Rotten Ralph's Trick or Treat

ROTTEN RALPH'S
TRICK OR TREAT!

Written by Jack Gantos and Illustrated by Nicole Rubel

Houghton Mifflin Company
Boston

For Astro and Roger
—J.G.
For my family
—N.R.

Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publicatlon Data

Gantos, Jack.
Rotten Ralph's trick or treat!

Summary: Sarah's rotten cat Ralph goes to a
Halloween costume party dressed as her and creates
horrible mischief under the protection of his disguise.
[1. Cats—Fiction. 2. Halloween—Fiction. 3. Costume
—Fiction. 4. Parties—Fiction.] I. Rubel, Nicole, ill.
II. Title.
PZ7.Gl5334Rom 1986 [E] 86-7276
ISBN 0-395-38943-7

The character of Rotten Ralph was originally created
by Nicole Rubel and Jack Gantos.

Text copyright © 1986 by John B. Gantos, Jr.
Illustrations copyright © 1986 by Leslie Rubel

All rights reserved. For information about permission
to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue
South, New York, New York 10003.

Printed in the United States of America

RNF ISBN 0-395-38943-7
PAP ISBN 0-395-48655-6

WOZ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12

Rotten Ralph is Sarah's rotten cat.

One day when Sarah came home early from school, Rotten Ralph was wearing a frightening Halloween mask.

Ralph and Sarah went inside.

Suddenly, a creepy hand slipped a note under the door.

"Look," said Sarah. "We've been invited to a costume party.

"It reads, C
OME AS THE THING YOU LOVE BEST.

And because we are best friends," she said,

"we'll go as each other."

That night Rotten Ralph and Sarah put on their costumes.

"Oh, Ralph," said Sarah. "No one will guess we're dressed as each other."

But Rotten Ralph didn't like his costume.

"I'd rather go as myself," he thought.

Just then the doorbell rang.

"Trick or treat!" shouted some children.

Rotten Ralph tricked them. He tossed all of his old cat food into their bags.

"That's not very nice," said Sarah.

On their way to the party, Rotten Ralph felt rotten. He chased a black cat right across Sarah's path.

"Oh no!" she cried. "That's bad luck!

I hope this doesn't ruin the party."

When Ralph and Sarah arrived at the party, everyone was fooled by their costumes.

"You look nice," they said to Ralph.

"Thank you," said Sarah.

"And you look nice, too," they said to Sarah.

But Rotten Ralph didn't want to be nice. As soon as he spotted their Halloween candy, he put it all in his bag.

After that, he pulled the sheets off the ghosts.

"That's no way for a best friend to act," said Sarah.

Then he poured the goldfish into the punch bowl.

Everyone at the party was upset.

"What's wrong with Sarah?" one of them asked.

"She's never acted like this before," remarked another.

"I don't know what's gotten into her," said the party hostess. "But I wish she'd behave like that nice cat of hers."