Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is the first book in Judy Blume’s classic children’s chapter book series, Fudge. Peter Hatcher is an ordinary nine-year-old in fourth grade who just wants peace and quiet, but with his troublemaking little brother, Fudge—who turns three in the story—around, peace and quiet are hard to find. Peter is also a little jealous of how Fudge always seems to be the one who gets all the attention, while Peter is just a “fourth grade nothing.” Told in a series of vignettes about the Hatcher family, the story follows Peter and Fudge on all sorts of adventures and into a whole lot of trouble. Whether it’s getting his dad fired from an advertising account, pretending to be a bird and knocking out his show more front teeth, or destroying Peter’s school project, Fudge just can’t seem to stop causing mayhem. But all that pales in comparison to what happens when Fudge finally gets ahold of Peter’s pet turtle, Dribble.

I remember reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing as a kid, probably in upper elementary school, but I didn’t recall much about the story. I just had a general recollection of liking it, although I also had a vague sense of being annoyed by Fudge as much as Peter is. Whether you find Fudge irritating or hilarious will probably depend on you point of view. Although I didn’t have any younger siblings growing up like Peter, I think I related to him because he’s the “good kid” who doesn’t get into trouble, much like I was. I still relate to him for that reason, but re-reading the book through adult eyes, I think has given me a slightly different perspective. I’ve now lived through raising a son who, in many ways, was like Fudge at that same age. He could throw pretty big temper tantrums, get into all sorts of mischief (climbing on top of the stove to reach the cabinet above, breaking eggs on the kitchen floor and cutting his little sister’s hair come to mind), and never met a child safety device he couldn’t outwit or simply break. Now I also have a granddaughter who’s nearly as spirited as my son was when he was her age, so I kind of get how little kids can actually be like Fudge sometimes. While frustrating at the time, I now look back on my son’s antics with a sense of amusement, so I can also see the humor in the story.

Despite being completely annoyed with Fudge most of the time, Peter is actually a very good big brother. In fact, he’s the one the adults look to when they need to persuade Fudge out of a particularly stubborn streak, because clearly Fudge actually looks up to his big brother and wants to emulate him. The only thing about the story that I found slightly troubling is that I’d completely forgotten about what happened to poor Dribble, Peter’s pet turtle. Some kids will probably find it funny while others might be a little distressed like I was, so know your child’s sensitivity level. Otherwise, though, revisiting Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was an enjoyable experience. I think any kid who has a younger sibling (or even ones who don’t like me) will relate to Peter’s tribulations with Fudge, and overall I’m happy to report that IMHO the book has withstood the test of time and is worthy of the label of modern classic. show less

Other than a pet named Dribble, I remembered almost nothing about this book from when I read it as a child, not even the type of pet. I must have enjoyed this way back then since at the time I named my Cabbage Patch Kid’s Show Pony, Dribble; surely that’s an indication of book love? But reading this as an adult, I’m kind of stunned that my child self might have been okay with the turtle situation? Or did someone read this book to me and leave that bit out? Or was I too young to comprehend exactly what happened there?

All grown up me found that portion of the story sort of awful. I mean, I know little kids get into some stuff… but that? And he’s not even seriously reprimanded? And almost everyone in this book laughs about what show more happened? I guess for some (or maybe even many, maybe even me as a child?) it’ll read funny while for others it’ll feel cringey at the least.

I was mostly entertained by the rest of the story, though it felt kind of like a rip-off (or homage?) of Beverly Cleary’s Ramona and Beezus (just brothers instead of sisters) and understandably as with many older books some aspects of this haven’t aged well, like the spanking. As with Beverly Cleary, most of the time this finds humor in the every day, something that I quite like, though I feel like Cleary’s work generally culminates with a greater sense of heart than was ever apparent here. show less

I so loved these books as a kid and I'm happy to revisit them as an adult; I still empathize with Peter, who puts up with an awful lot from his exuberant younger brother "Fudge." The parents do cut Fudge a lot of slack - he is two, after all, to Peter's nine - but the unfairness of it still rankles. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing holds up well, though most fathers aren't allowed to be quite as useless/clueless as this one anymore (Mr. Hatcher barely copes when Mrs. Hatcher goes to visit her sister for a weekend).

*
Re-read (print and audio) September 2019 w/ L

Quotes

Nobody can stop me from thinking. My mind is my own. (42)

How could my mother have been embarrassed over a little hole in my sock and then act like nothing much was happening show more when her other son was on the floor yelling and screaming and carrying on! (64) show less

Tales of a fourth grade nothing is written incredibly well, it captured perfectly what it means to be a kid with a little sibling. What Judy Blume does with this book is put everything entirely within the first person perspective of Peter himself. His tone of voice is pitch perfect. You empathize with him completely. When Fudge goes into his older brother's room and destroys his poster for school, you're just as inclined to see him punished as Peter is. And when Peter must deal with an awful loss at the book's end, you know just how he feels.

R assigned Summer Reading (2 of 3).

Written as farce and so intentionally exaggerated and ridiculous. When I read it as a kid, I don't recall being as peeved or rankled with Fudge as I was this time. Perhaps due to being a parent myself; perhaps merely the headspace I'm in at present, but the result isn't comedy or amusement, but closer to rage at how mean he is, how much he enjoys it. (Which reaction on my part is all fairly ridiculous, given that he's three or whatever.) Might as well be Modern Family for the utter lack of entertainment it holds for me.

Interesting in itself that the same book provokes such different reactions in me, at different times. I read quite a bit of Blume as a kid, primarily because it was near to hand in show more classroom wire racks and such, but admittedly also because they are entertaining. show less

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Book #1 in the Fudge series
★★★★

Synopsis: Two is a crowd when Peter and his four-year-old brother, Fudge, are in the same room. Grown-ups think Fudge is absolutely adorable, but Peter and his pet turtle, Dribble, know the truth. Fudge is actually a tiny terror in disguise, causing mischief everywhere he goes.

My Thoughts: Although I discovered Judy Blume around age 11 I firmly refused to read this series because, well, I was in the fifth grade and couldn't possibly read something that was obviously for someone much younger and less mature. In all actuality, I was discouraged from reading books from our little school library that were beneath my reading level. It was unfortunate because show more I really missed out on quite a few little gems like this book.

What Worked: Told from Peter's point of view the book reads exactly as I'd imagine a 9 year old would tell these tales. It was pretty easy to empathize with Peter and his frustrations of having a little (yet adorable) sibling who, in Peter's mind, messes everything up. The language is simple and easy to read. I was glad that Peter didn't use words like "misogynist" or "antidisestablishmentarianism". Nothing throws off a book with a child narrator who uses the word antidisestablishmentarianism.

What Didn't Work: Since this book is technically one of tales and not a continuous storyline the stories do not have a set timeline or a feeling of continuity to them. Although this might appeal to a child (which I fully admit that I am a few years beyond this book's demographic) I think older readers might long for an actual storyline with a plot.

In a Nutshell: A truly delightful book that would be excellent for a parent/child read together session. For children ages 7-11 I'd say. Although in a slight warning, younger children might ask questions on what happened to Dribble and if you are not inclined to have a "Circle of Life" discussion you might want to skip this one. show less

This is an entertaining book that focuses on the relationship between a fourth grader, Peter, and his younger brother, Fudge, who is two-and-a-half years old. From the perspective of Peter, we get a good glimpse into the frustration, jealousy, and embarrassment that a younger sibling can bring to a much older sibling. Everyone else seems to like Fudge, but Peter just wants everyone to know how mischievous and misbehaved Fudge really is. His experience with Fudge makes him feel like he's just a "fourth grade nothing" because of having to deal with his younger brother all the time. There are so many moments throughout this book that the reader (if they have a younger sibling) can put themselves into Peter's shoes and experience his show more feelings of frustration and irritation with Fudge as well as everyone else throughout the book who gives Fudge the benefit of the doubt.
If I were using this book in a class setting, a couple teaching points I would use are…
- Drawing on comparisons to the student's own lives as it relates to their experiences with a younger (or older) sibling. If they don't have any siblings, thinking of any younger relative or family friend who has ever frustrated them or got under their skin.
- Identifying all the characters who don't really see Fudge in the same light as Peter does, and why that is.
- What does it mean to relate to certain characters of a story, feeling their same emotions or at least sympathizing with how they are feeling at particular places throughout the story. show less