Chapter Summaries

 

Chapter 1: The Big Winner

Peter Hatcher won Dribble, his new turtle, at Jimmy Fargo’s birthday party. Peter is nine years old and in the fourth grade. Peter shows Henry Bevelheimer the elevator operator in his apartment building. Farley Hatcher is Peter’s 2 and ½ year old brother whom everyone calls Fudge. His Father is an advertiser.

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Chapter 2: Mr. and Mrs. Juicy-O

Peter’s father did advertising for a drink called Juicy-O (oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, pears and bananas) Mr. and Mrs. Yarby (creator of Juicy-O) were coming into NY from Chicago to meet with Peter’s father and instead of staying in a hotel he suggests they stay at their own apartment. Mother isn’t too thrilled. The Yarby’s thought the boys were rude and ill-mannered. Dinner was a disaster (Fudge scared Mrs. Yarby with Dribble and a gorilla mask) and the Yarby’s were packed and ready to go home by morning. Fudge had placed stamps all over their suitcase and it took their mother a half an hour to clean it off. There was no more deal with Juicy-O.

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Chapter 3: The Family Dog

Fudge stopped eating one night and the only way his mother could get him to eat was if Peter stood on his head and then his mother could shove some food into his mouth. She became worried and began taking him to doctors but they all told her the same thing, he will eat when he is hungry which is exactly what Peter had told her before the doctors. He was under the kitchen table one night pretending to be a dog when his mother had an idea to give him his food down there. This went on for a week and Peter thought of how nice it would be if he could really trade his brother for a dog. Peter seems to feel extremely neglected by his parents and envious of the attention they give to his younger brother. One day his father took fudge into the bathroom and dumped his cereal onto his head “If you don’t eat it you’ll wear it!” Peter was thrilled with his punishment and Fudge began eating regularly again a day after this incident.

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Chapter 4: My Brother the Bird

Peter lives close to Central Park. His friend had been mugged three times and his father once so his mother had warned him not to wonder alone. Him and Jimmy went together to play on the rocks and realized that Sheila was sitting on “Their” rocks. Peter’s mom went by chasing after Fudge who was on his bike racing after birds. She had to run home for ten minutes and left the three of them in charge. They went over to the playground and the two boys were being chased by Sheila. Peter realized Fudge had climbed to the top of the jungle gym and was calling out that he was a bird and going to fly. He feel to the ground and started to bleed. They realized that his two front teeth had been knocked out from the fall. His mother came and they went home and she cleaned him up. Peter’s mother blamed him for the accident and they fought. Peter did not feel loved or even liked in his house. The next morning his mother came in and apologized for blaming Peter, it was nobody’s fault, just an accident.

 

Chapter 5: The Birthday Bash

The dentist told them that Fudge’s teeth would not grow in until he was six or seven. Peter could not help but call him fang. Fudge was turning three and his mother wanted to throw him a little birthday party. She invited over his three friends, Sam, Ralph, and Jennie. Sam was afraid of everything, Ralph was on the heavy side and ate a lot, and Jennie was a biter. Peter’s father couldn’t make it so his grandma came over to help. From 1-2:30 four three year olds were running around the house. Jennie bit Peter’s grandma and peed on the floor, Ralph passed out in Fudge’s room, and Sam screamed at everything. Peter had warned his mother that three was too young to have a party. When his father came home from work he asked how it was and Peter again said three was too young for a party and his mother could not agree more.

 

Chapter 6: Fang Hits Town

Peter’s mother decided that the boys and her would spend the Saturday out and about. They first had a dentist appointment for Fudge. Peter had to help Dr. Brown (also an old family friend) get Fudge to open his mouth. Next they went to Bloomingdales and got new shoes. Fudge wanted ones like Peter so they had to trick him and Peter had to pretend to get saddle shoes instead of loafers. Then they went out to lunch where Fudge was acting up and smearing his food on the walls. He dumped his peas on his head and said “Eat is or wear it” Peter laughed and nearly choked. His mom asked him on the way back home in the taxi if the day was really that bad. Peter did not answer.

 

Chapter 7: The Flying Train Committee

In Peter’s fourth grade class they were all assigned to committees and assigned a project on a particular part of the city. Peter, Jimmy, and Sheila were partnered together and were assigned to make a poster board and a booklet and an oral report on NYC transportation. Sheila agreed to do the booklet and ten pages if Jimmy and Peter both did 5 and the poster board. The met every Tuesday and Thursday at Peter’s and eventually were making progress. He did not understand why NYC didn’t just use a monorail. Peter stored everything under his bed and discovered one day that Fudge had destroyed his poster board him and Jimmy worked hard on. He was very upset and his mother actually spanked Fudge. Peter wanted a lock on his door. His mother refused but bought him a new poster board. It looked better than the first one. Peter came home one day to Fudge in his room cutting his hair over Dribble’s bowl and markers all over his face. Peter’s father installed a latch on his door. The project turned out great.

 

Chapter 8: The TV Star

Peter’s mother’s sister had her first baby and she was flying out to Baltimore to help her for the weekend. Peter did not have school that day so his father took him and Fudge to his office. He had the secretary watch over them and give them a tour. A commercial for a toddle-bike was being filmed and many kids with their mothers were lined up to try-out. Mr. Vincent saw Fudge and wanted him for the commercial. He wouldn’t move on the bike until Peter finally got him too.

 

Chapter 9: Just Another Rainy Day

It was raining and Peter’s father decided to take him and Fudge to the movies. They saw a G movie about bears. Fudge was throwing popcorn at people and talking a lot. Once the movie started he was intrigued. Soon Peter realized that Fudge was gone. Peter’s dad found an usher and they stopped the movie. Peter found Fudge in the front he said he wanted to touch the bears. That night for dinner Peter’s father tried to make a mushroom omelet but it was awful even though Fudge loved it. They picked up their mom at the airport and Peter’s dad suggested that they should keep the things they did that weekend a secret. Peter’s mother did not know about the commercial until she saw it.

 

Chapter 10: Dribble!

May tenth Peter came home from school and noticed Dribble was not in his bowl. He and his mother searched the house. Fudge confessed to swallowing him. She took him to the hospital and it took a couple of days but it finally came out. Upon returning from the hospital Peter’s parents agreed that Peter was a good sport about the whole situation. They gave him a dog.

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