Book Review: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Genre:
Realistic Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 8 to 12

Reading Level:
Lexile 470, Grades 3 to 6

Book Theme:
Sibling Rivalry


Books with Similar Themes: 
Superfudge by Judy Blume, Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney.

Bibliographic Information:
Blume, J. (1972). Tales of a fourth grade nothing. New York: Dutton.

Plot:  

Fourth grader Peter Hatcher has a very hyper two-year-old little brother named Fudge who drives him crazy. The story tells of many of the crazy things Fudge does like refusing to eat, pretending to be a dog, accidentally knocking out his front teeth at the park, imitating Peter, and throwing colossal tantrums. He also has cray friends who throw tantrums, overeat, bite, and pee on the floor to be funny. Despite all this Peter's parents dote on Fudge, which also drives Peter crazy. Peter is given a pet turtle that he names Dribble, and he becomes very fond of Dribble. He tries to teach his brother to respect his turtle, but instead of respecting the turtle Fudge eats him, and that's the last straw for Peter!


Review:  
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is a hilarious story that depicts a tween's relationship with his maddening little brother. You can't help but feel for all that Peter puts up with, despite the fact that all of Fudge's anecdotes are hysterically funny! The story shows just how hard it can be to have siblings sometimes, but it does it in a humorous way. Tweens who are big brothers or sisters will love this story for the way Peter candidly shares his frustration of Fudge and his doting parents, who just don't seem to understand how annoying Fudge really is. The story is funny, memorable, and all-around enjoyable, especially for tweens who are siblings, or even just for tweens who want a good laugh! Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is a great book, one that all tweens should read!