I really enjoyed this book for elementary school readers. Many reviewers described this book (and its sequel) as a modern update of the Ramona Quimby series, and the similarities are there: episodic stories set in Portland, Oregon, about a young girl growing up in a loving family, facing challenges with friends and at school, and conflicts with her sibling. LIke the Quimbys, the Hart family experiences some rough financial times. Unlike the Quimbys, the Hart family is Black; Ryan Hart needs to navigate some issues with identity and race which aren’t touched upon by Beverly Cleary.

Fortunately, Reneé Watson does a terrific job here; Ryan is a kind and likable protagonist (easier to take than Ramona, for sure) who tries to live up to her name (which means “king”) and her family’s high expectations. There’s not a lot of action–Ryan cooks with her mom, befriends a girl with a beautiful singing voice, ruins her hair that her grandmother had spent hours straightening by jumping into a pool, visits the Saturday marketplace with her mom, messes up her speech at church for Easter Sunday, is anxious about her role in the school talent show, and so on. These minor incidents are actually major incidents in the life of a fourth grader, of course. Ryan learns from her mistakes, handles her setbacks well, and has a sunny personality, even when facing disappointments and adjustments.

Beverly Cleary told NPR back in 1999: “I think children want to read about normal, everyday kids. That’s what I wanted to read about when I was growing up. I wanted to read about the sort of boys and girls that I knew in my neighborhood and in my school. … I think children like to find themselves in books.”   That hadn’t changed since she was a girl, and that hasn’t changed as of 2024. I recommend this one for the young readers in your life–they will want to get to know Ryan Hart, a normal, everyday kid, with a big heart.

NOVEL: Ways to Make Sunshine

AUTHOR: Reneé Watson

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2020

IMAGE: Book cover, Bloomsbury Press