Superfudge

Peter is still adjusting to his new life in Princeton and is having trouble falling asleep at night because “it was too quiet in Prince and [he] missed the sounds of the city” (64). He breaks a promise he made with Jimmy not to use his Crystal until he moved back, but it helps him fall asleep. Fudge learns about monsters and becomes unable to sleep as well, eventually taking to sleeping on the floor outside his parents’ door. Mom and Dad pass it off as a phase, and Peter wonders how many phases Fudge will have and when Tootsie will start too.

Peter and Fudge have their first day at the new school. Fudge starts kindergarten a year early because of his advanced intelligence and Peter’s mom makes him take Fudge to school. Peter reluctantly agrees, and the two boys and Alex head to school on their bikes with Fudge riding on Peter’s crossbar. Peter likes his new teacher Mr. Bogner because he “isn’t dumb” (70). Midway through class, he gets a shock when called to the principal’s office. Worried, he heads there but is then informed that the problem is Fudge. Both of Peter’s parents were unavailable by phone, and Mr. Green the principal asked Peter for help. Fudge is sitting on top of the cabinets in his kindergarten classroom, upset and wanting to leave. He explains that the teacher refuses to call him Fudge and will only call him by his official name, Farley Drexel. Luckily, there is a second kindergarten teacher, so when Mr. Green determines the issue to be a “personality conflict” he transfers Fudge to the other class with a teacher who is happy to call him that (75). As Fudge is leaving the first classroom, the teacher says “Good-bye, Farley Drexel” to which Fudge replies, “Good-bye, Rat Face” (76). Peter remarks that his “brother’s school career had begun” (77).

Fudge wants his own pet bird to take care of, and his parents agree that it could be a good idea. Everyone has a different opinion on what type of bird Fudge should get. Peter suggests a myna bird which can be taught to talk, and Fudge likes the suggestion. They find a myna bird at a pet store, buy it, and Fudge names it Uncle Feather. It is not long before Peter regrets his suggestion and becomes annoyed by the bird’s repetitive antics. The only word Uncle Feather knows when they bring him home is “bonjour;” Mom remarks that “he’s very cultured” (86). Fudge stops sleeping in front of his parents’ door because he wants to take care of his new bird. He teaches the bird to call people stupid, which he finds hilarious. Eventually, Fudge brings the bird for Show and Tell. When the teacher who refused to call him Fudge comes to see, she goes up to see the bird and it says “Bonjour, stupid!” (94).

Tootsie is teething and Peter remarks on how much she has her toes in her mouth. Grandma is spending more and more time with the family, and she lets Peter in on a secret about Tootsie: She likes to dance. The three of them dance and sing together and share a special moment. One day at breakfast, Fudge admits to Grandma that he feels deprived of her attention and explains that being the middle child means he “needs lots of attention” (91).

Halloween is around the corner and Fudge wants to be a ghost. Peter says he is too old for costumes. Tootsie is eating regular food and Peter’s dog, Turtle, has “developed a taste for baby food” which is causing him to have bad breath (96). Dad is struggling to make progress on his book and Fudge makes him feel worse by speculating that Dr. Seuss probably writes books in an hour. He is full of questions too, constantly asking what words mean. Mom decides to go back to work to compensate for the lack of progress Dad is making on the book, and Peter gets angry. He hates the way things keep changing. He sees a painting by Jimmy Fargo’s dad hanging in a gallery downtown and cannot believe it costs $2500. He calls Jimmy later that night to tell him, and Jimmy explains that the painting, titled Anita’s Anger, represents his mom’s anger when she left the family. He is insulted when Peter comments on how ridiculous he finds the pricing. Jimmy hangs up on Peter, which makes Peter feel worse than he did before.

Halloween arrives, Peter apologizes to Jimmy, and to everyone’s surprise, Peter volunteers to take Fudge trick-or-treating. Peter is maturing and taking more responsibility for his brother. Alex meets up with them dressed as the painting Anita’s Anger, and Peter has no costume. He panics and grabs Fudge’s nose and glasses disguise to wear. The three go out and arrive at Mrs. Muldour’s house, the lady who buys worms for some mysterious reason. Peter tells Fudge the rumor about her eating them, and Fudge asks her directly. She and her daughter decide to play along and offer Fudge a worm cookie. He eats it and likes it, so they give him six more to take home. He offers a cookie to his mom, and right before he tells her it’s made of worms, Peter cuts him off. A mutual understanding is shared between the boys not to tell Mom about the possibility of worms in the cookie.