Quotes from Beverly Cleary

Then she decided her mother had not really guessed because she often asked where the fire was when Ramona was in a hurry.

Clank, crash, clank. Ramona forgot about her father being out of a job, she forgot how cross he had been since he gave up smoking, she forgot about her mother coming home tired from work and about Beezus being grouchy lately. She was filled with joy.

She felt good from making a lot of noise, she felt good from the hard work from walking so far in her tin can stilts, she felt good from calling a grown-up pieface and from the triumph of singing backwards from ninety-nine to one. She felt good from being out after dark with the rain on her face and the streetlights shining down on her.

Until this minute she had thought all adults were supposed to like all children. She understood by now misunderstandings were to be expected- she had had several with teachers - and often children and grown-ups did not agree, but things somehow worked out. For a grown-up to actually dislike a child and try to shame her, she was sure had to be wrong, very, very wrong.

Dear Emily, This week I went to the library. I got Black Beauty. It is about a horse. It is the best book I ever read. I read it three times. I have to go now. Write soon. Yours truly, Muriel. P.S. Mama sends her love.

Why, no, I guess not

Nothing in the world was worse than unhappy parents. Nothing. When parents were unhappy, the whole world seemed to go wrong.

No more stalling, young lady," he said. "You were supposed to be asleep hours ago.

We can't always do what we want in life, answered her father, so we do the best we can.

Ramona did not know what to say. She did not feel words like darling or adorable fitted this baby.

Uncle Avery, who was not only postmaster but mayor of Pitchfork as well.

Ramona and her father

Mother, what am I going to do? Beezus demanded. It's checked out on my card and I'm responsible. they won't let me take any more books out of the library, and I won't have anything to read, and it will all be Ramona's fault. She's always spoiling my fun and it isn't fair! Beezus didn't know what she would do without her library card. She couldn't get along without library books. She just couldn't, that was all.

One day after school Henry Huggins, who lived

That's right," grumped Mr. Schultz, half-pretending.

Tiddlywinks, tiddlywinks, I want to play tiddlywinks, chanted Ramona, shaking her head back and forth.

where we won't have to watch old Scooter show off all day.

One spring day Ramona had got lost, because she started out to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Maybe she was doing the wrong thing, but that was the way she was.

As Ramona sat letting these thoughts slide through her mind, the telephone rang in the kitchen.

carpet tickling the bottoms of their feet and their nosegays

Yes, you are," said Beezus.

Two creatures who shared a love for motorcycles naturally spoke the same language.

Never mind the danger, never mind what his mother thought. This was living. This was what he wanted to do. On and on and on.