Beverly Cleary, Beloved Children’s Book Author, Dies At 104

Children’s book icon Beverly Cleary has died at the age of 104.

The bestselling author, who created the iconic characters Beezus and Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins, passed away on Thursday in her longtime home of Carmel, California, her publishing house, HarperCollins, announced in a press release.

Beverly was beloved by young bookworms through the decades for her realistic and heartfelt children’s fiction. She published more than forty books over her career, including “Runaway Ralph,” “The Mouse and the Motorcycle,” “Ramona the Pest,” and “Ramona Quimby, Age 8.”

In 2010, her Ramona series was adapted into the film “Ramona and Beezus,” starring Joey King and Selena Gomez, respectively.

CHRISTINA KOCI HERNANDEZ/CHRONICLE Cleary at home in Carmel Valley.Beverly Cleary, the author of such revered children®s books as the Ramona series, the Ralph S. Mouse series and the Henry Huggings series, turned 90 years this April and over the next few months her books are being reissued by HarperCollins. We speak to Cleary in her home in Carmel about why her books remain so popular, how they differ from the sci-fi adventure novels of Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket and how life has changed for American children since she began publishing a half century ago. KAZEM/ts. Our photos. Ran on: 05-06-2006 Beverly Cleary began writing children’s books more than 50 years ago. (Photo By Christina Koci Hernandez/San Francisco Chronicle by Getty Images)

Beverly was celebrated for her work over her lifetime. Among her accolades, she received a Newbery honor in 1978 for “Ramona and Her Father” and again in 1982 “Ramona Quimby, Age 8.” In 1984, she won the Newbery Medal for “Dear Mr. Henshaw.”

In 2000, the Library of Congress named her as a “Living Legend” for her decades of creative contributions.

Many readers and stars took to social media to mourn her passing.

First Lady Jill Biden tweeted, “RIP Beverly Cleary. Millions of girls saw themselves in Ramona Quimby. Thank you from all the ‘pests’ out there.”

Hilarie Burton told fans she was “heartbroken,” and revealed that she’d named the main character in a TV series she was developing after Ramona Quimby.

Chelsea Clinton also paid tribute on Twitter, writing, “Holding Beverly Cleary’s family and loved ones in my heart. Ramona brought me so much joy as a child and inspired me to ask my Grandma Ginger to quit smoking for my 8th birthday (she did!).”

“Have loved sharing her books with my children. May her memory be a blessing,” she concluded.