Ramona Quimby, Age 8, (1981) is the sixth book in Beverly Cleary’s middle-grade Ramona series. It follows spirited and curious Ramona as she balances her excitement about entering the third grade with her trepidation over the Quimby family’s financial struggles. Through her misadventures, Ramona learns her place in the family and how to stand up for herself at school using determination and creativity.

Known for realistic fiction, Cleary organizes the novel in a series of loosely connected vignettes; they give the reader a view of the workings of a middle-class family in the 1980s and inside the mind of an elementary-age child. The novel was named a Newberry Honor Book in 1982 and an ALA Notable Book. There are 145 editions, and the novel has been translated into 13 different languages. Alan Tiegreen illustrated the first edition, and subsequent editions were illustrated by Jaqueline Rogers and Tracy Dockray.

Other works by this author include Beezus and Ramona, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and Ramona the Pest.

The guide references the 2006 Harper Collins edition.

Plot Summary

Ramona Quimby excitedly prepares for her first day of third grade at Cedarhurst Primary School. Since her older sister Beezus is in middle school, Ramona not only gets to take the bus to school alone, she also will be at a school where no one knows her as Beezus’s little sister. Mrs. Quimby is working a receptionist job, and Mr. Quimby is working part-time at the ShopRite frozen food warehouse while he studies to become a high school art teacher. Mr. Quimby gives Beezus and Ramona new pink erasers for good luck.

Since her mother works, Ramona must spend each afternoon at Howie Kemp’s house under the supervision of his grandmother. Howie was once Ramona’s best friend, but now he is in a different class and has forged new friendships. Since

Howie has a bike, he rides off with his friends each day, and Ramona is left to entertain his four-year-old sister Willa Jean. Ramona knows it is part of her job as a Quimby to endure the annoying Willa Jean, but she can barely stand the boredom and longs to play outside with the other kids.

On the bus ride to school, a boy named Danny kicks Ramona’s seat and steals her pink eraser, but she maintains her composure and doesn’t retaliate. Ramona’s new teacher Mrs. Whaley asks her to help pass out papers to the class. When Ramona walks, her new shoes squeak. When she passes Danny, he calls her Bigfoot, and she says her nickname is Superfoot. Danny appreciates Ramona’s confidence and returns her eraser.

Mrs. Whaley teaches the students about Sustained Silent Reading time, or what she calls “D.E.A.R. time,” which stands for “Drop Everything and Read.” Ramona enjoys the freedom of reading without it being attached to an assignment. The students also observe the growth of fly larvae in jars full of blue oatmeal. That afternoon, Ramona must play dress-up with Willa Jean and her friend while Howie rides bikes with his friends.

The new trend at school is bringing a hard-boiled egg to crack, and Ramona asks her mother to include one in her lunch. When lunchtime arrives, Ramona tries to show off by cracking the egg on her head, but it is raw and splatters a runny egg on her face and hair. Mrs. Larson helps her clean herself in the office, where Ramona overhears Mrs. Whaley calling her a “show-off” and “a nuisance.” Thinking that her new teacher dislikes her, Ramona’s heart breaks, and she fixates on how she is a nuisance.

Meanwhile, Ramona’s parents still struggle financially, and the responsibilities of home plus work weigh heavily on Mrs. Quimby. Mr. Quimby must sketch his foot for a class assignment but can’t get it right. When their mother prepares tongue for a budget-friendly Sunday dinner, Beezus and Ramona refuse to eat it, and Mr. Quimby punishes them by ordering them to cook the family dinner the following day. Neither Ramona nor Beezus knows much about cooking. There isn’t much food in the house, but they rally as a team and prepare oven-roasted chicken thighs, rice, carrots, cornbread, and jam-braised pears for dessert—though they leave the kitchen a mess. The dinner is tasty. Mr. and Mrs. Quimby offer to do the dishes, unaware of the state of their kitchen.

The following day, the family car breaks down, and Ramona doesn’t feel well on the ride to school. When she sees the jars full of blue oatmeal, Ramona vomits on the floor in front of everyone. Her mom arrives in a cab to collect her and stays home from work for a few days to care for Ramona. The family car needs a new transmission, and Ramona worries about her mother missing work, but her father says he will take extra shifts during the holiday to pay for the repairs.

Ramona’s friend brings get-well letters from her classmates along with instructions to read a book and prepare a report to present to the class. While she is at home, Ramona watches a lot of television, and the catchy cat food commercials inspire her. She also enjoys a pizza commercial where a man claims that the pizza was so tasty that he ate the entire pie. Though she doesn’t enjoy the book for school, it does feature a cat, so she uses her creativity to prepare a book report in the style of a cat food commercial. She makes cat masks and invites two of her friends to help with her presentation.

Ramona worries about returning to school and what her classmates might say about her. She also still worries that Mrs. Whaley thinks she is bothersome. However, no one says anything about her getting sick, and her cat book commercial is a huge success; it garners laughter from the entire class, especially Danny. After class, Ramona approaches Mrs. Whaley and asks her why she called her a “show-off” and “a nuisance.” Mrs. Whaley explains that Ramona misunderstood the conversation and that she meant cleaning up the egg was a nuisance. However, she does get Ramona to agree that she enjoys being the center of attention. Ramona feels better having bravely confronted her teacher, but she still doesn’t quite understand Mrs. Whaley.

It’s a rainy Sunday, and all the Quimbys are sullen. Mrs. Quimby won’t let Beezus attend a sleepover because lack of rest makes her grumpy, and Ramona has neglected to clean her room. Mr. Quimby, who is trying to study amidst the quarreling, suggests they go out for dinner even though they are on a tight budget.

At the Whopperburger, an old man approaches Ramona and asks if she is being kind to her mother. Later the man sits next to the Quimbys, but Ramona soon forgets the strange encounter as she relishes her hamburger dinner. When they go to pay the bill, the waitress explains that the old man paid for their dinner because they are a nice family. The gesture stuns the Quimbys, but on the car ride home, they conclude that they are a nice family, even if they don’t always get along.

Ramona resolves to try harder to be nice to Willa Jean and understand Mrs. Whaley. She knows that no one is perfect, but each day is another chance to try again.