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

I read this when I was in, of course, fourth grade and recently re-read it to my daughter as a read aloud. Loved it both times.

The book is still funny and emotionally real, but another reason to read it is to see how different parenting is 30+ years later. Leave 'em alone in Central Park? Well, it's just for ten minutes...

The ending delivers a legit shock as well. I don't think they'd publish it this way today for the same audience.

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 can see why many of my students enjoy this book! I did not personally enjoy it as much. All I could keep thinking was Poor Peter! Good for him for sticking through tough times with Fudge as a little brother. I probably would have given up!

Regardless of my personal frustration with Fudge rather than seeing the comedy, this story is really quite timeless!

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

This book was funny, insightful, and entertaining. This would be referred to as contemporary realism, as it discusses real issues that students could relate to, especially with a younger sibling like Fudge. In this novel, Peter shares stories of his life and how his little brother, Fudge is "ruining his life." However, almost every story ended with Peter finding the silver lining and realizing that his younger brother isn't all that bad. Students who are having trouble accepting a younger sibling at home may benefit the most from this story, but I would give this to any student, really, to have a good laugh and see that other people are going through the same things they are--especially in fourth grade!
This is a short, easy-read and show more excellent way for students to get comfortable with chapter books. According to Scholastic Book Wizard, the readability of this book is grades 3-5, so I could use this for my third grade class to ease their anxieties about entering 4th grade, read it in 4th grade, or having something to laugh at once they've moved up to the 5th grade.
Overall, I give this a 5/5 because even now, I sat and read every single page as Peter shared his tales. I think my students would really like this story and even love it as a read-aloud. 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.