Beverly Cleary Books in Order: Complete Book & Series List

Beverly Cleary’s books in order are easiest to follow by character and series. Henry Huggins begins the Klickitat Street stories, Beezus and Ramona starts the Ramona series, and The Mouse and the Motorcycle introduces Ralph S. Mouse. Cleary also wrote young adult novels, standalones, picture books, activity books, and memoirs.

Most of these series stand on their own, so you don’t need to read Cleary’s full catalog in one publication sequence. I recommend choosing the characters you want to follow and reading that series in order. The sections below also separate original stories from excerpts, anthologies, and collected editions.

Jump to:

• Beverly Cleary Books by Series
• Beverly Cleary Standalone Books
• Beverly Cleary Short Story Collections
• Beverly Cleary Picture Books
• Beverly Cleary Nonfiction Books
• Who is Beverly Cleary?

Beverly Cleary Books by Series

Henry Huggins Books

Beverly Cleary introduced Klickitat Street in Henry Huggins. The series follows Henry, his dog Ribsy, and the neighborhood children through everyday problems that rarely go as planned.

1. Henry Huggins (1950)
2. Henry and Beezus (1952)
3. Henry and Ribsy (1954)
4. Henry and the Paper Route (1957)
5. Henry and the Clubhouse (1962)
6. Ribsy (1964)

Ellen & Otis Books

These two connected Klickitat Street books focus on Ellen Tebbits and Otis Spofford. Read them in publication order.

1. Ellen Tebbits (1951)
2. Otis Spofford (1953)

Ramona Quimby Books

The Ramona series begins with Beezus trying to understand her younger sister. The later books follow Ramona from kindergarten through fourth grade. Characters from the Henry Huggins books appear throughout the same Klickitat Street world.

1. Beezus and Ramona (1955)
2. Ramona the Pest (1968)
3. Ramona the Brave (1975)
4. Ramona and Her Father (1977)
5. Ramona and Her Mother (1979)
6. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (1981)
7. Ramona Forever (1984)
8. Ramona’s World (1999)

Ramona Journals and Activity Books

These optional companion books use quotations, illustrations, prompts, games, and writing space inspired by the Ramona series.

1. The Ramona Quimby Diary (1984)
2. The Beezus and Ramona Diary (1986)
3. Just for Me: My Ramona Quimby Journal (2013)

First Love Books

These young adult novels are grouped together as the First Love books, but they tell separate stories with different characters. You can read them in any order, though publication order works well.

1. Fifteen (1956)
2. The Luckiest Girl (1958)
3. Jean and Johnny (1959)
4. Sister of the Bride (1963)

Ralph S. Mouse Books

Ralph lives at the Mountain View Inn and discovers that a toy motorcycle can carry him far beyond his familiar knothole. Read all three adventures in order.

1. The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1965)
2. Runaway Ralph (1970)
3. Ralph S. Mouse (1982)

Leigh Botts Books

Dear Mr. Henshaw follows Leigh Botts through letters and journal entries as he deals with a new school, his parents’ divorce, and life without his father nearby. Strider continues his story.

1. Dear Mr. Henshaw (1983)
2. Strider (1991)

Leave It to Beaver Books

These three books are television tie-ins based on Leave It to Beaver. They are separate from Cleary’s original Klickitat Street stories.

1. Leave It to Beaver (1960)
2. Beaver and Wally (1961)
3. Here’s Beaver! (1961)

Beverly Cleary Standalone Books

These novels do not belong to one of Cleary’s continuing character series. Each can be read on its own.

1. Emily’s Runaway Imagination (1961)
2. Mitch and Amy (1967)
3. Socks (1973)
4. Muggie Maggie (1990)

Beverly Cleary Short Story Collections

This part of Cleary’s bibliography includes collections, an excerpt, alternate editions, and multi-author anthologies. The notes below explain which books contain new material and which ones repackage stories available elsewhere.

Collections, Excerpts, and Alternate Editions

1. Ribsy and the P.T.A. (1963). This is a separately published excerpt from Henry and Ribsy, not a new story.
2. Young Love by Beverly Cleary (1982). This omnibus contains Fifteen, The Luckiest Girl, and Jean and Johnny.
3. Here Come the Twins (1989). This short British edition repackages Jimmy and Janet material.
4. The Twins Again (1989). This short British edition also repackages Jimmy and Janet material.
5. Two Times the Fun (2005). This collection contains The Real Hole, Two Dog Biscuits, The Growing-Up Feet, and Janet’s Thingamajigs.

Anthologies Featuring Beverly Cleary

These are multi-author anthologies rather than Beverly Cleary-only collections. Each includes a Cleary selection alongside stories or excerpts by other children’s authors.

1. It’s Heaven to Be Seven (2000)
2. It’s Great to Be Eight (2000)
3. It’s Fine to Be Nine (2000)
4. School’s In! (2001)

Beverly Cleary Picture Books

Cleary also wrote shorter illustrated books for younger readers. Some later editions carry newer copyright dates, so the years below reflect the original works.

Jimmy and Janet Picture Books

These four stories follow twins Jimmy and Janet. They are also collected in Two Times the Fun.

1. The Real Hole (1960)
2. Two Dog Biscuits (1961)
3. The Growing-Up Feet (1967)
4. Janet’s Thingamajigs (1987)

Other Picture Books

1. The Hullabaloo ABC (1960)
2. Lucky Chuck (1984)
3. Petey’s Bedtime Story (1993)

Beverly Cleary Nonfiction Books

Beverly Cleary wrote two memoirs. The first covers her childhood in Oregon, while the second follows her college years, early work as a librarian, marriage, and path toward becoming an author.

1. A Girl from Yamhill (1988)
2. My Own Two Feet (1995)

Who is Beverly Cleary?

Beverly Cleary grew up in Yamhill, Oregon, where her mother helped bring library books to a town without its own library. After moving to Portland, Cleary struggled with reading before becoming an enthusiastic reader herself.

She later worked as a librarian and heard children ask for books about kids who felt like them. That question helped inspire Henry Huggins and the ordinary, funny neighborhood problems that became a hallmark of her work.

Dear Mr. Henshaw won the 1984 Newbery Medal. Ramona and Her Father and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 were named Newbery Honor books, while Ramona and Her Mother received the 1981 National Book Award.

Cleary died in 2021, but Ramona, Henry, Ralph, and the rest of her characters remain a familiar introduction to independent reading for generations of children.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Books in Order index.

• Judy Blume Books in Order
• Roald Dahl Books in Order
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid Books in Order