Awards: Nine Children’s Choice Awards 1975–1982; on the Challenged Book list.
This was the first time I had read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, even though I had seen it on library shelves for many years. I found it to be an enjoyable book and could definitely empathize with Peter as he was being bothered by his younger brother, Fudge. Like Peter I was the oldest, but I had three siblings instead of one, that tended to make life a little bit of an adventure. The antics of Fudge made for a fun read, and made me want to read more of the series to see what type of individual Fudge would grow into. However, there were moments when I was a little irritated with Peter’s parents at not maintaining Fudge’s antics, guess I was too much into the book to realize it was just a story. This book was listed as being on the challenged book list, something that I wasn’t sure why until I found an article in School Library Journal that stated a mother wanted it banned because “it included a scene with a dead turtle.” (Whelan, 2009) That made absolutely no sense to me. I could see the book possibly getting challenged due to Fudge’s behavior, but the death of a turtle (yes, he was swallowed by Fudge) was something I was puzzled by, as it was the death, not how the turtle died that was being challenged. Go figure.
Dirty Little Secret. (2009). Debra Lau Whelan. School Library Journal. Retrieved on 2 August 2011 from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6632974.html
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