Ralph is a mouse that lives in a hotel. Ralph talks and rides a motorcycle that a boy gave him.
Ralph is very adventureous and decides to move to the school, where he learns a lot about school, humans, and being a better mouse. ( )

Characters:
· Ralph– a very “Smart” motorcycling mouse
· Matt- a handyman at the Mountain View Inn, and a friend of Ralph’s
· Ryan Bramble – Ralph’s human friend
· Brad Kirby- Ryan’s classmate
Notes:
o Ralph has learned to talk by listening to children and watching television (p. 14)
o Ralph lives under a grandfather clock, where his prize possession is his motorcycle (p. 16), which is very desirable to his relatives (p. 20)
o Matt understands Ralph, and chases off his pesky relatives who want to ride his motorcycle every night (p. 24).
o In order to save Matt’s job, and save his family, Ralph runs away and goes to school with Ryan (p. 37)
o Ralph describes a funny toothpaste experience (p. 41)
o Ralph is discovered (p. 54)
o On Mouse Exhibition Day, Ralph has to run a maze (p. 93)
o Ralph’s motorcycle is broken, (p 104) and he is very upset with Ryan and his life at the school (p. 105)
o Ralph is maligned in the local newspaper (p. 115)
o Ralph has a talk with Brad (p. 133)
o Ryan and Brad become friends (p. 142)
o Ralph goes home, (p. 144) and gets a new surprise from the boys (p. 146)

Subjects/topics/themes: sharing, independence, family ties, survival/adventure,
Related titles: The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Runaway Mouse
Annotation: Rarely do mice and men communicate and become friends, but that is what happens when this smart mouse decides to escape his home life, and ventures off on his own at a human elementary school.

I liked the book because it was about a mouse, and I love animals. It wasn't the best book, but I enjoyed when Ryan's mother and Brad's dad got married at the end of the book. They became step-brothers. ( )

This book was great it had a AR balance at 5.1 and it was worth 4 points ( )

Ralph is tired of his relatives trying to make him share his beloved motorcycle. And he's afraid zooming through the mud puddles in the lobby of the inn where he lives has gotten his friend Matt in trouble. So with the help of his human friend Ralph runs away, to Irwin J. Sneed Elementary School, where there are long halls without carpet to ride on and plenty of good things to eat.
Except that the students of Room 5 turns Ralph into a class project and an article in the town paper accuses the school of being infested with mice! And worst of all now Ralph's motorcycle is broken and he has no way to get back home.
Ralph S. Mouse is a classic kid's chapter book. While amusing at times I found Ralph to be pouty and selfish, not exactly a hero. Cleary does mention the reality of mice (being vermin and all), but doesn't quite manage to set Ralph apart, other than his intelligence and his abilities to ride a motorcycle and speak (but only to certain, lonely children).
My son enjoyed being read chapters of Ralph at night, but didn't connect with Ralph's pouting or anger. He was most interested in the beginning and the end, with a lull of interest in the surly middle parts.
Ralph would probably most interest children who are also feeling surly, angry, and like the world is against them. Its strength is in showing kids that they're not alone in those feelings and teaching them to look for ways to solve their problems, because they might not be as bad as it seems. ( )