Howie Kemp

Last updated
Howie Kemp
First appearance Beezus and Ramona (1955)
Last appearance Ramona's World (1999)
Created by Beverly Cleary
Portrayed by Jason Spevack
In-universe information
Gendermale
FamilyWilla Jean Kemp (Younger Sister)
Grandmother
Hobart (Uncle)
Mr. Robert Quimby (Uncle)
Mrs. Dorothy Quimby (Aunt)
Beezus Quimby (Oldest Cousin)
Ramona Quimby (Younger Cousin)
Roberta Quimby (Youngest Cousin)
Beatrice (Aunt)

Howie Kemp is a fictional character in the Ramona series of novels by Beverly Cleary.

Contents

Fictional character personality

Howard "Howie" Kemp is the curly-haired boy who lives right by Ramona. [1] They are friends (mainly because their parents are friends) but sometimes they don't like each other. Howie is the polar opposite of Ramona. Ramona is imaginative and easily excited. Howie is analytical, literal, and never gets excited, which frustrates Ramona. When Ramona tells her class that workmen chopped a hole in their house in Ramona the Brave to make a new addition, Howie tells the class she is lying. His point is that the workmen pried off some siding and technically did not "chop a hole" in the house. Howie's parents think that he needs to be more creative. Ramona stayed at Howie's house and was baby-sat by his grandmother until Uncle Hobart teased her and Mrs. Kemp punished and blamed Ramona for not stopping Howie's sister Willa Jean from breaking the accordion that her son had given to Willa Jean.

Fictional biography

Howie has a fascination with tools and building things. Mr. Kemp regularly brings scrap wood home for Howie to build projects with. One time, Howie took a wheel off Ramona's tricycle to turn it into a bicycle, which pleased Ramona. In Ramona and Her Mother , Howie and Ramona made a boat out of scrap wood and tried to make it float in a tub of water. Ramona tried to make it blue by using some bluing liquid. While reaching for it, she spilled it all over both of them, much to Howie and his grandmother's dismay. He also made tin can stilts for both of them when Ramona told him that Mrs. Swink did that as a child. Howie has a younger sister and an unnamed older sister, who is mentioned in Ramona the Pest . The latter is only mentioned once, and might have been forgotten by Beverly Cleary. This character is most likely not considered canon by the author or fans of the books. True scholars are the only ones who acknowledge her existence. Howie's younger sister is Willa Jean Kemp.

Howie and Ramona like to play a game called Brick Factory, where they collect bricks from around the neighborhood and pound them to dust.

In third grade, Howie's Uncle Hobart marries Ramona's Aunt Beatrice, making the children cousins-in-law.

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Beverly Cleary American writer

Beverly Atlee Cleary was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful authors, 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950. Some of her best known characters are Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse.

<i>Ramona</i> (novel series)

The Ramona books are a series of eight humorous children's novels by Beverly Cleary that center on Ramona Quimby, her family and friends. The first book, Beezus and Ramona, appeared in 1955. The final book, Ramona's World, was published in 1999. Two books in the series were named Newbery Honor books, Ramona and Her Father and Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Ramona and Her Mother received the National Book Award. Sometimes known as the Beezus and Ramona series, as of 2012, the books were being marketed by HarperCollins as "The Complete Ramona Collection".

Henry Huggins

Henry Huggins is a character appearing in a series of children's literature novels by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Louis Darling, and first appearing in Henry Huggins. He is a young boy living on Klickitat Street in Portland, Oregon. In the novels, he is in elementary school. The novels take place in the 1950s, which is when Cleary wrote most of the books. The books describe adventures that he experiences in his neighborhood and his interactions with other neighborhood children. He has a dog named Ribsy and a part-time job doing a paper route in North Portland.

<i>Ramona the Pest</i> 1968 novel by Beverly Cleary

Ramona the Pest, by Beverly Cleary, is the second book of the Ramona series and the first to focus on Ramona Quimby as the protagonist. This children's book chronicles the adventures of Ramona's first few months at kindergarten. The book's title is derived from the characterization of Ramona as a "pest" by many, including her older sister Beatrice, known as "Beezus." Ramona the Pest was first published in 1968 and featured illustrations by Louis Darling. Other illustrators have since updated Ramona the Pest, including Alan Tiegreen, Tracy Dockray, and Jacqueline Rogers.

<i>Ramona the Brave</i> Novel by Beverly Cleary

Ramona the Brave is a children's novel written by Beverly Cleary. It is the third book in the Ramona series, and follows Ramona Quimby and her classmates going into first grade. Ramona the Brave was first published in 1975, seven years after Ramona the Pest. It was originally illustrated by Alan Tiegreen.

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Ramona and Her Father is the fourth book in Beverly Cleary's popular Ramona Quimby series. In this humorous children's novel, Mr. Quimby loses his job and Ramona thinks up ways to earn money and help her family out. Published in 1977, Ramona and Her Father was a Newbery Honor Book.

<i>Ramona and Her Mother</i>

Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary is the fifth book of the popular Ramona series. Mr. Quimby has found another job, though it is one he does not like very much. Ramona finds herself caught between being too young to stay home alone and too old to enjoy playing with pesky Willa Jean. She is trying to grow up, but sometimes it seems like her family is making it harder. Ramona and Her Mother won the 1981 National Book Award.

<i>Ramona Quimby, Age 8</i>

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (1981) is a novel by Beverly Cleary in the Ramona series. Ramona Quimby is in the third grade, now at a new school, and making some new friends. With Beezus in Jr. High and Mr. Quimby going back to college, Ramona feels the pressure with everyone counting on her to manage at school by herself and get along with Willa Jean after school every day. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 was named a Newbery Honor book in 1982.

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<i>Ramonas World</i>

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<i>Beezus and Ramona</i> Novel by Beverly Cleary

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References

  1. Eric D. Snider (22 July 2010). "Review: Ramona and Beezus Pleases". Seattle Post-Intelligencer .