Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism.

American author Beverly Cleary (1916-2021) was a prolific author of children’s fiction that focused on family, animals, and children’s experiences. One of her most well-known series follows kid protagonist Ramona, a fearless, creative girl who navigates home and school life while never compromising her integrity. Book 1, Beezus and Ramona (1955), is told by Ramona’s older sister, Beezus, and introduces the reader to Ramona as the siblings learn to get along and Beezus learns to appreciate Ramona’s boldness. The following books—including Ramona the Pest (1968) and Ramona the Brave (1975)—follow Ramona from age five into her teen years as she navigates the trials of growing up through realistic struggles and triumphs for different ages. The Ramona series is also a spinoff of the Henry Huggins series, which includes Henry Huggins (1950) and Henry and the Paper Route (1984), which is about a boy who lives in Ramona’s neighborhood and his similar struggles.

Cleary is also known for her stories that highlight the animal experience. In Socks, Cleary shows this experience both through human and animal lenses as Socks’s feelings and thoughts are intermixed with Brickers’ lives.