"Terrifical"

Some things just get better with age. Ramona Quimby, I am convinced, is one of those things. I read several of the books by Beverly Cleary as a kid. Aside from just being fun to read, I remember thinking it was pretty nifty that the main character had the same name as my mom. That was about it.

Then about a year and a half ago, Marissa and I were looking for something to read together at night. I borrowed a box set of the Ramona books from my mom, and Marissa and I dove in. I thoroughly enjoyed the books in so many ways. Mostly, I marveled at how Beverly Cleary so perfectly captured the imagination, the worries, the antics, and the mindset of an eight-year-old girl. Marissa was about the same age as Ramona at the time, and I felt myself propelled into her world. At one point while reading Ramona and Her Mother, I actually started to cry [much to the puzzlement of Marissa] simply because I felt like Cleary provided me a lens through which I could better understand my daughter. On top of that, I appreciated the descriptions of Oregon, which brought me back to growing up there, wearing rubber boots to school, jumping in mud puddles, and finding worms after a rain storm.

Last night I had the TV to myself and watched the movie Ramona and Beezus, and it felt like a blissful guilty pleasure. I loved the portrayals of Ramona's brilliant imagination, her desire to be good and responsible, the neat and not-so-neat of family relationships. It impressed me how the themes written about in the late 70's and early 80's translated so well to a modern story. I laughed out loud and cried a little bit, too. I should probably mention that Marissa also watched the movie at least a couple of times while we had it. Definitely a treat for younger sisters, older sisters, daughters, mothers, and fathers. [Sorry, brothers. It's nothing personal. Although you might like it, too.] If Ramona Quimby needs a fan club, we could probably start here.