Ramona and Her Mother

Ramona and Her Mother is the fifth book in Beverly Cleary’s beloved Ramona Quimby series that chronicles the life of the title character from toddlerhood through adolescence. Ramona and Her Mother follows Ramona through the winter of her second-grade year. Cleary published her first book, Henry Huggins, in 1950, which introduced readers to the character of Henry, his dog Ribsy, and a very young Ramona Quimby. Throughout her career, Cleary received numerous awards and accolades for her contributions to children’s literature, including the 1981 National Book Award for children’s fiction for Ramona and her Mother, the Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw, and the National Medal of Arts. Cleary’s books have been translated into many languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide, cementing her legacy as one of the most beloved and influential children’s authors. Beverly Cleary passed away on March 25, 2021, at age 104.

This guide is based on the 1979 Morrow Junior Books edition.

Plot Summary

Tracing Ramona’s transition from a precocious youngster to a more self-aware older child, Ramona and Her Mother highlights themes such as The Bond Between Mothers and Daughters, The Challenges of Growing Up and Seeking Independence, and Building Resilient Families. Through its seven chapters, the novel presents a series of vignettes from Ramona’s daily life as she deals with the trials of life as an energetic seven-year-old with an active imagination who sometimes gets in trouble without meaning to.

The novel opens on New Year’s Day, when Ramona is midway through second grade. She lives on Klickitat Street in a fictionalized version of Portland, Oregon, with her parents, her older sister, Beezus, and their cat, Picky-Picky. Ramona’s father recently got a new job as a clerk at the Shop Rite grocery store after a period of unemployment, and the family is holding a celebratory brunch. Ramona is happy that her father has a new job, but she isn’t thrilled about the party, because she is expected to entertain Willa Jean Kemp, her friend Howie’s preschool-aged sister. Ramona already spends every afternoon at the Kemps entertaining Willa Jean while Ramona’s mother is at work. Ramona feels plain alongside Willa Jean when the adults fawn over the little princess, but more than anything, Ramona wants to snuggle Willa Jean’s plush bear. After brunch, Ramona takes Willa Jean to her room and presents her with a gift-wrapped box of Kleenex tissues. Willa Jean dances into the living room and pulls out each Kleenex in front of the adults. As the guests leave, someone remarks that Beezus is becoming like her mother and that Willa Jean reminds them of a younger Ramona. Ramona is angry because she believes she is nothing like Willa Jean, but the comment about her mother hurts her even more, since she longs to be her mother’s favorite.

In the second chapter, Ramona decides to sew a pair of pants for her stuffed animal, Ella Funt. Ramona relishes the alone time with her mother while they sew together. However, Beezus interrupts them as Ramona struggles to make the pants fit the elephant. Feeling that she is losing the special moment with her mother, Ramona erupts into anger and throws the pants across the room. She runs to the bathroom in tears and spots a new tube of toothpaste on the counter. Ramona has always wanted to empty a toothpaste tube, so she squeezes every bit of the toothpaste into a birthday cake shape in the sink. Beezus discovers her crime and immediately tattles. Mrs. Quimby makes Ramona scrape the toothpaste into a jar she must use while the rest of the family gets a new tube to share. Even though she knows her action was wasteful, having to use the jar makes Ramona feels even more left out of her family.

Chapter 3 moves beyond the Quimby home. Ramona likes school, but she isn’t sure if her teacher, Mrs. Rudge, likes her, because she struggles with spelling. After school at the Kemps’, she and Howie escape the annoyance of Willa Jean by building a small boat from scrap wood in the basement. They test the boat in a laundry tub, and Ramona grabs a bottle of laundry bluing to tint the water. Unfortunately, she slips, and the cap falls off, spilling the blue dye all over Howie. Ramona, who landed in the water, must wear Howie’s clothes while she waits uncomfortably for her parents to arrive. Mrs. Quimby is delayed due to car trouble, and Ramona senses tension on the car ride home, but she knows all will be well once they enjoy a family dinner.

However, that night’s dinner does not go as planned. At the beginning of Chapter 4, the family discovers that no one had plugged in the Crock-Pot that morning, and the roast dinner is still raw. Everyone is hungry and prickly, and there’s not much food in the fridge or pantry. Mr. and Mrs. Quimby exchange tense words over who’s at fault for the dinner debacle while Beezus and Ramona trade worried glances. Unused to their parents arguing, they try to defuse the conflict and help prepare dinner. Mrs. Quimby makes pancakes but rushes to cook them. When Mr. Quimby points out that the pancakes are raw in the center, she angrily tosses the food into the trash and pops him on the rear with the spatula. Mr. Quimby quietly finishes making dinner, and they eat in silence. Later, Ramona and Beezus can’t sleep because they are worried about their parents’ conflict. However, they find their parents eating breakfast together the following day and sharing the newspaper. Ramona scolds her parents for fighting, claiming that she and Beezus aren’t allowed to fight. Mr. and Mrs. Quimby chuckle at their children and promise not to argue anymore.

When Mrs. Quimby cuts the girls’ hair to save money, Ramona enjoys her mother’s attention. Beezus, however refuses to let her mother cut her hair, claiming she is the only one in her grade who doesn’t go to a salon. In Chapter 5, Beezus discovers a local teaching salon that gives discounted haircuts, and Mrs. Quimby agrees to take her there. Beezus uses all her savings to pay for the haircut. The drive to the salon is stressful, since they must first take Mr. Quimby to work, and they get lost. Ramona gets nauseated, and it’s raining. While Beezus is getting her haircut, Mrs. Quimby also agrees to let Ramona get a haircut. The stylist gives Ramona a pixie cut, and she beams as all the stylists fawn over her cute new look. Beezus’s haircut has not gone as planned: The style is too voluminous and more fitting for an older woman. Ramona feels sorry for her sister, and Mrs. Quimby offers to help Beezus wash out all the hairspray.

Although Ramona usually has to wear hand-me-downs from Beezus, she is excited when, in Chapter 6, Mrs. Quimby gives her a new pair of pajamas. She loves them so much that she secretly wears them to school under her clothes. As she becomes unbearably hot, Mrs. Rudge notices Ramona’s discomfort and encourages her to go to the bathroom, remove the pajamas, and store them on her desk. Ramona makes her promise not to tell her parents, as she is embarrassed. When Mrs. Rudge promises to keep the secret, Ramona knows her teacher cares for her. However, she forgets to take her pajamas home over the weekend and worries that her secret will be exposed. When, in Chapter 7, Mrs. Rudge calls home, Ramona assumes her beloved teacher broke her trust and explodes into a tantrum. Claiming that no one cares for her, Ramona decides to run away. Hoping her family will stop her, Ramona is shocked when her mother begins helping her pack. However, the suitcase is too heavy, and Ramona realizes her mother has tricked her. As they both cry, Mrs. Quimby declares her love for Ramona and tells her their family wouldn’t be the same without her. Her mother explains that she must continue working to help the family since Mr. Quimby is returning to college, and Ramona vows to continue going to the Kemps daily without complaint to support her family. It’s a beautiful spring day, and Ramona goes outside to roller skate.