Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

From Goodreads,

"Life with his little brother, Fudge, makes Peter Hatcher feel like a fourth grade nothing. Whether Fudge is throwing a temper tantrum in a shoe store, smearing mashed potatoes on the walls at Hamburger Heaven, or trying to fly, he’s never far from trouble. He’s an almost three-year-old terror who gets away with everything, and Peter’s had it up to here!When Fudge walks off with Dribble, Peter’s pet turtle, it’s the last straw. Peter has put up with Fudge for too long. Way too long! How can he get his parents to pay attention to him for a change?"

Goodreads - Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Awards and Nominations:

• Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (1975)
• Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (1975)
• Oklahoma Sequoyah Award (1975)
• California Young Readers Medal Nominee for Intermediate (1977)
• Grand Canyon Reader Award (1977)
• Massachusetts Children's Book Award (1977)
• West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Young Readers (1980)

I was first introduced to this book during my first year of teaching fourth grade.  I read it by myself one weekend and knew that I had to use it in my classroom.  I have taught it every year since then and have included more activities and interactives each year.  This will probably remain as my favorite book to teach in fourth grade because it is so relatable.  

This book is told by Peter who is in the fourth grade and annoyed by his little brother Fudge.  Each chapter is a sort of short story that showcases the annoyance Peter experiences with his little brother's antics.  Each chapter elicits laughs from kids and it comes to a dramatic conclusion in the last chapter. 

This book is full of amazing chapters and ways you can teach each chapter, but I'm going to focus on two chapters and share the things that I do with each chapter as I teach it.  The first chapter that I enjoy is Chapter 2 Mr. and Mrs. Juicy-O.  This chapter focuses on Mr. Hatcher's clients Mr. and Mrs. Yarby coming to visit.  They own the Juicy-O company that Mr. Hatcher makes commercials for.  Things go awry thanks to Fudge being his usual Fudgie self and the Yarbys end up leaving to stay in a hotel and Mr. Hatcher loses their account.  When we get to this chapter we always read it together and complete comprehension questions.  We talk about what Juicy-O might taste like.  I break the students into groups and give them a list of 5 drink ingredients.  I usually use apple juice, cranberry juice, white grape juice, pineapple juice, and strawberry-banana juice.  I tell the students they are going to make a recipe for Juicy-O.  I give them a limit on how many cups they are making.  I usually make it 2 or 3 cups depending on group size.  I let students make their recipes and practice fraction skills.  Students normally ask if we are making Juicy-O, but I tell them this is a fictional recipe.  Usually the next day I tell the students to get their recipes back out because we are going to make Juicy-O.  Every time I have done this I get the usual response of "Eww!  This is going to taste nasty!"  After we make the Juicy-O I always do a taste test and tell the students which is my favorite.  The students drink their Juicy-O and they are surprisingly impressed with how it tastes.  This is a great project because the students get to work on fraction skills and they get to work with a group and learn to comprise because some people don't like some of the juices that were presented.  It is a wonderful project at the beginning of this book.  

The next chapter I'm going to focus on is Chapter 5 The Birthday Bash.  This chapter is about Fudge's 3rd birthday party and the chaos that ensues with the three other children at the party.  I always tell my students that this is my favorite chapter of the book because there are so many memorable and hilarious things that happen at the birthday party.  This is one chapter that gets many giggles and ewws as we read the chapter.  After reading I always explain to the students that this book was written in the 70s and that times have changed since the book was written.  I always inquire if any students have heard a record before.  Some years I get a bunch of hands and other years it's just a few.  I plug in a record player and play a record for students to hear the pops and clicks.  Many are amazed that the record can play music and it baffles them as to how it works.  After listening to the record player for a bit I always shut it down and tell the students that since it is a birthday party we are going to celebrate.  I pass out drinks and cupcakes for the students and they snack while they work on their comprehension questions.  It is a memorable chapter as students get to celebrate Fudge's 3rd birthday. 

This book is such a fun book and my students enjoy it year after year.  As long as I'm in fourth grade I plan to teach this book with all the fun activities.  I give this 5 stars and recommend that teachers use this book if they teach fourth grade and suggest that fourth graders read this as well.