Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Story

Peter Hatcher lives with a big problem – his little brother, Fudge, who gets away with everything, leaving Peter to clean up the mess. To make matters worse, Peter’s parents adore Fudge and think he can do no wrong. What will happen when Fudge gets his hands on Peter’s pet turtle, Dribble?

Why we chose it

Judy Blume was one of the first children’s authors to write honestly for children and teenagers about difficult subjects – from sibling rivalry and negotiating school to freckles and puberty to sex and death. It gained her a wide audience who grew up with her stories and recognized the real and often messy lives of her characters.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is one of her stories for younger readers and was the first in a popular series.

Where it came from

Judy Blume read an article about a toddler who swallowed a pet turtle but when she turned it into a picture book, no one would publish it, saying it was too unbelievable. She was later encouraged to include it in a longer book and her new publisher loved it and published it without making any changes!

Where it went next

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing won a host of US Children’s Choice awards, and by 1996 it had sold over six million copies. Although internationally a best-seller, Blume has also been a controversial figure as her books tackle subjects some see as unsuitable for young readers.

Jeff Kinney, author of the Wimpy Kid series names Judy Blume as his favourite author, and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing his favourite book.

In the late 90s, the book was adapted into an American children’s television series called Fudge.

More than 80 million copies of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into thirty-one languages. She receives thousands of letters a year from readers of all ages who share their feelings and concerns with her.

Associated Stories

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing was the first in the Fudge series of books. It was followed by Superfudge, Fudge-a-Mania and Double Fudge.

Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great features many of the same characters but is a spin-off novel, focusing on Peter’s classmate Sheila Tubman

Other popular novels include:

For younger children, Freckle Juice

For 9-13 year olds, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Deenie and Iggie’s House.

For teenagers, Forever and Tiger Eyes.