as much money as we can while Daddy is

studying, even though he hopes to find part-

time work after school starts,” said Mrs.

Quimby. “And by the way, you don’t have to

tell me if you don’t want to, but I am curi-

ous.Why are your pajamas at school?”

“Oh.” Ramona made a face; it all seemed

so ridiculous now. She gave her mother the

shortest possible explanation.

Mrs. Quimby did not seem upset. She

merely said, “What next?” and laughed.

“Did Mrs. Rudge say anything about my

spelling?” Ramona hesitated to ask the ques-

tion, but she did want to know the answer.

“Why, no,” said Mrs. Quimby. “She didn’t

even mention spelling, but she did say you

were one of her little sparklers who made

188

teaching interesting.”And with that Ramona’s mother left the room.

A little sparkler! Ramona liked that. She

thought of the last Fourth of July when she

had twirled through the dusk, a sparkler

fizzing and spitting in each hand and leaving circles of light and figure eights as she had spun across the front yard until she had fallen to the grass with dizziness.And now she was

one of Mrs. Rudge’s little sparklers!

Ramona held out her arms and twirled

across the room, pretending she was holding

sparklers. Then she seized a pencil and paper that were lying on her bureau and wrote her

name in good, bold cursive:

There. A girl who was a sparkler needed

a name that looked like a sparkler. And that 189

was the way Ramona Quimby was going to

write her name.

Ching-chong, ching-chong went the roller skates out on the sidewalk. Ramona opened

the suitcase and pulled out her skates.

190

About the Author

BEVERLY CLEARY is one of America’s most popular authors.

Born in McMinnville, Oregon, she lived on a farm in Yamhill until she was six and then moved to Portland. After college, as the children’s librarian in Yakima, Washington, she was challenged to find stories for non-readers. She wrote her first book, HENRY

HUGGINS, in response to a boy’s question,

“Where are the books about kids like us?”

Mrs. Cleary’s books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association’s Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented in recognition of her lasting contribution to children’s literature. Her DEAR MR. HENSHAW was awarded the 1984 John Newbery Medal, and both RAMONA QUIMBY, AGE 8 and RAMONA AND HER FATHER have been named Newbery Honor Books. In addition, her books have won more than thirty-five statewide awards based on the votes of her young readers. Her characters, including Henry Huggins, Ellen Tebbits, Otis Spofford, and Beezus and Ramona Quimby, as well as Ribsy, Socks, and Ralph S. Mouse, have delighted children for generations. Mrs. Cleary lives in coastal California.

Enjoy all of

Beverly Cleary’s books

FEATURING

MORE GREAT FICTION

RAMONA QUIMBY:

BY BEVERLY CLEARY:

Beezus and Ramona

Ellen Tebbits

Ramona the Pest

Otis Spofford