Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Author: Visit Amazon's Judy Blume Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0142408816 | Format: EPUB
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Description
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.
Review
will bring a chorus of laughter from sympathetic readers. (Publishers Weekly)
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- Age Range: 7 and up
- Grade Level: 2 and up
- Lexile Measure: 470L (What's this?)
- Paperback: 144 pages
- Publisher: Puffin (April 5, 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0142408816
- ISBN-13: 978-0142408810
- Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
- Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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.
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