Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Rating:
Summary: Funny but needs a better plot.
Review: I thought this book was very funny but it lacked a rock-hard plot. This book is very good at telling what it is like having a brother in the same household that where you live in. I liked the part where all the brother thinks about is his turtle and doesn't even ask or even care about the condition of his brother. I think it is also funny when Fudge thinks he can fly like a bird but can't.

Rating:
Summary: This book is incredibly funny, so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!!!
Review: Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing is about nine year old Peter Hatcher, and his little brother Farley Drexel, otherwise known as Fudge. Peter's pet turtle, Dribble has been walked off with. Fudge. He had taken Drbble, and done a very interesting thing with him. To find out, read the book! I thought it was so good I did a book report on it!!!!!!!! Read it

Rating:
Summary: Tales of a Fourth grade nothing
Review: Judy Blume has often shocked the delicate sensibilities of stuffy parents worldwide with her straightforward tell-it-like-it-is young adult books containing sexual situations. When I was a kid though, Judy Blume meant only one thing. "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing". One of my favorite books, written incredibly well, it captured perfectly what it means to be a kid with a little sibling. This book was a revelation. Nowhere else had I encountered an early reader story that wasn't afraid to say that little sibs can be annoying brats. There are roughly five bazillion books out there written specifically to coax older children into befriending their younger siblings. Far fewer are the books that recognize the difficulties these elder kids have to deal with when they're forced to abandon their personal privacy and sanity for the sake of a little brother or sister. The one book that really spoke to me about this (and was really funny as well) was Judy Blume's 1972 creation. And it reads as perfectly today as it did some thirty odd years ago.

There was Peter. And then there was Fudge. Peter Hatcher is nine years old and has the awful job of dealing with almost-three-year-old Fudgie at all times. Fudge is what a polite person might call a lively child. To Peter, however, Fudge is a holy terror. If he's not sticking green food stamps to full suitcases or refusing to eat until Peter stands on his head, he's leaping from large rocks (to fly) and throwing tantrums in shoe stores. Peter is understandably jealous of the amount of attention Fudge attracts but at least he has his pet turtle Dribble to comfort him. Each chapter in this book is a small story about the daily interactions and adventures of the Hatcher boys. The final tale (the most important day of Peter's life, according to him) is probably one of the most memorable episodes in children's literature to date.

What Blume does right 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. Somehow, Blume has taken that prickly mind of the fourth grade boy, and made it completely understandable to the rest of the world. This is no small feat.

There are some small dated elements to the book. Mrs. Hatcher is, suffice to say, your stereotypical frantic mama. You begin to wish that she would grow a backbone once in a while instead of sobbing "my baby" whenever Fudge misbehaves in a dangerous way. As for Fudge, he's great in that he's awful. The worst possible three-year-old to be trapped in a family with. If there's a way to screw something up, he'll manage it. The age difference between a nine-year-old and a three-year-old is immense. Blume bridges that gap adeptly.

I state here and now, as loudly as my little lungs can carry sound (or my little fingers can type a review) that this is one of the best children's books in American literature. It has everything you could possibly want. Humor, adventure, a hero with many troubles, and a happy ending. For kids that have a Fudge of their own, Peter's problems will speak to them instantly. For kids that ARE Fudge, the book will strike them as an amusing romp through a world that is both familiar and unfamiliar. A must read for any kid you know.


Rating:
Summary: FUDGE gone WILD!
Review: This is a good book for kids to read because it's light, fun, easy, and interesting. Judy Blume does a good job of developing her characters. The storyline is interesting and appropriate for children. The book explores what children do, think, and feel. The main character in the story, Peter, is one of my favorite kids from children's lit, right up there with James Henry Trotter from James and the Giant Peach.
This is another one of those books that you don't have to read before you die, but still, it'd be a shame to miss.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is a great book, which many children can relate to. It is about a little boy named Peter, who is in the fourth grade, and his little brother Fudge, who is only three years old. Fudge is very bad and pulls off many disastrous and embarrassing stunts, but to everyone else he is just an angel. He is always messing up Peter's stuff, but all everyone else is worried about is poor, little Fudge. Peter feels as if no one cares about him and that he is just a fourth grade nothing. Many children are put in this situation when they have younger siblings. By reading this book, children can see that they are still loved and that being older isn't always a bad thing.
This book is really an excellent and fun book. I remember having it read to me when I was in elementary school and loving it then. Now I reread it for a college class and still think that it is great. This is a book that children will definitely enjoy and if any adults want to read a children's book, they will certainly have a few good laughs as well!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I loved this book when I was a kid. But I didn't remember how much until I read it together with my 7 year old son (who has a 3 year old little brother). It ain't Shakespeare, but boy did he love it, and he really really wanted to read the next one after that (Superfudge). Even knowing how much I enjoyed it as a kid, I was surprised by how much he liked it. Previous reviewing parents that get their panties in a bunch over using the word "naughty" and some other such nonsense--get over it. This is a great book for kids to begin to explore reading on their own.