Beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary dies at 104

NEW YORK – Beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary, whose characters Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins enthralled generations of youngsters, has died. She was 104.

Cleary’s publisher, HarperCollins, announced her death Friday. In a statement, the company said Cleary died in Carmel, California, her home since the 1960s, on Thursday. No cause of death was given.

Trained as a librarian, Cleary didn’t start writing books until her early 30s. Her first novel was 1950’s “Henry Huggins,” based on the children she grew up with in Portland, Oregon. Cleary wrote more than 30 books, which sold millions of copies.