Newbery Honor – Ramona and Her Father
January 11th, 2010 by the1stdaughter
The Newbery Honor is granted each year to the “runner’s-up” of the Newbery Award recipient. It was officially changed from “Runner-Up” to Newbery Honor in 1971. These are books the committee feels are “worthy of attention”. Typically there are between 2 to 4 recipients, although there is no requirement that one be named at all.
Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary illustrated by Tracy Dockray
Published by Harper Collins Childrens
208 pages
Ages 9-12
Publishers Summary:
Ramona just wants everyone to be happy. If only her father would smile and joke again, her mother would look less worried, her sister would be cheerful, and Picky-picky would eat his cat-food. But Ramona’s father has lost his job, and nobody in the Quimby household is in a very good mood.
Ramona tries to cheer up the family as only Ramona can — by rehearsing for life as a rich and famous star of television commercials, for instance — but her best efforts only make things worse. Her sister, Beezus, calls her a, pest, her parents lose patience with her, and her teacher claims she’s forgotten her- manners. But when her father admits he wouldn’t trade her for a million dollars, Ramona knows everything is going to work out fine in the end.
“To start off I need to just say, I’m a huge fan of Beverly Cleary. Her book, Socks was the book that started my reading journey when I was very little. Somehow Cleary manages to capture the heart and mind of whomever she is speaking for in her characters. It’s truly astounding! This, I feel, is exactly why in her years of writing she has accumulated numerous awards (Newbery, Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in ’84, and many more) and a devoted following of all ages. Cleary also participates in National Drop Everything And Read Day on April 12th, which also happens to be her birthday. She encourages reading every day, but this event is focused on getting individuals and families to take time and sit down to read together. An amazing author with wonderful books and an ability to reach readers of all ages!
“Now, on to Ramona and Her Father…It was awarded the Newbery Honor in 1978, which also happens to be the year I was born, but I guess that’s besides the point. Even with the book being originally printed in 1978 I found it highly relevant for today’s audience, especially considering our current economic climate. In the very beginning of the book Ramona’s father loses his job, unfortunately something many families are dealing with now. The story consists of Ramona’s reaction to all that occurs because of this dramatic event in her families life. Ramona goes from trying to make a million dollars, to just trying to make everyone in her family happy, to trying to help her father quit smoking, and eventually just trying to keep a positive attitude herself.
“What I most loved about the story was how well it was told from the perspective of an eight year old. As a parent sometimes it can be difficult to step outside of yourself and actually truly see how your child might feel about something. Cleary understands how the impact of the main ‘bread-winner’ losing their job could affect even the youngest member of a family. It opened my eyes to all sorts of situations and points of view. Ramona was kind and concerned for everyone in the family, but obviously still had very ‘typical’ child-like moments. A very well written and playful story told from the viewpoint of an eight year old. A must read, especially in these difficult times.”
Next week: The Giver by Lois Lowry Newbery Award Winner 1994 (Also award winner in 1990)
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Posted in A World of Awards | 4 Comments »
Beverly Cleary is one of my favorites. Her books have delighted me for years. As a child (i’m 20 years older than you!) I loved reading about Henry, Ribsy and the gang. It gave me a sense of family that I wanted so badly growing up.
Reading her books as a family is a great idea!
It’s amazing that her books can span generations and I’m really looking forward to Turkeybird and Littlebug reading them.
I like to think of Ramona as the original Junie B. with good grammar. I’ve also found that I tend to like the Honor books better than the winners in most cases!
As sad as this may be, I’ve never read any Junie B., but I think I’m going to pick up one of the books next time I’m at the library. And yes, I agree, the recommendations seem to be a little more appealing to me as well. Thanks for the comment!