Ramona arrives at Glenwood School for her first day of kindergarten and immediately adores her teacher, Miss Binney.

Ramona misunderstands Miss Binney's phrase 'sit in your seat for the present' and expects to receive a gift.

Ramona pulls Susan's curly hair during the Gray Duck game and is sent to sit on the bench outside.

Ramona presents her battered green-haired doll named Chevrolet to the class during Show and Tell.

Miss Binney ties a red ribbon around Howie's worn bunny, sparking a bitter dispute between Howie and Ramona over who keeps it.

Ramona learns to write her name during seat work and proudly adds cat ears and whiskers to her Q.

When Miss Binney is absent, Ramona refuses to enter the classroom and hides behind a row of trash cans.

An older student discovers Ramona hiding and alerts Henry Huggins, who brings her to the school principal.

Ramona's new red boots get stuck in deep construction mud, and Henry Huggins reluctantly rescues her.

During the Halloween parade, Ramona feels emboldened by her witch mask and pulls Susan's curly hair again.

Ramona realizes no one can recognize her behind the witch mask and becomes terrified of being forgotten entirely.

Ramona runs to her classroom cubby and writes 'Ramona Q' on a sign so everyone in the parade will know who she is.

Miss Binney tells Ramona she is not welcome in kindergarten until she can stop pulling Susan's hair.

Mrs. Quimby visits Miss Binney directly, who says Ramona is welcome back in class whenever she is ready.

Howie delivers a letter from Miss Binney asking when Ramona will return, and Ramona joyfully decides to go back.

Ramona Quimby begins kindergarten at Glenwood School with boundless excitement, immediately falling in love with her teacher Miss Binney. Her natural mischief leads to small but significant confrontations, most notably her irresistible habit of pulling classmate Susan's springy curls. After adventures in Show and Tell, learning to write her name, and getting her boots stuck in construction mud, Ramona faces her greatest challenge when Miss Binney sends her home until she can stop pulling Susan's hair. Convinced Miss Binney no longer loves her, Ramona refuses to return to kindergarten, even as her family urges her to go back. A letter from Miss Binney changes everything, and Ramona joyfully decides to return to the classroom she loves.

Ramona's kindergarten milestones, mischief, and triumphant return to class

Beezus calls Ramona a pest the morning of her first day of kindergarten, which Ramona firmly denies.

Ramona refuses to let Beezus's friend Mary Jane walk her to school, insisting only a real grown-up should take her.

Ramona asks how Mike Mulligan went to the bathroom during a full day of digging, sending the entire class into a frenzy.

Ramona lets out a fake snore during rest time to impress Miss Binney, and her classmates erupt in noisy laughter.

Susan wins the honor of being the wake-up fairy by resting most quietly during kindergarten rest time.

Howie throws a tantrum over not having a Show and Tell item, so Ramona reluctantly gives him her old blue bunny.

Howie uses a screwdriver and pliers to remove a wheel from Ramona's tricycle, successfully converting it into a two-wheeler.

Ramona chases her crush Davy around the school playground every morning before class, trying to catch and kiss him.

Ramona draws wild black swirls over her house drawing and tells the class they are smoke because Santa is stuck in the chimney.

Henry Huggins's dog Ribsy sniffs out Ramona's hiding spot behind the school trash cans and lets out a small bark.

Principal Miss Mullen treats Ramona with unexpected kindness and calmly walks her back to her kindergarten classroom.

Substitute teacher Mrs. Wilcox lets the class draw freely, and Ramona spends the session practicing rows of decorated Q's.

Ramona wraps a pink worm around her finger like a ring and races around the playground shouting that it is her engagement ring.

Mrs. Quimby takes Ramona to buy new red girls' rain boots at the store, and Ramona releases a balloon in pure joy.

Beezus bursts out laughing when she realizes Ramona has mistaken the 'dawn's early light' in the anthem for a lamp called a 'dawnzer.'

While Ramona's main kindergarten journey is full of big turning points, it is the smaller incidents that reveal the most about her personality and the world around her. From defending herself against being called a pest to wrangling over a ribbon, modifying a tricycle, and chasing her crush Davy around the playground, these events capture Ramona's imagination and energy. Her classroom exploits — snoring during rest time, asking about Mike Mulligan's bathroom habits, and drawing Santa stuck in the chimney — highlight the humor and creativity of her perspective. The substitute teacher day and Ramona's visit to the principal add texture to the school setting, while a worm engagement ring and a pair of red boots reveal her playful side. The story closes with the family laughing at Ramona's 'dawnzer' mistake, a tender moment that captures both her uniqueness and her vulnerability.

The small moments and side adventures that color Ramona's first weeks of kindergarten

After being sent to sit on the bench, Ramona is allowed to rejoin her class and accepts that being forgiven is enough.

Ramona spends an entire school morning fantasizing about all the things she will do with the red ribbon once Howie returns it.

Ramona notices that her name requires more work to write than shorter classmates' names but considers this an interesting advantage.

Ramona quietly erases the cat ears on her Q, resolving that she must never give Miss Binney reason to disapprove of her.

Hiding behind the school trash cans alone, Ramona feels sorry for herself and imagines Miss Binney will regret causing her distress.

Ramona refuses to wear her worn brown hand-me-down rainboots to school, insisting they are boy's boots no girl should wear.

After Henry pulls Ramona free from the construction mud, she wraps a worm around her finger and declares she will marry him.

Ramona tries on her witch mask at home and is so frightened by her own reflection that she hides it under the sofa cushions.

During the Halloween parade, Ramona finally catches her crush Davy and kisses him through her rubber witch mask.

Susan runs to Miss Binney to report that a witch pulled her hair but cannot identify which one, leaving Ramona anonymous.

Ramona discovers a loose tooth on the morning she must walk to school alone, thrilled it proves she is growing up.

Ramona misreads the kitchen clock and confuses quarter past eight with twenty-five cents, arriving late to school in a panic.

When Miss Binney asks if Ramona can stop pulling Susan's hair, Ramona honestly realizes she cannot make that promise.

Overwhelmed by her family's laughter at her dawnzer mistake, Ramona runs to her room and bangs her heels against the wall.

Miss Binney's letter reveals she forgot to return Ramona's tooth, and Ramona realizes her teacher never stopped caring about her.

Beneath all of Ramona's mischief lies a deeply thoughtful child who is constantly making discoveries about herself and the world around her. From her first lesson that forgiveness can feel like enough, to the proud realization that her unusual name is harder but more interesting to write, Ramona's inner life is full of turning points. Her terror at losing her identity behind a Halloween mask, her inability to honestly promise to stop pulling Susan's hair, and her heartsick reaction to her family's laughter all reveal the emotional stakes beneath her kindergarten adventure. These moments trace the arc of a little girl navigating the tension between being her true self and learning what it means to belong in a classroom community. By the end, Ramona's journey is less about mischief and more about the discovery that being known, understood, and wanted is what she craves most of all.

The key realizations and decisions that define who Ramona is and what she truly wants