Ramona's World is a 1999 juvenile

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

 novel

Novel

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

 written by Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary is an American author. Educated at colleges in California and Washington, she worked as a librarian before writing children's books. Cleary has written more than 30 books for young adults and children. Some of her best-known characters are Henry Huggins, Ribsy, Beatrice Quimby, her...

. The current edition was illustrated by Tracy Dockray

Tracy Dockray

Tracy Dockray is a US artist. She illustrated the current Harper Collins editions of Beverly Cleary's children's novels.-Bibliography:* Beezus and Ramona* Ramona the Pest* Ramona the Brave* Ramona and Her Father* Ramona and Her Mother...

. It is part of the Ramona Quimby series. Published in 1999, Ramona's World was written fifteen years after its predecessor, Ramona Forever

Ramona Forever

Ramona Forever is a 1984 juvenile novel written by Beverly Cleary. The first edition of the novel published in 1984 was illustrated by Alan Tiegreen. The most current edition had been illustrated by Tracy Dockray...

. As of 2011, it is the final installment in the series and the last book Cleary has published.

Plot summary

Ramona starts fourth grade and quickly becomes best friends with Daisy Kidd, who she thinks is perfect. At school, Ramona is frustrated with her teacher, Mrs. Meacham, who pushes her class to be proper spellers, a difficult subject for her.

Ramona's big sister, Beezus, a 15-year-old just entering high school, starts maturing into a teenager, speaking French around the house, and making her little sister Ramona mad. Ramona adjusts to being a big sister for Roberta, her baby sister and tries to be the role model Mrs. Quimby expects. She begins to feel forgotten as Beezus, Mr.Quimby,and Mrs.Quimby are always fussing over Roberta.

Ramona's rivalry with Susan

Susan Kushner

Susan Kushner is a fictional character in the Ramona series of novels by Beverly Cleary.-Fictional character biography:Susan Kushner is a little girl with long blonde ringlets. Ramona first meets Susan in preschool, in Beezus and Ramona, and when Ramona starts kindergarten and when she first pulls...

, her nemesis since kindergarten

Ramona the Pest

Ramona the Pest is the first of Beverly Cleary's books to focus on Ramona Quimby as the protagonist. This children's book chronicles the adventures of Ramona's first few months at kindergarten...

, continues. Ramona's parents and Susan's parents have become friends, and both sets of parents have asked their daughters to get along with each other. Ramona is frustrated by Susan's perfect attitude. She reluctantly invites Susan to her "zeroteenth" (tenth, actually) birthday party at the park at her mother's insistence. At the party, a silly dispute breaks out in which everyone turns against Susan, and for the first time, Ramona feels sorry for her, suggesting that maybe Ramona and Susan will become friends after all.