Double Fudge by Judy Blume

Cool...BoYiSh...funny...A-MAZ-ing... outrageous

Double Fudge 

By

Judy Blume

Hello there.  I am Ben the Book Reporter here to report my latest read.  I read one of Judy Blume's books called Double Fudge.  This book is the 3rd book of her Fudge Series.  This a a realistic fiction story because this story did not actually happen but it could evolve to be real life.  I found this story to be similar to my life.  

The main character is named Peter, who has an annoying little brother named Fudge (just like I have but I have 2).  This story is in 1st person point of view and is told from Peters perspective.  Judy Blume is known for her outrageous kids novels.  She was inspired to write this book because of one of her grand kids   Her purpose is to entertain the readers.  

I related to a lot of this story.  Two of my favorite events in the book I relate best to.  They both have to do with Peter's twin girl cousins.  These twin girls are from Honolulu, HI.  This all happened because of his annoying little brother.  Fudge has an obsession with money so his parents decide to take him to the place money is made in Washington DC.  Hoping this would stop Fudges obsession with money.  After the tour they ran into their long lost family at a gift shop.  This quote from the book shows how annoying the twin girls, also known as the natural beauties and/or the heavenly Hatchers, are and how annoying they continue to be for the rest of the book.

     "....the natural beauties put their heads closer together and hummed a note, and the next thing I knew they started singing rght there in the middle of the gift shop.

     

                                         The moon belongs to everyone

                                        The best things in life are free

                                        The stars belong to everyone

                                        They gleam their for you and me...

I backed away hoping to disappear in the crowd that gathered around them." (87)

I relate to this part of the book because when I go out to restaurants my brothers a very obnoxious and never stop talking and getting other peoples attention.  I can understand how Peter wanted to disappear because I feel like that sometimes too.  As the book goes on Peter is constantly being irritated by all his family members.  The worst is when the twin sisters come to his school and do a performance in front of his entire class.  Everyone knows that they are his cousins.

     "This can't be happening I told myself.  It's a bad dream.  Any minute now I'll wake up and start my day again.  I know the natural beauties can't be at my school, standing right in front of my homeroom class.  I know it because we have tight security.  Strangers aren't allowed." (146)

Poor Peter once again had to deal with his annoying little cousins.  My relation to this part is because my twin little brothers go to my elementary school and try to embarrass me all the time.  The end of the book ends with Peter going to his families going away dinner.  That is when Minnie, the twins younger brother, eats Fudges tooth. Fudge gets super mad and throws a temper tantrum.  Thats when Peter feels bad for his little brother and gives him a box of his old teeth.  This shows the brotherly love between all brothers and is why I like this book.  

RATING:  My recommendation for this book is a 4 Star rating.  This book was WAY better than my last one.  At first I didn't want to read it but then I started reading and related to Peter in many ways.  I recommend this book to anyone who has to deal with annoying little siblings or cousin.

Until next time I am Ben the Book Reporter reporting to you from my blog.  

A to Z Mysteries The Deadly Dungeon

A to Z Mysteries The Deadly Dungeon

By Ron Roy

 



      I picked this book for my first ever book report in the 4th grade.  It had to be a mystery.  Since I have already read a few books in this series (in 3rd grade) I figured an easy read would be the way to go. 

  
   The book is about your typical A to Z Mystery characters with a few new folks.  There's Dink, a 9 year old boy who loves to read and write.  Then you have Josh, a 9 year old hillbilly redhead who loves him some food.  Next you have Ruth Rose, another 9 year old and your typical girlie girl with a brave and creative mind.  These are the sleuths of the story.  Another main character is Wallis Wallace, a famous mystery author and the owner of an old creepy castle.  She does not help solve the mystery but she has evidence that helps them.  Then you have the minor characters. Walker and Rip, who are both lobster catchers.

     

      They story takes place at an old castle on the beach of Maine near a light house. The three kids go to visit Wallis.  When they get there Wallis shows them her creepy castle or also called Moose Manor.  She tells them about a movie star named Emory Scott, who died in the castle along time ago and tells them maybe they will meet his ghost.  The kids laugh and ignore her but when they ask her if she was kidding she says no.  This is where the book starts getting mysterious. 

 

      Dink, Ruth Rose, and Josh are excited to explore the castle.  On a picnic with Wallis she tells them of a playhouse she found.  A few moments after that Josh spotted a cave on the coast of the beach which is a clue to later in the story.  Wallis takes them to the playhouse and tells the kids about a locked room that leads to the secret cave.  They start to hear strange high pitch noises coming from the cave.  This is the arc when the kids turn from having fun to being serious sleuths. 

 

       Now the kids are trying to find out what the noises are.  They set out and explore the cave.  They discover the noises are coming from rare and endangered parrots.  They figured out these birds are being held captive by poachers.  The next night they go on a stakeout to try and find who the poacher is.  The clues they find on the stakeout lead them to believe that the poacher is either Walker or Rip.  They are determined to find the suspects and free the birds. 

 

       The book made me curious when they heard the high pitch noises.  Before I found out it was parrots I could imagine the noise being a seagull squawking.  I never thought it was a ghost.   The way the author described the castle made me imagine, or visualize, the Franklin Institute in PA at night.  The one part of the story I found scary is this passage "Dink gulped and felt goose bumps climbing his leg.  Could it be the ghost of Emory Scott?"  This is when Dink was up late and found a big white light out his window.  When I stay up late I DON"T look out my window and that is why it scared me.

 

     RATING:  I would give this book 2 Stars (see ratings) as a fourth grader.  I think if I was still a third grader I would have liked it better.  It was very short and easy to know what would happen next.  It taught me a lesson in choosing books.  Just because it is easy isn't always the best way to go.  Next book report I promise to chose a higher level book.