Ramona the Brave

For most children, their siblings are their first friends, and they offer the first opportunity to learn about the nuances of navigating interpersonal relationships. Despite their considerable age gap, Ramona and Beezus live in close contact with each other emotionally and physically. Forced to share a room for their entire lives, the sisters’ divergent personalities conflict, causing all the usual sibling squabbles and resentment. However, the novel opens with a stark reversal of power, as Ramona finds herself coming to Beezus’s defense in what she thinks is an act of valor: “For the first time in her six years, Ramona had looked after Beezus, who was supposed to be the responsible one. Bossy was a better word, Ramona sometimes thought” (12). Beezus gives Ramona the walk home to bask in her bravery before crushing her spirit when they tell their mother the story, and Beezus proclaims Ramona’s invective an embarrassment instead of heroic. Beezus once again thrusts her sister back into her place as the youngest and, in Ramona’s eyes, most misunderstood family member. Although their relationship remains bumpy, as the story progresses, Cleary establishes a strong connection between the siblings and continues to expand the nature of the relationship throughout the