Let me just tell you that I am perhaps the world's biggest fan of Beverly Cleary. I loved the stories of Ramona and Beezus and Henry and Mitch and Amy and Otis and all the rest. Then I graduated to Ms. Cleary's books for older girls, and I devoured Fifteen, Jean and Johnny, Sister of the Bride, and The Luckiest Girl. I am a die-hard fan, and I am happy for one of Ms. Cleary's tales to be adapted for the screen.
But I just don't understand why there would be a movie about Beezus and Ramona in which Beezus is played by Selena Gomez. Selena is a beautiful girl, and I'm sure she's a fine actress. But she's 18 years old. If I remember correctly, Beezus is 9 years old in Beezus and Ramona. Maybe the movie story is different from the book; maybe Beezus is a teenager in the movie. I don't know.
What I REALLY don't understand, though, is why there would be a new edition of the Beezus and Ramona, the BOOK, with a photo of Selena Gomez on the cover. See, here's a photo of the book that I snapped at a bookstore:
That's not a movie poster; that's a book cover. That's the book in which Beezus is 9 years old. And there's a photo of an 18-year-old on the cover. I suppose this is a marketing ploy, but does that make sense to y'all? Am I the only one who doesn't understand?
Or maybe I'm the only one who noticed. Or the only one who cares. Maybe I should turn my attention to weightier matters. Maybe I should take up crossword-puzzle-solving or bridge or something. Maybe I am just a fuddy-duddy.
Seriously, does this strike anyone else as weird? Or am I the only one?
I too love Beverly Cleary. From the reviews, I've gathered the movie is not much like the books. I was so excited when I first heard about it, but I'm not planning to see it. My favorite Ramona moment is when she first goes to kindergarten and her teacher tells her to sit her "for the present" meaning of course, "for the the time being". Poor Ramona refuses to move all day for fear that she won't get "her present". I really like your blog!
ReplyDeleteI know! The question you posed is a good one. It bothers me when a movie is that far away from the plot of the book. Carla
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing about Beezus being older. I also started thinking that maybe more books had been written since I last read them. I can't seem to find anyone to watch the movie with me, so I will go alone.....I am hoping that maybe the movie will spark some interest in the books. If not, at least there is a clean movie available for the kids right now. About the book cover, I noticed they did that with Eat, Pray, Love. I guess putting Julia Roberts on the cover will sale more. It's all about marketing. Shamefully! Have a great weekend. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI loved these books when I was a kid too. I guess the movie is just supposed to be an adaptation of the book. Because Ramona is definitely older than 4 in the movie, isn't she? I agree with you, the new cover is dumb especially if Beezus is 9 in the book. I *have* heard the movie is good though.
ReplyDeleteIt seems Hollywood can never leave well enough alone. They add characters, change ages, change plots, and even change the ending. The book always ends up being better and absolutely remains the classic. That's why it is such a great idea to instill in your children the love of books.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I loved to get lost in Romona's life *sigh* when I was young. I'm wondering what the movie is rated? I can't imagine anything other than a G.
ReplyDeleteI don't like that cover. I also don't like the fact that so many wonderful children's books are turned into movies. I hope that makes kids want to read the real thing, but I'm not sure about that. Also, I wish the books would stay books so that kids could use their imagination rather than seeing everything played out on a screen. That's the part I liked best about reading when I was a kid--using my imagination to picture everything.
ReplyDeleteIs this the same, "Ramona Quinby, Age 8?" lol!
ReplyDeleteI loved those books! I like for movies to stay JUST like the books!
You are not alone! Part of the reason I liked those books was the girls seemed NORMAL, like me. They weren't the prettiest, they weren't rich, they weren't the most popular. Selena Gomez is SOOOOO not Beezus!
ReplyDeleteI loved Mitch & Amy too!
Did anyone else make stilts out of tin cans? :)
I read Beverly Cleary's books for older girls, but I never read the ones she wrote for the younger set. I don't like that the book has an 18 year old portraying a 9 year old. Kids already want to look older than their age and this just fuels the fire.
ReplyDeleteOK - here ya go. I read ALL the books by Beverly Cleary as a child and this past spring I read ALL the Ramona series to my daughters..in order. Notice the title of the movie? It is Beezus and Ramona. The book is Ramona and Beezus. The movie is a compilation of some of the funnier and sweeter moments from all the books. Ramona ranges in age from 4-9 in the books we read from Ms. Cleary. In the movie Ramona is supposed to be 9. That actually would, in fact, make Beezus a teenager as she was 5 years older than Ramona. Not as old as Selena Gomez...but this is not the 9 year old Beezus we see, nor is it the 4 year old Ramona. In any case, I saw the movie with my girls and we LOVED it! It was like taking some of the best of all the books and putting it on screen. We laughed...I cried (3 times) and all around it was the best bucks I've spent at the theater in over three years. It is a GOOD movie. No movie is ever exact to the book, but this movie is really not trying to emulate Ramona and Beezus (the actual book of the series), but rather the whole series condensed into one movie. Make sense?
ReplyDeleteBut yes, I agree that they REALLY ought not put the pictures from the movie poster on the actual book. That messes it all up. Poor marketing move.
Hi Richella
ReplyDeleteI love , love , love the Ramona books and read them all to my girls {age 31} many years ago. I am now rereading them to my granddaughter, age 5. It's a rule of mine, that we always read the book before we see the movie and since my little one is going into Kindergarten, we read Ramona the Pest first, as she is in kindergarten too.
The movie is just as Anonymous says, a compilation of all the Ramona books. It contains scenes from all of the books. I think the movie was over my granddaughter's head, but she did enjoy it and asked a lot of questions. I think the movie would be perfect for someone that has read all of the books.
Ramona is 9 in the movie, so that does make Beezus a teenager.
But, as to your question about the book cover, I never like to see the movie on the book - marketing ploy or no!
We read some of the Beverly Cleary books when my daughter was little (DD is 18 now). We haven't seen the movie and I doubt if we will. The thing about movies is that they often will make someone go and seek out the book. I know I've done that for tv shows even.
ReplyDeleteManuela
We've read some of Bev Cleary's books, but not this one, I saw the preview of the movie and to be honest didn't fancy watching it at all! What kind of name is Beezus? I'm assuming it's her nickname!
ReplyDeleteI am a HUGE Ramona fan and actually really like the book. She is a teenager, but it actually isn't the story from any of the books. it is just based on the Ramona books. Has stuff Ramona and her Mother (the toothpaste incident), stuff from Ramona the Pest. Sort of just put it all together, but it is a really cute story. Only thing missing was Chevrolet.
ReplyDeleteSo it really doesn't make sense to put the cover on the book, but they do that ALL the time to kids books that they make into movies. It always drives me batty! Movies are NEVER like the books! :P So stop trying to market them by putting the movie poster on them.
My daughters' and I thought the same thing...ummmm, that's Beezus?? I hope I'm not completely disappointed in the movie, because we are HUGE Beverly Cleary fans here! Remember NOSMO KING? :)
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