Module 1 Book Review: "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing"

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Blume, Judy. 1972. TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN: 0-525-46931-1

SYNOPSIS:

Judy Blume's classic book describes life of an American family living in New York City through the eyes of the oldest son, eight-year-old Peter. Peter relates stories of his relationship with his parents and the different emotional situations he encounters as he desperately tries to rationalize his naïve understanding of the world around him. He is constantly feeling threatened by his obnoxious little brother, Fudge, a precocious three-year old who is always digging for trouble and yet always comes out on top.

HERE IS WHAT I THINK:

When I was nine, and in the fourth grade, my teacher encouraged the class to read this book, and everyone seemed to love it. But for some reason, I had a difficulty relating to the characters. As I read this book now, I found that this was still the case. But instead it was the complex yet universal relationships that I found most fascinating. Even though I could not see myself in Peter, I could however relate to the scenario when Peter takes the fall for Fudge's mistake and his mother screams at him, and he in turn decides she doesn't love him. I remember having a similar internal dialogue as a child.

Peter's internal dialogue is, I feel, the key to understanding the book. As witty as he may seem to the reader, in a three-dimensional world, Peter is silent. He's all in his own head and has yet to learn how to externally communicate his feelings to his parents. It is this agony that we can all relate to because we all experienced this helplessness as children.

As a fourth grader, I wasn't the least bit interested in this book because it was about two brothers, and at that age I was searching for people I could emulate.

Now that I've grown up, I'm more interested in understanding people and relationships. How refreshing it is to see an old book and read it again for the first time. Even though I felt that this book spoke to my inner-child, some children may find it difficult to understand the nuances, themes, and innuendo that the story conveys.

FOR USE IN A LIBRARY PROGRAM:

I think this would be an excellent read for an adolescent book club, ages 8-12. It's only one hundred pages or so long, and the writing is very easy to comprehend. There are subtle nuances in the book that are used to convey meaning, like when Peter's mother “shoots him a look.” It would be interesting to see how well a group of children would notice this social behavior.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS:

• Winner of The Great Stone Face Award.

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

• “This is a book that would be well suited for kids with younger siblings because they can probably relate to Peter's difficulties with Fudge. " -Kristy Pastor, Amazon.com

• "It is a pleasure to watch a talented author like Judy Blume consistently create books that reflect a remarkable ability for combining humor with a perceptive insight into a child's world."- Publisher's Weekly