Customer Reviews

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Fly High with Novel Units) (Teacher Guide)

5 star:		(153)
4 star:		(51)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

I read this book when I was in fourth or fifth grade. Now I'm 26, but I still remember this little gem well. Peter Warren Hatcher has many problems, but his biggest one is his little brother, whom everyone calls "Fudge" Everyone likes Fudge, because he's the cute one, but when Fudge becomes a little monster, everyone looks to Peter to solve the problems.

Mr. and Mrs. Juicy-O meet Fudge and love him, but when he shoves Peter's turtle in their faces, Peter's dad loses the account. Mr. Toddle-Bike thinks Fudge is just right for a commercial, but Fudge won't ride the bike until Peter does. When Fudge eats Peter's turtle, Dribble, Fudge gets all the attention, and Peter just loses his pet. In every "Tale" Peter plays the role of the good son.

Judy Blume knows her audience well. People this age have to deal with the fact that they are no longer cute, but they are still treated like they know nothing by most adults. I could identify with Peter when I was 10, and I can relate to him still now.

Parents, buy this book for your kids. Kids, read this book. It's funny, touching, and will stay in your head for the rest of your lives.

The Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is about a boy who has some hectic times with his brother. The setting was like any old ordinary town. The main character was Peter, an ordinary fourth grader. I really like Peter's brother Fudge. My favorite part is when Fudge eats a turtle. It's really funny. The thing that I think Peter learned was patience. I liked Peter the main character because he is an ordinary fourth grader like me. I would recommed this book to a friend to explain why your litte brother or sister do the things theydo.If you like this book you may also enjoy some other books by Judy Blume such as Fudge-A-Maina.

Tales of A Fourth grade Nothing

Book review by Noah
Genre: Fiction

This book is about a boy named Peter that gets a turtle that he named Dribble. Peter has a little brother named Fudge. Fudge has a birthday party disaster and two of his teeth fall out. Peter lives in an apartment in New York.

Fudge is my favorite character because he is funny. For example on pages 23 and 24 he acts like a dog by eating food off the floor. His dad pours cereal on Fudge's head and on page 51 at Fudge's birthday party someone pees on the floor.

I think this is a good book because it is funny and exciting like on pages 110 and 111 Fudge eats Dribble, his brother Peter's turtle. I can relate to this book because Peter is the same age as me, which is nine. I've read Double Fudge, which is another book by Judy Bloom. My connection is being on a playground with someone you don't want. Like when Peter does not want to baby-sit Fudge at the playground. Two more connections I have is I have a sister the same age as fudge witch is 3 years old, and my other connection is me and peter are the same grade 3rd.

If you like funny books I think you would like Tales of a fourth grade nothing and Double fudge because they are hilarious. I hope that you like it because I do a lot.There are a lot more Judy Bulme books like Fudge-a-Mania,
Superfudge, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great and more.

TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING
By Natalie

Watch out! Here comes an out of this world
Two-year-old. If you read Tales of a Fourth
Grade Nothing youll see how much of a hazel
Fudge can be and his brother Peters had enough.
Youll laugh until you cry with this hilarious book
And many others like Superfudge and Fudge-a-Mainia
By Judy Blume illustrated by Roy Doty.
The beginning starts with Peter getting a new turtle named Dribble and Fudge is just fascinated by it. In fact, youd think it would be better if Peter had just said no to the turtle. Well, Fudge goes through many experiences with or without Peters turtle. Whether hes scribbling all over Peters homework or throwing a temper tantrum in the shoe store Fudge can be a blast.
Some of the characteristics that Fudge has are annoying and troublesome. I know because in the book Fudge lost his two front teeth. Can you guess how that happened? And Peter, Id say some of the characteristics about him are generous and polite. I know because when Peters dad made an egg omelet with a dozen eggs and Peter tried it all he said was "tastes great dad".
This realistic fiction book reminds me of Junie B. Jones. They just want to be the center of attention. Fudge also reminds me of my little sister their never far from trouble. I think this book is one of the funniest books Ive ever read and I recommend this book because when you read it youll see that with Fudge anything can happen.

How does one handle having a little brother who is a terror? Just ask 9-year-old Peter Hatcher, because he has one named Farley Drexel "Fudge" Hatcher. Fudge is 2-years-old and he's about to turn 3-years-old. In Peter's opinion, Fudge is nothing but a pain in the neck, and he's right. Peter, Fudge, and their parents Anne and Warren live in an apartment building in New York City. First, Fudge costs Warren, who works for an advertising agency, an important account by terrorizing guests who have come all the way from Chicago. Peter tries not to go crazy as Fudge also does things like messing up Peter's homework and throws a tantrum at a shoe store, among a lot of other things. This synopsis describes this book from my point of view. There are a lot of things in the book that I didn't want to give away in the synopsis, just in case someone who has never read this book reads this review before reading the book. The fact that I read this book all over again every now and then proves that I love this book. Some parts of it still make me laugh, and there's a ood chance it'll make you laugh, too.

I think this Fudge book was incredibleby good.I like the menace in it.I think it is very creative how the author got the ideas like Fudge loosing his two teeth,i thought he was going to brake his head.In one hand i think Peter is a splendid character and in the other i think he should be a little bit menacing.I think the author did a great job on this book.I say "There should have been pictures to,understand what your reading even though this is a chapter book"I comend this book for chidren who can stand lots of menace and children who like to read long books.I'm looking forwards to reading the rest of the series.

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!

I still remember my fourth grade teacher reading, "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" aloud to our class. That was about 20 years ago. I always enjoyed listening to a teacher read a book during class, and I especially remember how much fun "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" was! It was my first Judy Blume book. It is a good book to read aloud.

Since then, I have read other Blume books, including "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" recently. Kids with younger brothers and sisters will understand and relate to the situations in the book. Judy Blume has talent with respect to combining humor and realistic situations of a young persons world.

The book was just as much fun to read as when I was in the fourth grade. The main character, Peter Hatcher, has the problem of dealing with Fudge, his two-year-old brother. Temper tantrums, smearing food where it shouldn't be, and scribbling on homework are among the many difficulties Peter has to deal with. Peter and his family live in an apartment in New York City. There is also Peter's friend Jimmy Fargo, and Sheila Tubman, who he would care not to be around.

I highly recommend this book for kids and I think adults would enjoy it just as much.

I was excited for my son to read this book. I thought he would relate to the character because he is also in fourth grade and has a younger sibling. I was not expecting him to be crying when he finished the book. I know this will not be the case for every young reader, but my son has a tender heart and really gets into the books he reads. If your child is soft-hearted and loves their pets dearly, skip this book!!!