A Girl from Yamhill

One of my daughters' favorite authors (she was preschool teacher) and this is about her life/growing up. Good read. I am going to pass it on to my 43 year old daughter to read. She is going to be surprised.

If you were in love with Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins or Runaway Ralph as a child, you will love this memoir of their creator. Beverly Cleary takes us back to her childhood and shares with us her memories of growing up in Oregon and what her family life was like. One can't help but notice, there are so many similarities between Ramona and a young Beverly Cleary! As always, Cleary paints a perfect picture of life as a young girl and what it was like coming of age. Her words are full of honesty, insightfullness & humor. My only other recommendation is to make sure you buy On My Own Two Feet, which takes you through her adult years. When A Girl from Yamhill is over, you will be hungry for more! Beverly Cleary is a timeless delight to read for all ages.

I loved this book as much as I enjoyed the Ramona Quimby books that I grew up reading. I really enjoyed realizing that Emily's Runaway Imagination was based on Cleary's own life. It was interesting to see her early life on a farm and then the changes that came from her family's move to suburbia.Cleary explains her early writing experiences explaining that she wanted to read books as a child that were realistic. Her school and family experiences gave great insight.This is also a great history of being a child in the depression era.This is a great book for anyone who curled up with a copy of Henry Huggins or Ellen Tebbitts!

Like the other reviewers here, I was addicted to the books of Beverly Cleary when I was child. Mrs. Cleary's books provided me endless hours of enjoyment, and I still remember laughing out loud at the adventures and misadventures of her characters. Eventually, I grew up and Mrs. Cleary's books became just fond remembrances of my childhood.Remembrances are what they remained until I re-read "Otis Spofford" a couple weeks ago. Despite my age, I still found myself laughing out loud while I read it. It was that experience that led me to read "A Girl from Yamhill." I wanted to find out more about the woman whose mere name on a book ensured to me as a child a wonderful reading experience.What a terrific autobiography! I read it in one day. I loved the simple, but honest writing style that can also be found in her fictional books. I also recognized many of the experiences of her girlhood that eventually ended up among the adventures of her fictional characters: tin cans and twine, misinterpreting the words to national anthem, the boys chewing garlic, and the green paint for Christmas. However, what struck me as the best part of "A Girl from Yamhill" was how ordinary Beverly Bunn was as a girl. She wasn't poor or rich. She got good grades; but occassionally they slipped. She wasn't in the popular cliques; but she wasn't an outcast. She never got into any major trouble; but she wasn't a saint. Yes, her mother was emotionally detached and controlling; but she wasn't abusive or meanspirited. Teenaged Beverly spends alot of time worrying about her clothes and boys just like any other teenage girl. I was amazed how much I enjoyed reading about the life of an average, ordinary girl. Of course, that girl did have one major talent- she could write, and that talent is what makes "A Girl from Yamhill" such a joy- Beverly Cleary is a fantastic writer. She brings everything so vividly to life, and provides the reader not only insight into her own character, but also gives a glimpse of what life was really like in the Oregon of the 1920's and 30's. A great, great book!

I grew up in the 1970's reading Beverly Cleary cover to cover and voraciously! I LIVED to get another Beverly Cleary book. I am now an 8th grade Reading teacher, and kids still love her books to pieces (sometimes literally). A student of mine who is researching Cleary for her author research project showed me this book. I read it in its entirety in 24 hours. I literally could not put it down. I recognized many episodes in her life that showed up in her books. I was surprised to find out she was an only child. For some reason, I always thought she had an older sister like Beezus! Beverly Cleary is the greatest!

Having read many of Beverly Cleary's books when I was a kid, I was rather surprised that her childhood was actually a sad, unhappy time for her, with an unloving mother. She recounts her childhood with amazing detail. I felt so sorry for Beverly for having such a cruel, unloving mother. It's amazing that she grew up to be so successful even though she had very little encouragement at home. Even though this was a very sad book, it was very well written.