More on Judy Blume

Yesterday I joyously posted that my nine year old couldn't wait to go back to school for more of his teacher reading Judy Blume's Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. The dinnertime conversation about that book inspired my daughter to read Double Fudge again. In case you didn't read them yourself or don't live with second through fifth graders, let me tell you a little about the Fudge books. In 1972, Judy Blume published Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing about fourth grader Peter Warren Hatcher and his hilariously annoying little brother Farley Drexel who prefers to be called Fudge. I remember loving that book as a kid and am so happy my own kids enjoy it too. You might think that it would seem dated, and there are some situations which might not occur in 2008, such as when Fudge throws a temper tantrum in a shoe store because he wants loafers like Peter not saddle shoes. 1972 was clearly pre-Crocs. However, the trials of living with a younger sibling will resonate in any year. Judy Blume published a sequel, Superfudge, in 1980. This was followed by my family's favorites in the series, Fudge-A-Mania and Double Fudge. They have reread them each several times, giggling out loud as they do so. So, I was surprised and saddened to read that Superfudge has been banned in some school districts in this country, not as many as Blume's other books Blubber and Forever, and not in Wasilla, Alaska (in case you were wondering), but in some districts. I'm glad, and clearly so is my nine year old, that our school district and public library have plenty of copies available.