Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

“Will bring a chorus of laughter from sympathetic readers.”—Publishers Weekly

Celebrating 40 years of a Judy Blume classic!

Millions of fans young and old have been entertained by the quick wit of Peter Hatcher, the hilarious antics of mischevious Fudge, and the unbreakable confidence of know-it-all Sheila Tubman in Judy Blume’s five Fudge books. And now, Puffin Books honors forty years of the book that started it all, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, with a special edition–featuring a new introduction from Judy–to celebrate this perennial favorite.

“As a kid, Judy Blume was my favorite author, and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was my favorite book.”—Jeff Kinney, author of the bestselling Wimpy Kid series

A teacher wrote her thoughts about the book:

I don’t know why I identified with and loved this book so much. The main character and I don’t have much in common. In fact I have more in common with his brother Fudge, us both being the youngest, but I didn’t like Fudge much in this book because in my adolescent eyes the kid never got what he deserved. Despite that, though, I read this book and it’s sequels many many times. It’s a great book though, especially for people with siblings. It’s a subtle story about family love and appreciation. Even if I couldn’t see that when I was younger, there was still something about the book that had warm and fuzzy undertones, part of the reason why I loved it so much.

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.)

The teacher continued:

This book can be and is used in schools, especially in fourth grade (of course.) I have seen it used as a class-wide read-aloud quite often. This book is great for kids who are older siblings and don’t get along with their younger siblings. It’s also a great read just for it’s hilarious and well-written story. You could use this book for any number of things.

It depicts a ‘normal’ (or average) American family life, and some kids will of course identify with it more than others, depending on what their family life is like. however, I don’t think this would be a barrier toward using the book, the teacher would just have to be more sensitive about the questions they ask. You’d want to stay away from anything that assumes your student’s home life is in any way similar (Unless you know it is) but I don’t think it would be a big deal for a discerning teacher.