This is the first book I read for the Back to the Classics Challenge this year. Yes, it is a children’s classic and I read it with my crew.
This book follows the adventures of two sisters, Beezus, age 9, and Ramona, age 4, as they tackle life together. Though both sisters are represented throughout, the focus is primarily on Beezus as she deals with having a sister who is five years younger.
From a literary standpoint this book is well written and easy to read. Since it was written in the 50s some of the phrases are not as common today, but that is part of the fun of reading classics. It is an excellent example of how to write an intriguing story for a young audience.
On the whole I found the book fun and imaginative as Beezus goes through her tenth year of life wrestling with how she feels about her sister and what to do with those feelings. You see her learning what it means to put off herself to help her sister, setting the example for Ramona and how to tolerate a younger sister who is very difficult to deal with.