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USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Alyssa Barbieri

Beloved children’s book author Beverly Cleary dies at 104 and fans everywhere are mourning

The book community lost an influential figure in children’s author Beverly Cleary, who passed away Thursday in Carmel, California, at 104 years old, HarperCollins Publishers announced on Friday.

Chances are when you were growing up, you escaped into the worlds of Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins or followed Ralph S. Mouse and his many adventures with his motorcycle — all worlds created by the incomparable Cleary.

Cleary, known for her beloved titles such as Ramona Quimby, Age 8, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Henry Huggins, and Dear Mr. Henshaw, was a staple of many people’s childhoods. Cleary’s characters were authentic and relatable, which made her stories resonate with so many children over the last 70 years.

Her first book — Henry Huggins — was published in 1950. Since then, Cleary wrote more than 40 books, which have been translated into more than 29 different languages, and sold 91 million copies worldwide.

“We are saddened by the passing of Beverly Cleary, one of the most beloved children’s authors of all time,” said HarperCollins Children’s Books President Suzanne Murphy in the company news release.

“Looking back, she’d often say, ‘I’ve had a lucky life,’ and generations of children count themselves lucky too — lucky to have the very real characters Beverly Cleary created, including Henry Huggins, Ramona and Beezus Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse, as true friends who helped shape their growing-up years,” Murphy said.

People took to Twitter to mourn Cleary’s loss, celebrate her life and share their thoughts on how she and how her books have impacted them.

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