Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (novel)

Feel my cover. It’s smooth and stiff, protecting all the words and pictures waiting inside. When you open me up, my pages make a soft rustling sound, like leaves whispering secrets just for you. Can you smell that? It’s the special smell of paper and ink, the smell of a new adventure. I love it when a child’s hands pick me up from a shelf. Sometimes, their fingers trace the drawing on my front cover—a girl with short brown hair, looking like she’s about to do something mischievous and fun. You might wonder what kind of world is tucked inside my pages. It is a world of feelings and funny moments, a friend you haven't met yet. I am a story. I am the book, Ramona Quimby, Age 8.

I wasn't built with wood or stone. I was made from something much more magical: imagination. My creator was a wonderful woman named Beverly Cleary. She didn't use paint or clay; she used words. She knew exactly what it felt like to be a kid, with all the big feelings and silly moments that happen every day. She used her memories and her clever mind to fill my pages and build a whole world for a girl named Ramona Quimby. Ramona isn't a princess in a castle. She is a regular kid with a huge imagination and a talent for getting into trouble, even when she’s trying her best to be good. One of her most famous messes happens at school. She wanted to show everyone how strong a raw egg is, but instead of tapping it gently, she cracked it right on her head. Splat. Egg dripped all down her hair. It was embarrassing, but it was also very funny. Beverly Cleary finished writing all of Ramona’s adventures for me, and I was finally shared with the world on August 12th, 1981. I was so excited to be placed on a bookshelf for the first time, ready for my first reader.

Ever since that first day, I have been a special friend to children all over the world. When they open my cover, they find Ramona, and in Ramona, they often find a little bit of themselves. They giggle when she gets into silly situations, and they understand when she feels worried or misunderstood. I became a friend who sits on a shelf, always ready to share a story that feels real and true. People liked my stories so much that I won a very special award called a Newbery Honor in 1982. It was like getting a shiny gold star for being a good friend to my readers. My purpose is to show every child that it’s okay to make mistakes and that growing up is a big, messy, and wonderful adventure. I am still here, waiting in libraries and on bedroom shelves, for the next person to open my pages. I can't wait to share Ramona's world with you and remind you that your story is important, too.