Runaway Ralph

(3.5 / 5)

I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as the first, I think because Ralph starts with the motorcycle and spends the first little bit of the book just trying to keep it from his family. Then he begins to yearn for freedom, so he doesn’t have to share his motorcycle. I mean…I get it, kinda, but mostly I just feel like he’s being selfish and spoiled. Granted, he has dozens of siblings and cousins and would easily spend all night giving them rides and not have time to ride it himself, and it’s clear that his mom and uncle, who forced this on him, don’t get him at all. But I still didn’t care for his attitude.

It was interesting to watch poor Garf, a kid who isn’t happy with his circumstances either and acts out in show more different ways, from Ralph’s perspective. I liked how the camp leader lady is portrayed—that she clearly cared about Garf and trying to help him come out of his shell and not hate being at camp so much. It’s a nice change from kids’ books where adults are so often terrible people at worst or apathetic at best. Overall, not as charming as the first, but not bad. show less

I loved this book as a kid, and am amazed how well my garage sale copy held up! My youngest picked it off the shelf for our family reading time as we are in between series.

It was unfortunate timing, as we had just put out poison because over a month of live traps had not cured our mouse infestation. But the book was as fun and as charming as I remember, and left me feeling very guilty when my son begged me to go back to the live traps and pleaded to keep one as a pet. Alas, the poison did its job.

Cleary's writing is far from brilliant, but her storytelling is superb. She breathes life into her characters and now I have a bit more insight into why I don't like cats, I feel guilty for putting out poison to kill mice, and I always dreamed show more of going to summer camp! Still loved it after all these years! show less

Fed up with his timid mother and uncle and his squirmy little cousins, Ralph hops onto his toy motorcycle and zooms down the road to summer camp. It turns out camp is not all peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fun. A strict watchdog, a mouse-hungry cat, and a troubled boy named Garf lead Ralph on some fur-raising escapades. Perhaps home isn't such a bad place to be, if only Ralph can find a way to get there again.

Fed up with his timid mother and uncle and his squirmy little cousins, Ralph hops onto his toy motorcycle and zooms down the road to summer camp. It turns out camp is not all peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and fun. A strict watchdog, a mouse-hungry cat, and a troubled boy named Garf lead Ralph on some fur-raising escapades. Perhaps home isn't such a bad place to be, if only Ralph can find a way to get there again.

In this sequel to The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Ralph runs away from the hotel. He is fed up with the adults scolding him to be more responsible and his cousins pestering him for rides. When his mom forces him to give rides to the little mice, and declares that he will have to make it a nightly habit, he has had enough. One of the guests at the hotel is a boy, Garf, headed to camp. Ralph has seen many of these campers over the years, and he discovers that the sweet bugle notes that he hears every night emanate from the same Happy Acres Camp. Envisioning a life filled with careless kids who drop plenty of food to eat, Ralph makes his escape.

The road to the camp is filled with perils, but Ralph bravely endures. Once he reaches Happy show more Acres, though, his dream of an idyllic life is shattered. The watch dog tries to keep him out, a pack of cats nearly eat him, and he is eventually caught by Garf and held captive in a mouse cage in the art room. Now Ralph knows that living on his own is not the wonderful paradise he thought it would be, and he longs to return to home. After befriending Garf, and using a little smart planning, Ralph might just be able to work everything out after all.

Another classic kid book that I never read when I was younger. I can see the appeal for children, with cute talking mice and wily cats. For some reason, I was a bit uninterested in the beginning of the story. I do like Ralph, but I wasn't too invested in his getaway. I was certain he would be fine, so none of the dangers threatening him caused me much tension, and I only became more engaged when the story included Garf and his difficulties. I was much more anxious to find out if Garf could make friends and clear his name, and the story was a faster read for me after those plot elements were introduced. Throughout the book, though, I was amused at how much like an adolescent Ralph is, and was glad to see that he learned some lessons and matured by the end of the book. The story is perfect for young kids, with a good message and a lot of fun adventure, and is a pleasant read for older persons, as well. show less

A cute little tale about a restless mouse and his motorcycle. One of those inoffensive "brain cleansers" I like to read in between my usual darker adult fare.

In my opinion the most exciting, engaging, and universally loved Beverly Cleary book of them all. It is the only book of its kind where kids sit still, pay attention, and are genuinely disappointed when the bell rings to end class. What is not to love about a lovable young mouse, that is tired of his hum-drum life, setting out on an adventure on a red motorcycle to find quarter from family, repetition, and those ever present parental expectations that make this little mouse so easy to relate to at any age?