![]() ![]() Besides calling Portland home, like Beverly Cleary’s lovable creation, Ryan’s adventures follow a similar episodic pattern: challenges with the move, a mystery about previous occupants of the new house, a snarky white girl, a long-standing fear of public speaking. Ryan Hart is marketed as a next-generation Ramona Quimby of a different color. But how do you feel powerful when your dad loses his job? and the landlord decides to sell the house you’re living in? and the house you’re moving to is smaller and doesn’t feel like home? Circumstances do get in the way of feeling powerful, but it’s those very circumstances that build emotional muscle. Not in a bossy way, but in a self-assured way. It’s a leader’s name, and Ryans parents gave it to her because they want her to feel powerful when her name is called. Ryan’s name means “king”–that’s her comeback when people observe it’s a boy’s name. ![]() Recommended for: ages 7-11, or 5-10 as a read-aloud ![]()
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