BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSNine-year-old Beatrice Quimby goes by Beezus, a nickname her four-year-old sister Ramona coined when she first learned to talk. Beezus generally likes her little sister, but Ramona has a gift for causing chaos at exactly the wrong moment. The book follows Beezus through a series of incidents where Ramona crashes a checkers game, ruins a library book with purple crayon, bites one bite out of a whole box of apples, invites a dozen nursery-school kids to a surprise party without telling anyone, and destroys two birthday cakes in a single afternoon. Through it all, Beezus wrestles with a question she finds almost too uncomfortable to say out loud: is it wrong to not love your little sister all the time?
Free Battle of the Books questions for Beezus and Ramona
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Beezus and Ramona. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a girl have to pay two dollars and fifty cents for a damaged library book?
✓ Answer
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Miss Evans, the children's librarian, tells Beezus the rule is that she must pay for the whole book since every page was damaged. Her mother gave her three dollars, so she gets fifty cents back.
- First half
In what book does a girl paint a dragon that breathes pink cotton-candy clouds and has lollipops down its back?
✓ Answer
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
After her first try fails, Beezus loosens up and paints a dragon breathing pink spun-sugar clouds with different-flavored lollipops as spines down its back. The teacher says it shows real imagination.
- First half
In what book does a little girl shut a dog in the bathroom as punishment for gobbling her cookie?
✓ Answer
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Ramona decides Ribsy needs to be punished after he takes her cookie, so she shoves him in the bathroom until he can be a good dog. She doesn't expect him to accidentally lock the door.
- Second half
In what book does a child insist that "the first bite tastes best" while ruining half a box of apples?
✓ Answer
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Hiding in the basement, Ramona defends taking one bite out of each apple to her horrified older sister. Beezus has to admit the first bite really does taste best, even though it does not excuse the mess.
- Second half
In what book do small children shout "Bingle-bongle-by!" over and over inside a house?
✓ Answer
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Howie starts yelling the nonsense phrase just to make noise, and the whole rowdy party joins in with delight. The shouts mix with the roar of a vacuum cleaner that one boy has grabbed.
- Near the end
In what book are two birthday cakes ruined the same afternoon, once by eggshells and once by a doll?
✓ Answer
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Ramona drops every egg in the house, shells and all, into the first batter, then bakes her rubber doll Bendix in the second cake while pretending to be Gretel. Her mother sends her to her room until she can behave.
