Fudge-A-Mania

Fudge-A-Mania

Written by Judy Blume

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Award: Sunshine State Award Winner (1992-1993)

Suggested Grade Levels:

2nd to 5th; The content in this book is relevant to the lives of elementary students and the vocabulary is manageable. It may be more suitable to read aloud to 2nd grade students (or even 1st) because it is somewhat long.

Summary:

It’s the summer before sixth grade and Peter Hatcher (main character) is expecting to have a normal break now that he’s back in New York City. But when his family tells him at Tico-Taco that they will be staying in a house in Maine for three weeks and Sheila Tubman will be next door, Peter, filled with dread and disgust, falls flat on his face. Sheila Tubman is Peter’s enemy and the last person he would ever want to spend part of his summer with. To make matters worse, Fudge, his five year-old brother, has plans to marry Sheila! Fudge already pesters Peter, calling him Pete, and constantly gets him into unfortunate situations, so Peter can only picture that this trip will be disastrous. Throughout the vacation, Peter and Sheila battle it out as Peter falls for a cute girl and gets teased, Sheila gets paid to watch Fudge, and they both meet a new, very interesting neighbor. It is a bumpy road to Maine and the trip is eventful (with humorous events throughout the plot), making this book a relatable and enjoyable book for young readers.

How Fudge-A-Mania can be used in the classroom:

In a language arts lesson (4th-5th grade), students can write a few sentences about getting along with someone who is different from them. Students may write about how it made Peter feel and/or how it made them feel. Was it difficult? Why? Is that okay? For 2nd-3rd grade students that read this book, a key area to focus on may be vocabulary development. Encouraging students to create picture word cards, during their reading, of words they are not familiar with in each chapter (“parlor,” “myna,” ect.) would be advantageous because it would give them a purpose for reading and establish new words with meaning. If the entire class reads Fudge-A-Mania, students could be allotted time to share their picture word cards from a specific section of chapters with one another. Because several cities and states are mentioned in the book (New Jersey, New York, Maine), a mini-lesson on maps and locations could be led for the students.

ESOL strategies/applications/accommodations:

Before reading this book, the teacher could lead a discussion about what vacations students have been on to invoke interest in the book. ESOL students will benefit by using their own experience to connect with the book. In a small heterogeneous group, students could compare and contrast Peter and Sheila after reading the entire text. ESOL students should be mixed with native speakers so comprehension and perspectives of characters is more thorough.

Suggested Read Aloud pages:

If time permits, I would suggest reading aloud the entire book to a class, asking supporting questions and giving mini reviews each day. Because this book is so relatable and the chapters are relatively short, Fudge-A-Mania will keep students interested from day to day readings. (I suggest reading a chapter or two a day while students are packing up at the end of the school day.)

My Opinion of Fudge-A-Mania:

Personally, I love Judy Blume books, especially the Fudge series. The funny antics, embarrassment, and subtle friendship that unfolds between the characters is one worth reading about that makes readers of all ages wanting to keep reading. The personable style of writing and Peter’s point of view makes the reader feel as if they are as much a part of the vacation as Peter. Fudge-A-Mania definitely deserves a Sunshine State Award.