Leo and Ralph

Gr 2-5–Space-obsessed, dreamy Leo has never caught the knack of making friends—so he invents Ralph, a cuddly extraterrestrial companion. Ralph is accepted as a member of Leo’s family and classroom. But when Leo hits fourth grade and his parents decide to move, Leo loses track of Ralph. Will he find his friend and his place in a new home? Carnavas adeptly represents Leo’s loneliness. Leo’s struggle to understand other children potentially places him on the autism spectrum. However, to the benefit of the narrative, Leo is not labeled. Instead, the novel focuses on the ways his family and teachers make space for Leo’s difference. Carnavas weaves in the effects of economic precarity into the narrative. Leo’s parents, a teacher and a lawn-maintenance man with a stymied artistic passion decide to move away from the lush, expensive coastal region of Australia to Dibbles, a small town in the harsh, dry interior. Leo interprets the move as his parents’ way of separating him from Ralph. With the intervention of an excellent teacher, Leo slowly starts to connect with Gus, a hulking boy whose obsession with soccer is connected to his own experiences of dislocation and loss. This text will resonate with readers across different ages: Ralph enters Leo’s life in kindergarten, inviting in younger listeners who might be read the story. This book, which centers on the emotional struggles of gentle boys, is an absolute necessity. Leo and his family are coded as white; his classmates and teachers come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Carnarvas describes the ecological crisis and water scarcity in Australia without being preachy.