Ralph S. Mouse

Ralph S. Mouse is a character appearing in three juvenile fiction novels by Beverly Cleary. Ralph is a mouse with the ability to speak, but only to certain people, who tend to be loners.

Related Topics:
Fiction - Novel - Beverly Cleary

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Ralph lives in a somewhat run-down inn with many other mice from his extended family. In the first novel, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Ralph interacts with a young boy named Keith, who gives Ralph a toy motorcycle. Keith teaches Ralph that in order to make the motorcycle go, he has only to make the same motorcycle sounds Keith makes while playing with it. Ralph becomes able to ride the motorcycle, which becomes his trademark until the end of the third book. During this first novel, Ralph helps to save Keith during an illness by delivering an aspirin to him. Keith is not seen again after this story. Each book features a different boy as a new friend for Ralph.

Related Topics:
Inn - The Mouse and the Motorcycle - Motorcycle - Aspirin

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In the second novel, Runaway Ralph, Ralph decides he wants to become independent and leave the inn. He arrives at a summer camp for children, where he befriends a young boy named Garth. Eventually Ralph decides to return home to the inn.

Related Topics:
Runaway Ralph - Summer camp

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In the conclusion to the series, Ralph S. Mouse, Ralph has befriended a young boy named Ryan, the son of the inn's new maid. Ryan has given Ralph the full name of "Ralph S. Mouse," the middle initial standing for "Smart." (The name is not seen in the previous two books.) Meanwhile, Ralph becomes agitated at his family. Forced by his parents to let numerous younger siblings and cousins ride his motorcycle, which is beginning to wear out due to their careless treatment, he asks Ryan to take him to school, where he plans to hide and live out the rest of his life. Ralph is discovered by Ryan's classmates, who adopt him as a class pet and decide to see how smart he is by building a maze for him to run through. All this time Ryan is having difficulties with an aggressive boy from his class. The bully accidentally breaks Ralph's motorcycle, and Ralph blames Ryan and runs away to hide in the school. However, Ryan and his former adversary discover that they have much in common and become friends. Ryan reclaims Ralph and brings him home on the school bus on the day that his new friend comes with him to visit at the inn. The former bully atones for his destruction of Ralph's treasured motorcycle by giving him a toy car. Ralph discovers that like the motorcycle, he can move the car by making car engine noises as a boy would do while playing with it. Ralph further discovers that he can safely give his younger relatives rides in the car without worrying that they will be irresponsible with it. The story concludes by relating that as Ryan and his new friend continued to see each other, Ryan's mother became friends with his friend's father and they eventually marry, making the boys brothers.

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