Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Rating:
Summary: One of the best ever
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A great book to read aloud!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: This was the first book that I can remember ever reading, way back in elementary school. I don't think it's lost any of its charm.

Anyone who has a sibling can relate to this book. It is funny, and especially witty for a children's book, and it helped to fuel my love for reading. I've read other books by Blume (Superfudge, Then Again Maybe I Won't) and I like them all.

One note: Please disregard the following review: This book did not age well, from January 20, 2004.

It was written by a PC Police Officer from Indiana and its ignorance is unjustified. The book is a light-hearted look at a small family in the city. It seems that everything these days, no matter how old it is, is judged by its Political Correctness. I'm tired of fools like her trying to water down everything to the lowest common denominator so that nobody's "feelings" are hurt. It's a story about brothers' misadventures together for crying out loud.

Bottom line: This book has lots of well-deserved 5-star reviews. If you have small kids and want to turn them on to reading, this would be a pretty good place to start. But hurry, it may be a matter of time before its "unnacceptable violence" gets it banned by the PC Police.