Ramona's Still a Pest, but at Least She's Trying

Irrepressible Ramona Quimby has been waiting her whole life to go to school like all the other children on Klickitat Street, and in Ramona the Pest, she finally gets that wish. She also goes from being the neighborhood nuisance viewed by Henry Huggins and the pesky sister perceived by her sister Beezus to being the grown-up little girl she sees herself as. Beezus and Henry still find her annoying, but theirs are no longer the prevailing perspectives. Instead, we see Ramona’s first days of kindergarten through her eyes.

Although her class turns out to be not exactly what she’d expected, she still decides that she loves kindergarten. She loves being around other kids her own age, playing games outside, chasing adorable little Davy around the schoolyard before class begins, learning how to write her name, and singing the song every morning about the “dawnzer” which gives off “lee light.” But most of all, she loves her teacher, Miss Binney, who is young, pretty, and sweet, and most importantly understands where Ramona is coming from.

This landmark year is full of triumphs for Ramona. She is grown-up enough to walk to school without adult supervision. She discovers that her last name begins with a fascinating letter and designs her own special version of the letter Q, complete with kittycat ears and whiskers to match the tail. Thanks to the innovation of Howie, her trike transforms from a vehicle too babyish to be suitable for a big kindergartener to a real two-wheeler, albeit a very wobbly and off-balance one.

Kindergarten is not free of frustrations, though. She must walk to school every day with her best friend Howie Kemp, whose demeanor is frightfully dull in comparison to her state of constant excitement. He always seems bored, which aggravates Ramona immensely. But Howie is nothing compared to Susan, a bossy girl in her class whose hair is filled with luxurious blonde curls. Every time she sees Susan, she longs to pull one of those nice, thick curls down and watch it spring up with a satisfying boing! Susan’s infuriating behavior only makes her urge stronger.

Cleary’s descriptions of Ramona’s exploits are hilarious. Though Ramona longs for the perks the older children in the neighborhood enjoy, she is unprepared to accept responsibility all of the time. She can’t be quiet and sensible like Beezus, and her stubbornness gets her into all sorts of trouble, from hiding between two garbage cans to avoid going to kindergarten with a substitute teacher to being temporarily expelled from the class after failing to resist her desire to yoink Susan’s curls. Much of the pest perceived by the long-suffering Beezus is present, but the readers begin to see that, aside from a few times when an irrational temper tantrum just feels so right, Ramona really does want to be good. A great read for anyone who can identify with the delicacy of balancing responsibility and spunk.