Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton.

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If, like me, you need some comfort reading, rest assured that these old favorites have stood the test of time and they’re ready to bring a little childlike joy back to you. If you’ve never had the pleasure of reading Beverly Cleary’s books, give any of them a try. What a difference in social norms between those days (1950s and ‘60s) and these. They wandered freely for quite a distance from home. Beezus would take Ramona to the park and leave her in the sandbox, completely unsupervised, while she was in her art class. My sister was a handful too! Beezus as a character never stood out as much in my memory but I’m definitely a Beezus, the quiet girl who doesn’t want to make waves.Īs an older reader, I find it astonishing how much freedom these young children had. She still had me laughing out loud on this re-read, all these years later! I’ve always associated Ramona with my younger sister and I still see the two in each other. In thinking back to the Ramona books, I always remember Ramona and her antics most clearly. These books are still very much present in my subconscious. The birthday cake, the party, the apples, the visit to the library…. I was amazed by how much of this book actually came back as I read it. Who am I kidding? Every library visit was a good library day, but those were exceptional library days. I called it a good library day when I found a new one. I always enjoyed them as a child, and can clearly picture exactly where they were on my local library’s shelves.

I’m 42 as I write this so it’s been 30 – 35 years since I read any of Beverly Cleary’s books. When I posted my Beverly Cleary walking tour of Portland, I realized that some of her books were just what the doctor ordered. Kathy at Inside of a Dog suggested re-reading an old favorite. I posted in my Weekly Update for Septemthat I was stressed out from the wildfires near us and looking for a fun, mindless read. She loves to follow Beezus around but she’s always causing trouble! Beezus is horrified to realize that she doesn’t always love her sister. Ramona is noisy and opinionated and not shy in the least. Her younger sister, four-year-old Ramona, is a whole different personality. Beezus is a responsible nine-year-old who enjoys helping her mother with chores attending her painting class sewing and playing checkers with her neighbor, Henry.

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary