Beezus and Ramona

Beatrice “Beezus” Quimby is the sensible older sister of Ramona Quimby and the protagonist of the story. Although this first book in the series focuses on the nine-year old’s perspective of growing up as the oldest child, the remainder of the series focuses on Ramona and her coming of age. The novel features many of Ramona’s shenanigans, but thematically it focuses on Beezus’s experience of living with a younger sibling. Beezus feels the pressure of not only being an example to her younger sister but also being her frequent caretaker. She often finds her parents’ reactions to Ramona’s behavior insufficient and worries she must teach her sister a moral lesson: “Plainly something had to be done and it was up to Beezus to do it” (9). As each chapter progresses, Cleary gives her protagonist small revelations and paints an image of a child’s growing up emotionally through small events that lead to large realizations. Most of the episodes created by the author are not high-stakes events, but in each instance Beezus grows and matures. She learns to perform under pressure, make quick decisions, manage a crowd, and share her emotions when she is feeling sad.