I still have a soft spot for Ramona Quimby. I loved "Ramona the Pest".

Though I didn't like the later ones (Ramona and Father, and Ramona Age 8) -- I read them with my daughter...

I read Cleary voraciously at age about 10 (these were simpler times - no Goosebumps, yet).

I recall being fascinated by the portrayal of a struggling young family in the Ramona stories - very new in my experience...in books, that is, not in real life.
My favourite sequences are in the earlier books, too. I still remember Ramona becoming fascinated by the daily song about the 'dawnzer' (she figures it must be a new kind of lamp, since it gives off a 'lee light') and later just itching to boing the sausage curls of the beautiful little girl sitting nearby.

(The only thing I could never understand was how willing older sister Beatrice was to go by...Beezus? Even back then, I wondered exactly how uncool you had to be to allow yourself to be called by your little sister's mispronunciation in public...)

Ellen Tebbitts and - especially - its semisequel Otis Spofford are fun too. Otis' 'comeuppance' at Ellen's hands remains one of the most satisfying in my memory.

I liked the "dawnzer", too. I also liked Ramona's "cat Q's.

Yeah, I miss Ramona! Ellen was fun, too! *sighs*

Ninja Turtles books...

BABY-SITTER'S CLUB!!!!!!
*sproings Kerrie*

I think Henry Huggins series was one of the first book series I ever read.

BABY-SITTER'S CLUB!!!!!!
*sproings Kerrie*

Ahhhhhh! *sproings CC back* I think I still have some of those around here somewhere...I liked the ones with Claudia and Dawn narrating best.

As for Henry Huggins, yep, read 'em all. At the moment what sticks out in memory is a slightly surreal incident in one of the books where Henry finds the mother of all secret bubble-gum stashes - they had an unusual flavour, I forget what - also why they were stashed.
Anyhow, he makes a fortune selling them at school...until everyone's well and truly convinced that you can have far too much of a good thing, even candy.

Even back then, I wondered exactly how uncool you had to be to allow yourself to be called by your little sister's mispronunciation in public... - kerriem

I don't think it's all that uncommon - I know someone who commonly goes by a (deliberate) mispronunciation of her own name from people who couldn't pronounce it properly.

I liked the one where Henry Huggins takes the ditzy, coarse young girl and proceeds to educate her in social graces and culture . . . oh, wait a minute, that was Henry Higgins! Never mind.

This year will see the release of the Hollywood movie version of Beverly Cleary's classic characters in "Ramona and Beezus".

SHould be interesting. I used to like watching the PBS "Ramona" series in the early '90's.