Superfudge

Superfudge is a sequel to Blume’s earlier book about the Hatcher family, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (which I haven’t read). This second installment is set a couple of years after that first book, and is narrated by Peter Hatcher, older brother of the unfortunately named Farley Drexel Hatcher (hence the nickname “Fudge”) who is four years old when the book begins. Peter is beginning sixth grade, and trying to live as normal a life as it’s possible to live, with a brother like Fudge.

Fudge is the baby of the family, and gets away with murder (almost literally – in the first book he apparently swallowed Peter’s pet turtle alive!). He is wild and uncontrollable, and naturally the apple of his parents' eyes. No wonder then show more that Peter is upset when he learns that a new baby sister is on the way (eventually called “Tootsie”) – he’s positive the new sibling will turn out to be just another version of Fudge!

In this story, the family moves to Princeton, New Jersey for a year so that Mrs. Hatcher can go back to school (and have a new baby, too? talk about Supermom!) and Mr. Hatcher can spend some time writing a book. Peter isn’t happy about the move at first, but once he gets there and starts to make new friends, he begins to enjoy the place. The baby comes. Peter has his first mild crush on a girl. The boys have some funny adventures, and Fudge acquires a talking myna bird whose favorite phrase turns out to be “Bonjour, stupid!” It would be a cute story if it weren’t for the constantly infuriating presence of the abominable Fudge.

In the end, I guess this is just one of those books you have to be a kid to appreciate – coming to it as an adult probably put me at a disadvantage. Fudge did not charm me. I did not think he was super. At one point, big brother Peter says to him, “You are the biggest pain ever invented.” I'm afraid I'd have to agree with that. show less

Superfudge continues the hilarious adventures of Peter Hatcher as he and his mischievous younger brother, Fudge, navigate big life changes: moving to Princeton, welcoming a new baby (nicknamed “Tootsie”), and enduring Fudge’s wild antics at school. The story’s warmth, humor, and short, lively chapters keep it perfect for middle-grade readers—especially those who grew up with Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. With a 560L Lexile and ATOS 3.4, it’s a brilliant pick for students who love realistic, laugh-out-loud family stories.

Just finished a re-read (hadn't read this since I was a kid!) and was glad to see this book was still funny. I remember thinking Fudge was incredibly annoying (yet funny!) and feeling so sorry for Pet-ah. And thinking how weird and funny this family was. Now that I have a 2 year old daughter, I see Fudge as actually a pretty cute but actually fairly accurately portrayed little kid (if mine is anything to go by?) and poor Peter as also an average older brother who feels looked over and jealous of his younger siblings. I'm also noticing how so realistic the parents reactions are! Great book.

Peter is faced with the twin challenges of a new baby sister and moving to Princeton for a year.

I thought I read this as a kid, when I would have been at least 10 years old, which is surely the target age Blume was aiming for. I have always had fond memories of the Fudge books, and now my 7-year-old son loves them too. We got this book on audio for a long car trip; it's very funny and really captures the feelings of a 6th-grade boy going through some pretty big upheavals in his life. However, if I did read it as a child, I had either forgotten or wasn't that affected by the fact that Blume drops the bomb that Santa is made up in this book. As a reader, I don't blame her; she writes for kids in a way that lets them know that books are show more wonderful, dangerous things that can reveal truths your parents may not have told you. However, as a parent, I selfishly want my son to believe as long as possible. Fortunately, my husband and I realized what was happening and were able to cut off the audio before the beans were spilled. "Uh, the CD broke!"

Updated: My son liked this so much that he wanted me to read it aloud to him. I elided the troublesome chapter with no noticeable effects. Overall, this is a funny, lighthearted book with a somewhat abrupt ending, not quite as good as the first in the series but better than its successor, Fudge-a-mania. show less

I loved this book as a kid, but I have to ditch this copy; it's been updated and I want my edition to be the horribly outdated one I read as a kid. I'm certain when I read this the first time Peter did not ask Santa for an mp3 player or a laptop computer.

Still, most of the book is unchanged and it's less hilarious to adult me as it was to kid me but only because adult me gets what's going on as Peter's life gets turned upside down with a move and a new baby sister and a change in his father's employment status. However, adult me still thought the part where Fudge tried to sell, give away, and finally pay someone to take, his sister was as hilarious as it was the first time I read it.

Superfudge is as relevant as it ever was; I hope show more kids continue to discover Judy Blume for years to come. show less

In Judy Blume's sequel to "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" Fudge is back with a vengeance and Blume's depiction of sibling relationships is just as honest as ever. Now both Peter and Fudge are big brothers to "Tootsie", and their dynamic is shifted to adapt to their little sister. To mix things up further, the family moves from New York City to Princeton, NJ where Peter meets his first girl crush and must adjust to life in a new town. This story of change and adaptation is told without fear by Judy Blume. Her style is refreshing in that she will approach issues of change, adaptation, and growing up with a sense of honesty that helps readers feel okay about the many conflicting feelings they may have towards their families and their show more homes. Ages 8 and up. show less

This book is about a sixth grade student named Peter who lives in New York City. He has a little brother known as Fudge and soon finds out that he will have another baby brother. Peter begins to worry if his new baby sister will create the same problems as Fudge. The chapter book goes on to describe the sequence of events that Peter follows as he attempts to escape, moves to the suburbs, and realizes that his new baby sister is the opposite of Fudge. I have read several Judy Blume books in the past but never really enjoyed them. However, this is a cute book that I was able to relate to especially when I was little with a younger brother and sister. This book is suitable for grades third through fifth and can be used to teach prediction show more and sequencing of different events. show less