In Ramona Forever, Beverly Cleary establishes a primary theme on the highs and lows of growing up. By portraying Ramona Quimby’s everyday challenges and triumphs, Cleary makes her a relatable protagonist whose childhood will echo the reader’s own experiences. This is important for the book’s role as a middle-grade narrative, especially the didactic and therapeutic purposes of traditional children’s literature. The novel casts many of the highs and lows of childhood as unavoidable parts of youth, especially as the result of children’s limited autonomy. This theme is focused on Ramona’s emotional responses to these events, the choices that she makes when dealing with her feelings, and the consequences of these choices. In other words, this theme promotes the novel’s message that well-regulated emotional control and adaptation is a key life skill, especially when an individual’s control over external factors is limited. 

As a result, Ramona’s “low” points in the story tend to be when she is in conflict with other people. For instance, when her babysitter is angry with her, Ramona becomes very upset: “Ramona sat, and Ramona seethed, angry at the unfairness of all that had happened” (21). Another low point for Ramona is her argument with Beezus, which worries Ramona for over a day as she stews in her guilt and anger: “Strangely, when Ramona’s heart was heavy, so were her feet.