RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8

Ramona begins third grade at a new school determined to do her share for the family. With her mother working and her father back at college, Ramona has to go to Howie's grandmother's after school; her job is to be nice to Howie's pesty little sister, and she tries hard. She also helps older sister Beezus improvise a Sunday dinner—they're grateful that it's edible, despite the mess in the kitchen. But Ramona gets egg on her face in class when her mother sends a raw, rather than a hard-boiled egg with her lunch. Later that day she hears her teacher refer to her as a show-off and nuisance. Another time, trying hard not to be a nuisance, she suffers silently though feeling bad . . . until she throws up right in class. But Ramona and her teacher finally straighten out the nuisance remark, and though the family has its money worries and its cranky days, things are never so bad that a Sunday dinner at the Whopperburger can't cheer them up. As always, Ramona's thought processes are amusing, touching, and revealing. Once more, Cleary shows us life through Ramona's eyes and shows her young readers that they are not alone.