My fourth grade elementary school teacher was a woman named Mrs. Vigneault, or Mrs. V. as the kids called her in lieu of butchering her name. One day she started reading a story to us about this interesting and imaginative girl named Ramona Quimby.

One of my favorite parts of the school day was listening to a new chapter of Ramona Quimby, Age 8. I checked out every other book I could find in the library that had Ramona in it and read them all obsessively. Eventually, I bought them. (I still have all my Ramona books and read them from time to time.)

While I had always enjoyed reading up until that point, I think that this was the moment when the passion really took off. Thanks for that, Beverly Cleary. And Mrs. V. And Ramona. ❤