Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
by Judy Blume
Published by Dutton (1972)
ISBN: 9780525469315
Ages: 8 Up
Tale
How to survive when your worst problem in life is your little brother and he lives in the same house as you? Use a chain to lock your room’s door; hide your homework; and…oh, no! What about my pet turtle?
Thoughts
I liked the book until “The end” when I realized Fudge really have eaten Dribble, Peter’s pet turtle he had won at his best friend’s birthday party. I thought his mother and the doctors would find out he had the turtle hidden between his shirt and his belly, but noooo, he ate it! He ate the live turtle! I went to a period of mixed feelings, alternating “yucky” and “poor Dribble” exclamations! I would pass this one on my chapter books bibliography. Although a funny story with cute passages, I consider the end a bad example for young children.
About the author
Judy says
"When I began to write our babysitter, Willie Mae Bartlett, brought me an article from the newspaper about a toddler who swallowed a tiny pet turtle. This was in the late sixties, when you could still buy turtles for pets. Willie Mae thought the story might inspire me. And it certainly did! I sat down and wrote a picture book called "Peter, Fudge and Dribble." I submitted my manuscript to several publishers but they all rejected it. Two editors wrote personal notes saying they found the story very funny but one was concerned that it could lead to small children swallowing turtles, and the other found it too unbelievable to publish.
A few years later, my first agent submitted the story to Ann Durell, editor of children's books at E.P. Dutton. Ann invited me to lunch. I was so nervous I could hardly eat but she was so warm and friendly I finally relaxed. Ann liked my story but she suggested, instead of a picture book, I consider writing a longer book about the Hatcher family, using "Peter, Fudge and Dribble" as one of the chapters.
I loved her idea and went home fired up and ready to write. That summer I wrote the book, basing the character of Fudge on my son, Larry, when he was a toddler. Though I still lived in suburban New Jersey, I set the book in New York City, in the building where my best friend, Mary Weaver, lived with her family. I changed the address but the elevator I describe in the book with its mirrored wall and upholstered bench is exactly as it was, and still is, in Mary’s building.
I proudly sent the finished manuscript to my agent but after she’d read it she said, "I don't think this is anything like what Ann had in mind." I was stunned and asked her to show it to Ann anyway. She did. Ann liked the manuscript and offered to publish it just as it was (I think it was the only book I’ve ever written that I didn’t revise). I was ecstatic. "
"When I began to write our babysitter, Willie Mae Bartlett, brought me an article from the newspaper about a toddler who swallowed a tiny pet turtle. This was in the late sixties, when you could still buy turtles for pets. Willie Mae thought the story might inspire me. And it certainly did! I sat down and wrote a picture book called "Peter, Fudge and Dribble." I submitted my manuscript to several publishers but they all rejected it. Two editors wrote personal notes saying they found the story very funny but one was concerned that it could lead to small children swallowing turtles, and the other found it too unbelievable to publish.
A few years later, my first agent submitted the story to Ann Durell, editor of children's books at E.P. Dutton. Ann invited me to lunch. I was so nervous I could hardly eat but she was so warm and friendly I finally relaxed. Ann liked my story but she suggested, instead of a picture book, I consider writing a longer book about the Hatcher family, using "Peter, Fudge and Dribble" as one of the chapters.
I loved her idea and went home fired up and ready to write. That summer I wrote the book, basing the character of Fudge on my son, Larry, when he was a toddler. Though I still lived in suburban New Jersey, I set the book in New York City, in the building where my best friend, Mary Weaver, lived with her family. I changed the address but the elevator I describe in the book with its mirrored wall and upholstered bench is exactly as it was, and still is, in Mary’s building.
I proudly sent the finished manuscript to my agent but after she’d read it she said, "I don't think this is anything like what Ann had in mind." I was stunned and asked her to show it to Ann anyway. She did. Ann liked the manuscript and offered to publish it just as it was (I think it was the only book I’ve ever written that I didn’t revise). I was ecstatic. "
Text from the author’s official website at http://www.judyblume.com/
Review
Amazon.com Review
Review
Amazon.com Review
"Passed on from babysitters to their young charges, from big sisters to little brothers, and from parents to children, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and its cousins (Superfudge, Fudge-a-mania, and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great) have entertained children since they first appeared in the early 1970s. The books follow Peter Hatcher, his little brother Fudgie, baby sister Tootsie, their neighbor Sheila Tubman, various pets, and minor characters through New York City and on treks to suburbs and camps. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is the first of these entertaining yarns. Peter, because he's the oldest, must deal with Fudgie's disgusting cuteness, his constant meddling with Peter's stuff, and other grave offenses, one of which is almost too much to bear. All these incidents are presented with the unfailing ear and big-hearted humor of the masterful Judy Blume. Though some of her books for older kids have aroused controversy, the Hatcher brothers and their adventures remain above the fray, where they belong. (Peter's in fourth grade, so the book is suitable for kids ages 8 and older.) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. "
Activity
Students will have fun solving a crossword with the book content. To print the crossword go to http://www.mandygregory.com/Documents/TalesofaFourthGradeNothingCrossword.pdf
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