Runaway Ralph
 First edition | |
| Author | Beverly Cleary |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Louis Darling |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Mouse and the Motorcycle |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
Publication date | 1970 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 192 pp |
| ISBN | 0-380-70953-8 |
| OCLC | 25097417 |
| Preceded by | The Mouse and the Motorcycle |
| Followed by | Ralph S. Mouse |
Runaway Ralph is the second in a children's novel trilogy written by Beverly Cleary, first published in 1970.
Plot summary
Fed up with his bratty family, Ralph the mouse hops onto his toy motorcycle and speeds down the road away from the Mountain View Inn toward Happy Acres Camp, where he encounters Sam, a nosy watchdog, and is captured by a boy named Garfield (or Garf) and kept as a pet. Separated from his motorcycle, Ralph must endure life in a cage with an annoying hamster named Chum. Over time, Ralph and Garf form a relationship similar to the one Ralph and Keith had in the original book in the series.
Ralph's adventures at Happy Acres Camp include escapades with an evil cat, the return of a missing watch, the escape from his cage, and being reunited with his beloved motorcycle. He eventually begins feeling homesick and strikes a bargain with Garf: return the motorcycle and bring him back to the Mountain View Inn, in exchange for clearing Garf's name (the rest of the children at Happy Acres Camp believe Garf was the one who took the missing watch). Eventually the watch is returned, and Garf reassures Ralph that he will go back home the next day.
Animated adaptation
Churchill Films produced an adaptation of Runaway Ralph directed by Ron Underwood in 1988. The film was distributed by Strand Home Video in 1991 and by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 1999.
External links
- Runaway Ralph at the Internet Movie Database (1988)