School Library Journal Review
| Gr 3-5-A worthy successor to Superfudge (1980) and Fudge-a-Mania (1990, both Dutton). Peter Hatcher is now entering seventh grade and apprehensive that no one will remember him since his family spent the past year in Princeton, NJ. Five-year-old Fudge is obsessed with money-acquiring it, talking and singing about it, and counting it. He even creates his own currency, Fudge Bucks. To try to curb this fixation, the family takes a trip to Washington, DC, to visit the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, and runs into Mr. Hatcher's long-lost cousin. Howie, his wife Eudora, twin daughters Flora and Fauna, and four-year-old son Farley are traveling through the East Coast before moving to Florida. Of course, a visit to New York City is in their plans. A few weeks later, the relatives arrive and set out their sleeping bags. Two nights turn into four, then seven, and then Howie announces that he is subletting an apartment in the building for six weeks. It is a tough time for Peter, culminating at Halloween when Fudge and Farley are trapped in the building's elevator while trick-or-treating. Peter is a real 12-year-old with all the insecurities and concerns of that age. And nothing can suppress the personality of Fudge, who even renames Washington, Fudgington.-Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| Gr. 4^-6. The Hatcher Clan, introduced in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), appears in a fourth sequel. Written in the voice of Fudge's funny, long-suffering older brother Peter, the story begins as Fudge (Farley Hatcher) develops an obsession with money. When Fudge starts creating "Fudge Bucks," the worried Hatchers take a family trip to Washington, D.C., to show Fudge how money is really made. On the trip, the Hatchers run into long-lost Cousin Howie Hatcher from Honolulu and his eccentric family, which includes, much to Fudge's outrage, another Farley Drexel Hatcher, a "disaster" of a three-year-old whose manic energy mimics a younger Fudge's. Peter's patience is thoroughly tested when the Howie Hatchers arrive in New York unannounced and cram themselves into the family's cramped apartment for an extended visit. Money is a theme that is rare in contemporary children's literature for this age group, but after an interesting start, Blume leaves the subject undeveloped; once the colorful relatives enter the scene, Fudge forgets his fascination with the green stuff. Although this, along with several other slim plot threads, contributes to a chaotic, somewhat disjointed, whole, the jerky pace reinforces the sense of messy family confusion that many children will recognize. And, as usual, Blume's humor and pitch-perfect ear for sibling rivalry and family dynamics will have readers giggling with recognition. Newcomers and Fudge fans alike will savor this installment in the well-loved series. --Gillian Engberg |
