Module 2: Classic Children's and Young Adult Literature

Two books this time, and they're two that I'm surprised I never read when I was kid. The first book is Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary.

The book is about Ramona, a girl who has just started third grade and all of the things that happen to her. She has to stay after school with another little girl who is doted upon by her grandmother, she has a teacher she thinks hates her, and her family is struggling for money. This is a great book for kids this age because Ramona goes through the same problems real kids do, and in the end she knows she has a family that, despite their problems, loves her very much.

• "Cleary shows us life through Ramona's eyes and shows her young readers that they are not alone." -- Kirkus Reviews

• "Ramona is justifiably one of the most famous and loved characters in children's fiction." -- Publishers Weekly                                                                                             

Before I go into what can be done in the library with Ramona, I want to talk a little about the other book I read, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. 

Harriet the Spy is about a sixth grader named Harriet M. Welsch (the M. doesn't stand for anything) who makes notes on everyone and everything she sees, and some of her notes are not very nice. Of course, she gets caught and after being at war with her friends and classmates, she gives an apology that she doesn't really mean. Honestly, she's a brat and she doesn't really learn anything from what happens except to not get caught, and if you do, lie. And she gets told this by her old nanny who may not have been the best role model. Still, reviews like it.

• "Harriet is determined to become a famous author. In the meantime, she practices by following a regular spy route each day and writing down everything she sees in her secret notebook. Her life is turned upside down when her classmates find her notebook and read it aloud!" - School Library Journal
  

Both of these books would be valuable in a talk with girls around the ages of 8 to 12. Girls could compare what they would do if faced with the situations Ramona and Harriet went through. An extension of Ramona could be kids draw their feet like Ramona did with her father. An extension of Harriet could be having kids write down what they observe and seeing how many details they can include.


(reviews retrieved from Amazon.com)