Stockard Channing

Book Review: Ramona’s World

/ Kristi / 1 Comment

Ramona’s World
Ramona Quimby #8
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

Now in fourth grade and with a new baby sister at home, Ramona is growing up, but still struggles to fully understand what that means. She still reacts to perceived (or real) injustices a bit extremely, but she’s also a lot calmer than she used to be. It’s nice to watch her get a female best friend (no offense to Howie), and her having a crush is kinda cute and pretty relatable, even at that age. I don’t particularly care for the way her fourth-grade teacher treats her in regards to spelling mistakes, but I also had plenty of teachers who might not have handled imperfect students as well as they should have. Though I think some of the charm of the very young Ramona is gone as she gets older, I still enjoyed this book. I appreciated Stockard Channing’s narration throughout the series, and I recommend it for anyone who might be interested, young or old.

Find out more about Ramona Forever

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Ramona Forever

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Ramona Forever
Ramona Quimby #7
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

Ramona’s life goes through a lot of upheaval in this book, but with the help of her family, including her bossy older sister Beezus, she handles it all pretty well. Though she definitely still handles some things in a way only a child could, she suffers less from misunderstandings than she did when she was younger. I’ve enjoyed watching this little girl grow up throughout this series, yet not lose her spunk or love of messes or loud noises. She learns some hard lessons and has sweet bonding moments with Beezus. Though I think some of the charm of the very young Ramona is gone as she gets older, I still enjoyed this book. I also again appreciated Stockard Channing’s narration, and I recommend it for anyone who might be interested, young or old.

Find out more about Ramona Forever

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Ramona Quimby, Age 8

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Ramona Quimby #6
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

I really felt for Ramona in this book. When her teacher calls her a show-off and uses the word “nuisance,” I literally gasped out loud and just felt so bad for the poor girl! Though, as an adult, I immediately began thinking through why the teacher would say that, but I can imagine kids reading this and thinking that is just a terrible teacher. Adding to that, it was almost too painful to see Ramona having so much responsibility put on her to make things work at the Kemps’ so her dad can keep going to school and her mom can keep working. That’s not even something Ramona  blows up in her mind—it’s basically what her parents tell her. But the indignity of Mrs. Kemp being paid while Ramona entertains her granddaughter gets under my skin a bit. That really just shows how connected I’ve gotten to this little girl, though. I’ve been enjoying Stockard Channing’s narration throughout the series, too, and I recommend it for anyone who might be interested, young or old.

Find out more about Ramona Quimby, Age 8

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Ramona and Her Mother

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Ramona and Her Mother
Ramona Quimby #5
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

This book did not stand out to me as much as previous in the series did. I think that’s just because a lot of it felt like rehashing of things Ramona did, misunderstandings, etc. from previous books. After how much I loved the previous book in the series, this one felt a little like a letdown. It seems like she could really do with a little more discipline, but on the other hand, she’s at a young enough age that both of her parents being gone full-time would have to be very difficult on her. I feel for Ramona in some of the situations she gets herself into, and there are also some nice moments in the book, as in previous ones. Stockard Channing’s narration is pretty great, too, and I recommend it for anyone who might be interested, young or old.

Find out more about Ramona and Her Mother

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Ramona and Her Father

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Ramona and Her Father
Ramona Quimby #4
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

I so wish I had read these books when I was a child. I remember knowing about them. I may have read one, or maybe it was a different one set in the same world. But I really think I would have connected with Ramona. This book was my favorite so far, and that’s considering that I’ve really liked them all. Ramona gets to spend more time with her dad than usual, but it’s at the cost of him having lost his job and taking some time to find a new one. The scenes that stuck out to me the most are those related to her dad’s smoking habit. The scene where Beezus confronts him about it is relatively intense, and when her dad confesses his brief slip to Ramona, I teared up a little! This book is not just about the adventures of a young girl; it’s full of so much heart! Stockard Channing’s narration is pretty great, too, and I recommend it for anyone who might be interested, young or old.

Find out more about Ramona and Her Father

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Ramona the Brave

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Ramona the Brave
Ramona Quimby #3
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

Oh my goodness, the things this little girl does…I don’t know if Beverly Clearly followed a kid around for weeks, observed her own children, or remembered her own childhood for these books, but man, I’m constantly amazed by the real insight she puts into these stories. Ramona has such a rough time in first grade, I almost wish she was a real kid that I could put my arms around and tell that she is seen and she is understood. The owl episode, especially, made me wish for her sake that she could really explain her thoughts and decisions. I knew the moment that new room was announced, it would be a source of contention between sisters as to who would get it—it’s 100% accurate. And then Ramona’s unhappiness building up until she just had to get it out has hilarious, and then very touching, consequences.

Stockard Channing’s narration is pretty great, too, and I recommend it for anyone who might be interested, young or old.

Find out more about Ramona the Brave

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Ramona the Pest

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Ramona the Pest
Ramona Quimby #2
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

Cleary seems to have some great insight into the mind of a child; though it’s been a long time since I was Ramona’s age in this book, I can definitely remember having some of the same thoughts and feelings she has here. Her ups and downs are so realistic and make me wish her parents would see her more, while knowing that they’re normal and understanding why they’re not always fully aware of what’s going on with her. The very end of the book, the culmination of Ramona’s trouble at school and her love of making cats with her Qs, made me so happy! I liked the first book in the series, but this one definitely tops it!

Find out more about Ramona the Pest

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: Beezus and Ramona

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

Beezus and Ramona
Ramona Quimby #1
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

I’m pretty sure I read some of the Ramona books when I was younger, though this one wasn’t familiar. When I first started listening, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Stockard Channing’s narration, but it grew on me along the way. Now to the story…I totally felt for Beezus in these little vignettes—not because I had any kind of a similar situation when I was a kid, but because if I had, I would definitely have felt the same way as Beezus did. I found myself wishing often that the mom was a little stronger in how she handled the things Ramona did. Often, Ramona simply doesn’t understand that she’s done something wrong or why it’s wrong, but that doesn’t mean she can’t learn.

I appreciated how Ramona comes to understand that just because she doesn’t always feel love for her sister doesn’t mean she’s a bad sister. And though the main theme of the book is Ramona’s…obnoxiousness, I liked that Beezus had some little wins in there. Overall, a fun book with some good nostalgia in it.

Find out more about Beezus and Ramona

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!