In this imaginative adventure from Newbery Medal–winning author Beverly Cleary, a young mouse named Ralph is thrown into a world of excitement when a boy and his shiny toy motorcycle check in to the Mountain View Inn.
When the ever-curious Ralph spots Keith's red toy motorcycle, he vows to ride it. So when Keith leaves the bike unattended in his room one day, Ralph makes his move. But with all this freedom (and speed!) come a lot of obstacles. Whether dodging a rowdy terrier or keeping his nosy cousins away from his new wheels, Ralph has a lot going on! And with a pal like Keith always looking out for him, there's nothing this little mouse can't handle.
This fun story is the first of a trilogy, along with Runaway Ralph and Ralph S. Mouse, all inspired by the author's hope to create appealing books for boys and girls—and by the sight of her son playing with toy cars.
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"One day Ralph was looking out his knot hole in room 215. Then the door swung open and a boy named Keith came in. suddenly Keith started to put up his cars then there it was a motorcycle. Ralph couldn't believe it. Keith left the room Ralph went to the motorcycle he got on and then the adventure begins."
— Anna (4 out of 5 stars)
“B.D. Wong narrates at a pace that allows listeners to appreciate how truly funny Cleary’s story is.”
— AudioFile“[Cleary’s] first fantasy…The whimsy is slight—the story is not—and both its interest and its vocabulary are for the youngest.”
— Kirkus Reviews" Fun book. Read it straight through in about an hour and a half and really enjoyed it. "
— Vicki, 2/10/2014" When I was little, I always wanted to catch a mouse and have him be my friend and have adventures like this one... "
— Shelby, 1/30/2014" This is a book about a mouse and a little boy who develop a friendship during their short time of being together. The little boy lets the mouse ride his toy motorcycle and they are instantly friends. They help each other out of some difficult situations and forgive each other for things that went wrong. It is a fun read for all ages. "
— Tanille, 12/30/2013" Book is better than the movie I was forced to watch. UGH! "
— LeeAnn, 12/28/2013" Loved it, and the boys did too! "
— Crystal, 12/20/2013" I had to read this book in third grade, and I ended up reading the whole series! "
— Mary, 12/14/2013" Lincoln loved this. We're excited to get the sequel and start on that. "
— Krystal, 12/9/2013" I love this book because Ralph, the mouse, travels with his little motorcycle. And he is amazingly cute! "
— Kylie, 11/30/2013" A fun book full of excitement and adventure. A read-aloud for our five-year old. "
— Lorna, 11/18/2013" I read this book ages ago in elementary school. I remember liking it. "
— Kimberly, 11/15/2013" It was very cute! "
— Rebekah, 10/25/2013" I think this is the best of the Beverly Cleary books, which is saying quite a bit, really. I re-read it as an adult and had just as much fun with it as I did when I was eight. This is a great book to read to kids, of any age. "
— Bryce, 6/24/2013" I remember reading this and Runaway Ralph when i was younger, and loving them both. "
— David, 3/30/2013" I loved these books as a kid. I could use my imagination when I read about little Ralph. These are fun books for kids. "
— Erin, 3/30/2013" This is a rather slow, uneventful book. Perhaps what Beverly Cleary needed was Ramona Quimby on a motorcycle. Now THAT would be something to write about. But Ian liked it okay enough. "
— Adela, 3/13/2013" The first book I read cover-to-cover which didn't have drawings of dinosaurs inside. Will always be five stars, for me. "
— Darren, 11/30/2012" I would literally check this out at the library every single time I was there when I was little. I was obsessed for some reason. "
— Kelsey, 11/28/2012" This is the first book that I recall reading from beginning to end, in the 4th grade... I didn't want to put it down and it gave me a sense a success in finishing it. Probably more important was that I wanted to continue to read more. "
— Lori, 11/18/2012" My boys loved this book! They often talked about Ralph during the day and begged to hear about his adventures when we sat down to read at night. Can't wait to read the rest of the series to them! "
— Christina, 10/26/2012" Such a cute children's book about a mouse who saves the day. "
— Candice, 8/22/2012" Henry really enjoyed hearing me make the motorcycle noises! "
— Christie, 8/16/2012" the mouse and the motorcycle is a mystery but more of a adventure,about this boy named keath his family is staying at a hotel and keath finds this little mouse hole and all stop there because then the whole thing starts!!!!! "
— Mrs., 1/20/2012" Clearly Beverly Cleary 2012, Book 3. "
— Flannery, 11/26/2011" Very good book for children. The theme is about the power of imagination. Using imagination, Ralph S. Mouse powers his motorcycle and escapes the boredom of life. "
— Lena, 11/9/2011" A good read (many years ago). "
— David, 9/27/2011" Another great book by this author. "
— Tom, 8/18/2011" I don't love this. But boy does Benjamin! "
— Renee, 8/6/2011" It seems that old lovable mouse Ralph has got himself a new set of wheels and is bound to cause some chaos. The problem is that it takes him some time to learn how to ride but when he does watch out. Wanna find out what happens? Then read the book if the answer is yes. "
— Samir, 6/27/2011" I loved it!!!! I thought it was so good. "
— Alexis, 6/23/2011" I liked this book because it was different and it was a cute story. If anyone knows of the movie Runaway Ralph, I think the movie is a sequel to this book. This book was a bit slow at first, but it really started to pick up the pace and it kept my attention. "
— Brianna, 6/17/2011" Loved reading this to my first graders. "
— My, 6/16/2011" I likes it but thought it was still a little boring at some parts! "
— Megan, 6/14/2011" This book is awsome. I loved it as a kid it was one of my first chapter books so I kept reading it over and over again.It has comedy adventure and much more.All the componets of a good kids book. Also Becerly Cleary is one of my favorite kid aurthors. "
— Angelique, 6/7/2011" This book was so cute! I read it in about 40 min. but it was still a really good book. "
— Lauren, 6/4/2011" It's good but I might abandon it... "
— Natalie, 5/16/2011" Beverly cleary books are funny and the book <br/>mouse in the motercycle was funny when the mouse <br/> fulls down from the motercycle "
— Rosy, 5/15/2011" I loved it as a kid & then again w/ Wyatt!:) "
— Kristina, 5/2/2011" by far my favorite book as a child. no other book captures the imagination and magic that is shown here. "
— Lynn, 5/1/2011" This is a really cute book. I think children would love to hear about Ralph's adventures. "
— Sarah, 4/28/2011" I thought that this was a very goof book about sharing and the friendship of a boy and a mouse. Following your dreams would also be a good theme for this book and I feel as though it was an easy read with a good message. I would recommend it! "
— Sammy, 4/25/2011" Very cool. A mouse driving toy cars: I WANNA BE THAT MOUSE!!!!!:-) "
— Dog, 4/25/2011Beverly Cleary (1916–2021) was an American author of highly acclaimed fiction for children and young adults, including the Henry Huggins series, Ramon Quimby series, stand-alone novels, picture books, and two memoirs. Some of her many awards include the Newbery Medal, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the National Medal of Arts. She was born in McMinnville, Oregon, and lived on a farm in Yamhill, a town so small it had no library. Her mother arranged to have books sent to their tiny town from the state library and acted as a librarian in a room over a bank. It was there that she learned to love books. Generations of children have grown up with Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, Ralph Mouse, and all of their friends, families, and assorted pets. Her books continue to capture the hearts and imaginations of children of all ages throughout the world.
B.D. Wong was born and raised in San Francisco, California. He made his Broadway debut in M. Butterfly. He is the only actor to be honored with the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and Theater World Award for the same performance. He starred in the television series All-American Girl, and has made guest appearances on Sesame Street and The X-Files.