Order of Beverly Cleary Books

Born Beverly Atlee Bunn on April 12, 1916, in McMinnville, Oregon, Cleary’s early years were shaped by the rural rhythms of small-town life—a world of cows, quiet streets, and modest dreams. But even from an early age, Beverly was drawn to stories. Her family moved to Portland when she was six, but the transition wasn’t easy. She struggled to read, ironically, until third grade. The irony? The woman who would go on to write books that made generations of children love reading was once a reluctant reader herself.

Cleary graduated from Grant High School in Portland, then earned a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1938—a daring feat for a woman of her time. She later received a degree in library science from the University of Washington in 1939. It was while working as a librarian that she noticed something: kids were asking for books about kids like them—everyday stories, not fairytales or moral sermons. And there were none.

So she wrote them.

Her first book, Henry Huggins (1950), was a quiet revolution. It introduced a boy who could have been the boy next door, complete with a mischievous dog named Ribsy and a pesky neighbor girl named Ramona. And that was just the beginning.

Over the next few decades, Cleary crafted a literary universe rooted in the utterly relatable: scraped knees, annoying siblings, embarrassing school moments, and the small triumphs that make growing up feel monumental. From Beezus and Ramona to Ramona Quimby, Age 8, from The Mouse and the Motorcycle to Dear Mr. Henshaw, her stories were written in a tone of deep empathy, seasoned with humor, and always with a respect for the intelligence of young readers.

Her genius lay in simplicity. Cleary never tried to moralize or talk down to kids. Instead, she listened to them—and they could tell. That’s why millions of readers felt like Ramona was them, like Beezus was their big sister, or like Leigh Botts from Dear Mr. Henshaw understood what it felt like to be lonely.

Beverly married Clarence Cleary in 1940, taking his last name, and continued to write even as she raised twins. She received the Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw in 1984, along with two Newbery Honors, and countless other awards. But perhaps the greatest honor? Her books are still in print, still read, still loved. They have been translated into dozens of languages and have sold over 90 million copies.

She passed away on March 25, 2021, just weeks shy of her 105th birthday. The world lost not just a beloved author, but a cultural cornerstone. Yet Beverly Cleary’s legacy isn’t just in awards or accolades—it’s in every child who picked up one of her books and felt, for the first time, seen.

In a literary world often obsessed with dragons, dystopias, and chosen ones, Cleary’s stories are refreshingly grounded. They whisper: your life matters too. That’s her magic—and her quiet revolution.

And here’s the kicker: once you’ve met Ramona, or Henry, or Ralph S. Mouse… you don’t forget them. You carry them with you, like a well-worn library card tucked in your back pocket.