Rotten Ralph's Rotten Family
K-Gr 2—Ralph's fans will welcome this new addition, though the adventure rolls out in the usual way and predictably ends with the naughty feline showing a momentary display of sweetness. In this episode, Sarah has to decline a party invitation because she can't find a single cat sitter in town willing to spend time with Ralph. His reputation has impacted his best friend's life, and she sends him to his room, demanding that he change his ways. Ralph waxes nostalgic about the good old days when he lived with his own cat family. But a visit to the family farm reveals relatives just as rotten as he is and reinforces the fact that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Some readers may be perplexed by the difference between Ralph's vividly depicted childhood memories and reality. The transformation makes sense only if one assumes that the pictures in Ralph's mind are candy-coated, and this recognition may prompt some meaningful discussions about human behavior and also serve as a lesson in inference. Rubel's signature cartoon illustrations contain all the humor one could want in this latest chapter book about the incorrigible yet charismatic cat.—Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT