Ralph S. Mouse

Ralph S. Mouse (1982) is a children's novel by Beverly Cleary. It features Ralph, a mouse with the ability to speak, but only with certain people who tend to be loners. The title character is also featured in the two earlier novels of Cleary's The Mouse and the Motorcycle series. 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 and also worried that their droppings on...