Ramona Forever

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Ramona Forever
1st edition
Author	Beverly Cleary
Illustrator	Alan Tiegreen
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	Ramona
Genre	Children's novel
Publisher	William Morrow
Publication date	1984
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Preceded by	Ramona Quimby, Age 8 -1981
Followed by	Ramona's World -1999

Ramona Forever is a humorous children's novel written by Beverly Cleary. The seventh book in the Ramona Quimby series, it continues the story of Ramona, her sister Beezus, and their family. Ramona and Beezus are finally old enough to stay home together, and the sisters work hard to get along. Mrs. Quimby is pregnant, and Aunt Bea gets engaged, in a book that sees Ramona coping with growing up. Ramona Forever was originally published in 1984.

Plot summary

Ramona Quimby is growing up. She and Beezus manage to convince their parents to let them stay home alone together after school for one week to see how it goes. One day, Ramona and Beezus get into a fight about Beezus's newly found skin problems. The next day, the sisters find their cat, Picky-picky, dead in the basement. They forgive each other and handle the funeral and burial themselves, and their parents decide the girls are responsible enough to take care of themselves. Ramona is especially happy not to have to go to the Kemp's after school any more because Howie's rich Uncle Hobart has arrived from Saudi Arabia. He's the kind of man who thinks it's funny to tease kids, and Ramona doesn't like him.

There are more changes coming for the Quimbys. Mr. Quimby is almost finished with college, and everyone hopes he'll get a teaching job in the area. It's especially important because Mrs. Quimby is expecting another baby, and she plans on staying home to take care of it. Beezus thinks it will be wonderful to have a baby around to take care of, but Ramona realizes she won't be the littlest any more. She's not sure how she feels about being the middle child.

Before she gets a chance to find out, something else changes: Aunt Bea and Howie's Uncle Hobart get engaged. Beezus and Ramona are to be maids of honor in their wedding. They only have two weeks to plan the wedding, though, and by the time the wedding day arrives everyone in the neighborhood has become involved. By the time baby Roberta arrives, Ramona realizes, along with her family, that "She was winning at growing up."^[1]

Critical reception

Kirkus Reviews gave Ramona Forever a starred review, for "books of remarkable merit", saying, "It's a measure of Cleary's talent and acumen that the Quimbys are as credible in the mid-1980s as they were in the mid-1950s."^[2]

Characters

Beatrice Quimby/Beezus - Ramona's older sister who is in the seventh grade.
Ramona Quimby - The novel's protagonist.
Mrs.Quimby- Ramona and Beezus's mother Dorothy.
Mr.Quimby- Ramona and Beezus's father Robert.
Howard *Howie* Kemp- Ramona's friend since nursery school in Beezus and Ramona.
Aunt Beatrice- The girls' aunt and Dorothy's sister. First introduced in Beezus and Ramona. A third grade teacher.
Hobart Kemp- Howie's rich uncle who marries Aunt Beatrice and become the girls' uncle in the ninth chapter.
Willa Jean- Howie's messy little sister in nursery school.
Picky Picky- The Qumby's old yellow cat who died at age of 12 in the fourth chapter.
Roberta Day Quimby- Ramona and Beezus's new little sister, born in the last chapter.

Adaptations, editions

Ramona and Beezus: A movie starring Joey King as Ramona and Selena Gomez as Beezus. The movie was released on July 23, 2010.^[3] Although the film jumps from book to book, the plot mainly focuses on the seventh book in the series, Ramona Forever.

Audio Formats: Ramona Forever is available in cassette, CD and eAudiobook from Random House/Listening Library; VHs tape from Atlantis Films/Ramona Productions;^[4]

Print/English: Braille available from Dell, large print books through Dell, and e-Books through HarperCollins;^[4]

Print/Worldwide: As of 2010, 109 editions of Ramona Forever had been published in 9 languages.^[5]

v t e Henry Huggins and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

Henry Huggins novels	Henry Huggins Henry and Beezus Henry and Ribsy Henry and the Paper Route Henry and the Clubhouse Ribsy

Ramona novels	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

Characters	Henry Huggins Ramona Quimby Beezus Quimby Ribsy Picky-picky Howie Kemp Mrs. Swink Susan Kushner Davy Roberta Quimby Mrs. Dorothy Quimby Mr. Robert Quimby

Adaptations	Ramona (TV) Ramona and Beezus (film)

v t e Works by Beverly Cleary

Henry Huggins	Henry Huggins Henry and Beezus Henry and Ribsy Henry and the Paper Route Henry and the Clubhouse Ribsy

Ramona Quimby	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

Ralph S. Mouse	The Mouse and the Motorcycle Runaway Ralph Ralph S. Mouse

First Love	Fifteen The Luckiest Girl Jean and Johnny Sister of the Bride

Ellen & Otis	Ellen Tebbits Otis Spofford

Leigh Botts	Dear Mr. Henshaw Strider

Leave It to Beaver	Leave It To Beaver Here's Beaver!

Picture books	The Hullabaloo ABC The Real Hole Two Dog Biscuits The Growing-Up Feet Lucky Chuck Janet's Thingamajigs Petey's Bedtime Story

Other fiction	Emily's Runaway Imagination Mitch and Amy Socks Muggie Maggie

Related media	Ramona Ramona and Beezus

Autobiographies	A Girl From Yamhill My Own Two Feet

References

↑ Cleary, Beverly, Ramona Forever, HarperCollins, 1984, pg. 191.
↑ "Ramona Forever". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 5/6/2012.
↑ http://www.foxmovies.com/
↑ 4.0 4.1 "Formats and Editions". Ramona Forever. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
↑ "Editions". Beverly Cleary. Retrieved April 29, 2012.

External links

The World of Beverly Cleary

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