The Nine Lives of Rotten Ralph

by Jack Gantos, Nicole Rubel (Illustrator)

Overview

Poor Rotten Ralph. His health just isn’t what it used to be. Thanks to his rotten ways, he’s down to the very last of his nine lives!
“One more slip and he’ll be gone forever,” warns the vet.
Sarah, Ralph’s doting owner, is fiercely determined to keep her cat safe. But how much coddling can Ralph take before he has to do something totally and utterly rotten?
In this ninth tale about the most delightfully disobedient cat in town, being naughty has never looked so good to Rotten Ralph. But then again, after a hard day’s rotten work, neither does the warmth and safety of Sarah’s lap!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618800469
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	04/20/2009
Series:	Rotten Ralph Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

NICOLE RUBEL has illustrated more than fifty books for children, including the Rotten Ralph series by Jack Gantos, which has been in print for more than twenty years. She lives in Oregon.

Editorial Reviews

"At his owner Sarah's request, a forlorn Ralph recaps (in thought bubbles) how he lost his eight lives, providing a quick tour of his previous eight picture-book misadventures, a reminder of just how uproarious—and timeless—these stories are . . . Gantos and Rubel remain in perfect comic sync, as wryly understated text and dynamic art deliver Ralph at his rotten best."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"As chubby and malicious-looking as ever, Ralph occupies the visual center in each of Rubel’s bright, stylized scenes and, 33 years since his first outing, is as much a poster cat for vicarious acting-up as ever. His resolve to live his last life as vigorously as his first eight may inspire adult readers more than children, but there’s nothing wrong with that."--Kirkus Reviews

"Rubel and Gantos have always been the perfect wicked team, and Rubel’s sly caricatured art vividly fills in the details of Ralph’s memories as he recounts to Sarah how each life got starved, shaken, carried, and snowballed away in one of the previous picture books. Does this mean Ralph will from now on adhere to Sarah’s prescription of an extra-cautious ninth life, spent riding in a baby carriage, downing vitamins, and never going outside to carouse with his alley-cat buddies? Ralph fans know the answer already."--Horn Book

"Deadpan storytelling and brightly colored, somewhat zany ink-and-wash artwork combine for a decidedly droll and sometimes hilarious picture book"--Booklist

"Ralph's fans won't want to miss this latest offering."--School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Uh oh. Rotten Ralph is in bigger trouble than ever. After a rough night of "being rotten with his alley cat friends," he gets some bad news from the vet: he's used up eight of his lives and, per the nine lives chart, "Next Stop: Cat Heaven (Good Cats Only!)" At his owner Sarah's request, a forlorn Ralph recaps (in thought bubbles) how he lost his eight lives, providing a quick tour of his previous eight picture-book misadventures, a reminder of just how uproarious-and timeless-these stories are. Sarah announces that Ralph's rotten days are behind him, vowing to protect her pet: he ends up in a baby buggy, wearing a bonnet. Kids won't expect this to last, and it doesn't. Leaping out the window, he engages in some typical shenanigans ("He ran into the aquarium and grabbed two electric eels. That shocked him back into action") but, luckily for fans (and his owner), he returns, last life intact. Gantos and Rubel remain in perfect comic sync, as wryly understated text and dynamic art deliver Ralph at his rotten best. Ages 3-7. (May)

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Publishers Weekly

Rotten Ralph was feeling a bit peaked, so owner Sarah took him to the vet who delivered the bad news. Ralph had used up eight of his nine lives and was down to his last life. "One more slip-up and he'll be gone forever". What follows is a recap of his past lives filled with mayhem and mischief. Sarah made up her mind to protect Ralph from further danger only to stifle his outrageous personality by dressing him in baby clothes and confining him to a baby buggy. Are Ralph Rotten's rotten days over? Not very likely. Ralph embarks on an adventure to live life to the fullest engaging in typical hijinks that leave his one last life very much in tact. Fans of the series will be delighted with these latest antics of this rotten but lovable feline. The familiar watercolor illustrations are as high-spirited and energetic their subject. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey

Children's Literature - Beverley Fahey

K-Gr 2

Rotten Ralph has really done it this time. After a night of carousing, he looks in the mirror only to be terrified by the ghostly figure that stares back. Loving Sarah takes him to the vet, who unceremoniously declares that the cat has used up eight of his nine lives. A short trip down memory lane reviews his antics from the eight previous stories. Sarah dotes on him even more than usual and cautions him to "take it easy." His rottenness gets the better of him and though he doesn't use up that last life, he doesn't repent either. Rubel's familiar illustrations once again add humor and vigor to the story. The feline plays sad and dejected after his diagnosis, encouraging readers' empathy. He later grabs two electric eels from the aquarium to "shock him back into action," which frizz out his fur, greatly enlarge his green eyes, and raise him off the floor. Ralph's fans won't want to miss this latest offering.-Linda Meneses Kenton, Pickleweed Public Library, San Rafael, CA

School Library Journal

The bright red feline counter-Clifford faces his greatest challenge yet when the vet announces that he's gone through eight of his allotted lives. How could that have happened? Sitting down with his human companion Sarah he recaps each fatality (adding new but more-or-less plausible incidents to eight of his previously published outings)-and is instantly strapped into a baby carriage, subjected to a rigidly controlled diet (complete with Vital Vitamins and Anti-Germ Juice) and locked indoors. As fans will instantly guess, that doesn't last long. Ralph is out the window in no time, off to (evidently) nonfatal encounters with an electric eel and a wild carnival ride. As chubby and malicious-looking as ever, Ralph occupies the visual center in each of Rubel's bright, stylized scenes and, 33 years since his first outing, is as much a poster cat for vicarious acting-up as ever. His resolve to live his last life as vigorously as his first eight may inspire adult readers more than children, but there's nothing wrong with that. (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews