Beverly Cleary (1916–2021), award-winning “Ramona” series author
Beverly Cleary penned award-winning books for children and young adults including the popular “Ramona” series, notably the National Book Award-winning “Ramona and Her Mother” as well as “Ramona the Brave,” “Ramona Quimby, Age 8,” and “Ramona Forever.”Born Beverly Atlee Bunn April 12, 1916, in McMinnville, Oregon, in the heart of the Willamette Valley, Cleary initially didn’t seem destined for a career of writing beloved classics for young readers. Indeed, she was a reluctant reader herself, one who was in the bottom reading group in her first-grade class and didn’t find reading at all interesting.