Lord of the Ralphs

I knew kids like Ralph–and they scared me–but none of them had his heart, his humor, or ultimately his entertaining story. –Mitch Albom

McNally’s writing is so compelling, not to mention funny, that you’re often surprised by sudden, more tender moments. –Sarah Dessen

A serious joy. –Richard Russo

Every school year was a chance to start all over again, and so while the first seven months of 1978 had sucked, I had high hopes that August would be the beginning of the year not sucking. And because it would be my last year of grade school, I had secretly hoped that eighth grade would be different somehow, that a cute girl from another state would transfer to my school and fall insanely in love with me …

Two boys, Hank and Ralph, create moments of outrageous transcendence in this comic novel about adolescence in the 1970s–a time, like today, when adults couldn’t be trusted and just getting by was hard work. Amid the clatter of Cheap Trick and Styx, CB radios and Creature Features, this novel belts out timeless truths about boyhood, friendship, and redemption. Lord of the Ralphs is a reincarnation of the author’s beloved novel for adults, The Book of Ralph, revised and expanded specifically for YA readers.

John McNally is the author of three novels, two short story collections, and two books about writing. He is professor and writer-in-residence at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.