isn't as easy as it looks. Ramona's rivalry with Susan, her nemesis since kindergarten, continues. Ramona is frustrated by Susan's perfect attitude. She reluctantly invites Susan to her "zeroteen" birthday party at the park at her mother's insistence. Susan brings an apple instead of eating the birthday cake, because of her mother's cautions about germs. After the other girls tease her and Mrs. Quimby comforts her, she finally decides to eat a slice of cake. Ramona discovers she feels sorry for Susan, whose mother expects her to always be perfect. Ramona gives the leftover cake to Yard Ape and his friends, who were also playing at the park, and she decides this is a perfect day - well, not perfect, but close enough. Characters The following characters appear in the novel: Ramona Quimby, Beezus and Roberta's 9-year-old sister, and protagonist of the story Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby, Ramona and Roberta's 14-year-old sister Dorothy Quimby, Ramona's mother Robert Quimby, Ramona's father Daisy Kidd, a girl who is new to the neighborhood, who soon becomes Ramona's best friend Jeremy Kidd, Daisy's older brother; he and Beezus seem to like one another Howard "Howie" Kemp, Ramona's childhood-friend-turned-cousin-in-law, thanks to the marriage of his uncle and her aunt Danny (no last name given) (nicknamed "Yard Ape"), Ramona's "friend" Roberta Day Quimby, Beezus and Ramona's baby sister Mrs. Meacham, Ramona's fourth grade teacher. Susan Kushner, Ramona's rival since kindergarten, though her mother frequently encourages Ramona to be nice to her. Critical reaction Reviewers' reactions to Cleary's books continues to be positive, as seen in Kirkus Reviews: "Ramona returns, and she’s as feisty as ever… Cleary picks up on all the details of fourth grade, from comparing hand calluses to the distribution of little plastic combs by the school photographer. This year Ramona is trying to improve her spelling, and Cleary is especially deft at limning the emotional nuances as Ramona fails and succeeds, goes from sad to happy, and from hurt to proud… Despite a brief mention of nose piercing, Cleary’s writing still reflects a secure middle-class family and untroubled school life, untouched by the classroom violence or the broken families of the 1990s. While her book doesn’t match what’s in the newspapers, it’s a timeless, serene alternative for children..." Last book of the series Ramona's World is Beverly Cleary's last published book. Ramona remains frozen at age 10, while her sister, Beezus, is 14 and