also gets her ears pierced without asking her parents for permission in Ramona's World.

Beezus struggles when it comes to projects involving artistic creativity. She has a hard time in her afternoon art classes and dreads creative writing assignments. Yet she helps out in the kitchen at an early age, making a carrot salad when the family forgot to turn on the crockpot and helping prepare for a New Year's Day brunch hosted by her parents.

Books by Beverly Cleary

Ramona Quimby series: Beezus and Ramona • Ramona the Pest • Ramona the Brave • Ramona and Her Father • Ramona and Her Mother • Ramona Quimby, Age 8 • Ramona Forever • Ramona's World Henry Huggins series: Henry Huggins • Henry and Beezus • Henry and Ribsy • Henry and the Paper Route • Henry and the Clubhouse • Ribsy The Mouse and the Motorcycle series: The Mouse and the Motorcycle • Runaway Ralph • Ralph S. Mouse Other books: Ellen Tebbits • Otis Spofford • Fifteen • The Luckiest Girl • Jean and Johnny • Sister of the Bride • Mitch and Amy • Socks • Dear Mr. Henshaw • Lucky Chuck • A Girl from Yamhill: A Memoir • Muggie Maggie • Strider • Petey's Bedtime Story • My Own Two Feet • The Hullabaloo ABC