The eight books Beverly Cleary wrote about Ramona Quimby and her older sister Beezus (real name: Beatrice) are some of the most charming young-adult books ever written. Ramona started out as a minor character in Cleary’s Henry Huggins book series but her silly, happy-go-lucky attitude quickly made her a favorite among fans — and the author herself. In the books, Ramona gets into all sorts of trouble when she plays with worms, pulls a classmate’s curly hair, makes a tiara out of burrs and refuses to eat tongue for dinner. (Who wouldn’t?) The last Ramona book came out in 1999 but if 94-year-old Cleary wrote another one, we would gladly read it.
Top 10 Kids’ Book Series We Miss
The writers at TIME are not as old as you think. Here are the kids' and young-adult books we cherished in our younger years.