36 pages 1 hour read

Beverly Cleary, Illustr. Jacqueline Rogers

Henry And Beezus

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1952

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Chapters 5-7Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 5 Summary: “Beezus Makes a Bid”

Henry is overwhelmed by the chaos of the auction room, which is filled with kids bidding on a huge variety of bikes. He sees poor-quality bikes sold for more money than he has, and he becomes worried about his chances of finding a good bike for only $4. He’s distracted by Ramona’s antics as she begs for more crackers and bothers Ribsy by patting and hugging him. 

Henry sees a great bike for sale but can’t get the auctioneer’s attention. When Ramona begins crying and threatens to throw up, Beezus and Henry give up and leave the auction, disappointed. After Beezus scolds her sister, they decide to try again, but once they get into the auction room, Ramona goes missing.

Frightened, Beezus and Henry look everywhere for Ramona. They are relieved when the auctioneer holds her up in front of the crowd, and Beezus goes to retrieve her. Henry tells Beezus to stand at the front and bid on a bike for him if she sees one. 

Finally, Henry is thrilled to hear that Beezus has successfully bought him a bike. However, his happiness is quickly replaced by horror when he realizes that it is a girl’s bicycle.