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Rotten Ralph
Three Strikes for Rotten Ralph
Before he tries out for the new Fighting Squirrels baseball team, Rotten Ralph is sure he is going to be a superstar. Never mind that he doesn't have any skills and doesn't want to practice. While his owner, Sarah, is doing everything she can to make the team, she tries to help Ralph do his best, too. But with his imagination running wild, Ralph's worst is what comes out.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published February 15, 2011
About the author
Jack Gantos
86 books554 followersJack Gantos is an American author of children's books renowned for his portrayal of fictional Joey Pigza, a boy with ADHD, and many other well known characters such as Rotten Ralph, Jack Henry, Jack Gantos (memoirs) and others. Gantos has won a number of awards, including the Newbery, the Newbery Honor, the Scott O'Dell Award, the Printz Honor, and the Sibert Honor from the American Library Association, and he has been a finalist for the National Book Award.
Gantos was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania to son of construction superintendent John Gantos and banker Elizabeth (Weaver) Gantos. The seeds for Jack Gantos' writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister's diary and decided he could write better than she could. Born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and raised in Barbados and South Florida, Mr. Gantos began collecting anecdotes in grade school and later gathered them into stories.
After his senior year in high school (where he lived in a welfare motel) he moved to a Caribbean island (St Croix) and began to train as a builder. He soon realized that construction was not his forté and started saving for college. While in St. Croix he met a drug smuggler and was offered a chance to make 10 000 dollars by sailing to New York with 2,000 pounds of hash. With an English eccentric captain on board they set off to the big city. Once there they hung out at the Chelsea hotel and Gantos carried on dreaming about college. Then, in Jacks own words, "The **** hit the fan" and the F.B.I. burst in on him. He managed to escape and hid out in the very same welfare motel he was living during high school. However, he saw sense and turned himself in. He was sentenced to six years in prison, which he describes in his novel -HOLE IN MY LIFE-. However, after a year and a half in prison he applied to college, was accepted. He was released from prison, entered college, and soon began his writing career.
He received his BFA and his MA both from Emerson College. While in college, Jack began working on picture books with an illustrator friend. In 1976, they published their first book, Rotten Ralph. Mr. Gantos continued writing children's books and began teaching courses in children's book writing. He developed the master's degree program in children's book writing at Emerson College in Boston. In 1995 he resigned his tenured position in order to further his writing career (which turned out to be a great decision).
He married art dealer Anne A. Lower on November 11, 1989. The couple has one child, Mabel, and they live in Boston, Massachusetts.
www.jackgantos.com
Gantos was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania to son of construction superintendent John Gantos and banker Elizabeth (Weaver) Gantos. The seeds for Jack Gantos' writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister's diary and decided he could write better than she could. Born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and raised in Barbados and South Florida, Mr. Gantos began collecting anecdotes in grade school and later gathered them into stories.
After his senior year in high school (where he lived in a welfare motel) he moved to a Caribbean island (St Croix) and began to train as a builder. He soon realized that construction was not his forté and started saving for college. While in St. Croix he met a drug smuggler and was offered a chance to make 10 000 dollars by sailing to New York with 2,000 pounds of hash. With an English eccentric captain on board they set off to the big city. Once there they hung out at the Chelsea hotel and Gantos carried on dreaming about college. Then, in Jacks own words, "The **** hit the fan" and the F.B.I. burst in on him. He managed to escape and hid out in the very same welfare motel he was living during high school. However, he saw sense and turned himself in. He was sentenced to six years in prison, which he describes in his novel -HOLE IN MY LIFE-. However, after a year and a half in prison he applied to college, was accepted. He was released from prison, entered college, and soon began his writing career.
He received his BFA and his MA both from Emerson College. While in college, Jack began working on picture books with an illustrator friend. In 1976, they published their first book, Rotten Ralph. Mr. Gantos continued writing children's books and began teaching courses in children's book writing. He developed the master's degree program in children's book writing at Emerson College in Boston. In 1995 he resigned his tenured position in order to further his writing career (which turned out to be a great decision).
He married art dealer Anne A. Lower on November 11, 1989. The couple has one child, Mabel, and they live in Boston, Massachusetts.
www.jackgantos.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 23, 2011
Great book for struggling 3rd graders who want to read chapter books.
April 17, 2018
Rotten Ralph is an outrageously selfish scarlet cat with an owner who loves him despite his total lack of redeeming qualities. Ralph joins a baseball team with the goal of becoming a star without understanding baseball, practicing, or having any team spirit. Ralph’s eyes are clouded by visions of fame and fortune, and he causes chaos for the baseball team and nearly loses a game for them before his owner gets a home run and saves the day with her dedication to group success. Ralph’s amorality is fun to see for children who are developing a sense of empathy that they can contrast with wicked characters’ self-interest. The words are more numerous than in many other easy reader books, but the story is also more interesting and detailed. The vivid, cartoonish illustrations centered on bright-red, nearly-demonic Ralph also make this short book stand out from its milder easy reader companions on the shelf. Ages six to eight.
September 25, 2017
Typical Ralph! He's a little less mean in this one.
June 4, 2025
WD Library in WI
July 25, 2018
I love Jack Gantos's books, and the Rotten Ralph series has been a favorite of mine for most of my life. Thirty-five years after the debut of the first book abut Sarah and her lovably loathsome cat, it's nice to see Jack Gantos and Nicole Rubel still teaming up to create these books for new generations to enjoy.
In typical fashion for our cantankerous title cat, the coming of the baseball season gives Rotten Ralph visions of stardom for himself on the diamond. He imagines coming through in the clutch and hitting home runs to win games for his teams, and of course he also imagines MVP treatment for himself off the field. Sarah's more practical approach to trying out for the local baseball team is completely lost on Ralph, who would much rather dream about how famous he's going to be one day than actually put in the tedious work necessary to develop into a good ballplayer. The difference in their approaches to the game becomes obvious when Ralph and Sarah try out in front of the manager; Ralph bungles his chance, while Sarah shows herself to be a real ballplayer worthy of a roster spot. Ralph's fast track to the major leagues isn't going to be as easy as he thought, but might he get another chance to come through for his team when they need him? If he does get that chance, will he take Sarah's advice and play the game the right way, or will he always be the same Rotten Ralph we've always known?
While Ralph is still the rapscallion we've known him to be since 1976, it seems to me that he has softened a bit around the edges. Sure, he's still selfish, and lazy, but he's capable of some real moments of kindness toward Sarah. I suppose that while his personal growth has been slow, it is happening, and Sarah's long-suffering faith in her cat and unconditional love for him have finally borne some fruit. I guess it just goes to show that even a thoroughly rotten cat isn't beyond reformation. Kind of gives you hope, doesn't it? All said, Three Strikes for Rotten Ralph is a nice book from a well-loved author/illustrator team, and I would give it one and a half stars. I had a good time with this book.
In typical fashion for our cantankerous title cat, the coming of the baseball season gives Rotten Ralph visions of stardom for himself on the diamond. He imagines coming through in the clutch and hitting home runs to win games for his teams, and of course he also imagines MVP treatment for himself off the field. Sarah's more practical approach to trying out for the local baseball team is completely lost on Ralph, who would much rather dream about how famous he's going to be one day than actually put in the tedious work necessary to develop into a good ballplayer. The difference in their approaches to the game becomes obvious when Ralph and Sarah try out in front of the manager; Ralph bungles his chance, while Sarah shows herself to be a real ballplayer worthy of a roster spot. Ralph's fast track to the major leagues isn't going to be as easy as he thought, but might he get another chance to come through for his team when they need him? If he does get that chance, will he take Sarah's advice and play the game the right way, or will he always be the same Rotten Ralph we've always known?
While Ralph is still the rapscallion we've known him to be since 1976, it seems to me that he has softened a bit around the edges. Sure, he's still selfish, and lazy, but he's capable of some real moments of kindness toward Sarah. I suppose that while his personal growth has been slow, it is happening, and Sarah's long-suffering faith in her cat and unconditional love for him have finally borne some fruit. I guess it just goes to show that even a thoroughly rotten cat isn't beyond reformation. Kind of gives you hope, doesn't it? All said, Three Strikes for Rotten Ralph is a nice book from a well-loved author/illustrator team, and I would give it one and a half stars. I had a good time with this book.
October 13, 2017
Fiction, all about baseball, teams, and the importance of practice.
November 11, 2014
This book is appropriate for First Grade to Third Grade. Sarah and Ralph are trying out for the new Fighting Squirrels baseball team. Sarah had been practicing for weeks and Ralph had no skills and did not want to practice. With Sarah on the team and Ralph as the Catboy also known as Batboy, a big game was coming up. Ralph thought this could be his time to shine, however he gets out and Sarah ends up saving the game.
Activities:
1) Do you think Ralph should have been more of a team player by practicing. Why or why not?
2) Why do you think Sarah was able to save the game, but not Ralph?
3) Compare and contrast Sarah and Ralph.
4) In what ways could Ralph have saved the game?
5) When Sarah is giving Ralph tips she says "always remember, the game ain't over till it is over. So no celebrating until you win." Did Ralph take her advice? Why do you think this tip is important?
Gantos, J. (2011). Three Strikes for Rotten Ralph. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Activities:
1) Do you think Ralph should have been more of a team player by practicing. Why or why not?
2) Why do you think Sarah was able to save the game, but not Ralph?
3) Compare and contrast Sarah and Ralph.
4) In what ways could Ralph have saved the game?
5) When Sarah is giving Ralph tips she says "always remember, the game ain't over till it is over. So no celebrating until you win." Did Ralph take her advice? Why do you think this tip is important?
Gantos, J. (2011). Three Strikes for Rotten Ralph. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.
August 23, 2015
Fans of Rotten Ralph will enjoy this book.
September 6, 2016
rather random. Not our favorite Rotten Ralph book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews