Ramona and Her Father

Favorite author Beverly Cleary has been awarded the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal for 40 years of distinguished writing for children, and her best-selling books about Ramona, a well-meaning but often misguided little sister, certainly fall into that category. In this Newbery Honor Book, Ramona is determined to cheer up her father after he loses his job. She practices TV commercials in hopes of earning a million dollars, but ends up insulting her teacher instead — and getting into a prickly mess with some burrs. Then she embarks on a crusade to make her father stop smoking.

Meanwhile, Mom has gone off to a full-time job, and Ramona's big sister Beezus is rumored to have "reached a difficult age." Ramona has her hands full, to be sure, but her dedication to her family won't fail. Cleary has a perfect instinct for expressing the mixed emotions that inform children's actions, and readers will identify with Ramona even while finding her predicaments hilarious. This may be some readers' first Ramona story, but it won't be their last: Ramona and Her Father is a book that will stay with readers long after they've turned the last page, and will have them rushing to read more of the adventures of this one-of-a-kind kid.

Newbery Honor Book