Ramona and Beezus

I finally got a chance to take my 9 yr old daughter to see the new "Ramona and Beezus" movie, based on the series of books about Ramona by Beverly Cleary. As we left the theater, she said excitedly, "I sure hope they make a 'Ramona and Beezus 2' movie!" That's a sign of a good story when you're eager for more stories about those characters!

I had some good news for her and anyone else who enjoyed that movie---there is more! In the movie we were introduced to Ramona Quimby and her family and friends at school, including her big sister Beezus and Beezus's long-time friend, Henry Huggins. The movie shows a sweet story of siblings who one minute can't stand the other and the next minute are sticking up for each other. It also shows the beginnings of a nice romance between Beezus and Henry.

Here's some trivia from the movie's webpage on imdb.com: "Beezus and Ramona first appeared, as supporting characters, in a series of books focused on Henry Huggins. Beverly Cleary later wrote Beezus and Ramona, which actually focused on Beezus and her family. However, her younger sister Ramona became so popular that the remaining books focused on Ramona. Beezus is still an important character, and Henry Huggins still appears, but became a secondary character in the series he launched. The names are reversed in the title for this film because of the shift in focus to Ramona."

If you or your children liked the movie and want to know more about Ramona, Henry, Beezus, or the rest of the Quimbys, I encourage you to read Beverly Cleary's series of books:

Ramona Quimby Age 8, Ramona the Brave, Ramona and Her Mother, Ramona and Her Father, Ramona the Pest, Beezus and Ramona, Ramona's Bad Day, Ramona's World, Henry Huggins, Henry and Beezus, Henry and the Paper Route, Henry and Ribsy, and Ramona Forever. You can look for these books in our catalog here: http://www.massillonlibrary.org/

There is so much more to learn and enjoy about Ramona!