70).

However, at the hospital, Peter begins feeling worried about Fudge since he is in the examining room for so long. Because of his worry, he begins acknowledging he feels affection for his little brother, as Peter thinks to himself, "Maybe he wasn't such a bad little guy after all" (p. 72). But Peter's feelings fluctuate once again after Fudge finally passes the turtle, and Peter must face the reality his pet turtle is definitely gone. Peter begins to feel even more resentful when Fudge is showered with presents and kisses upon his return home from the hospital.

Yet, the turning point in the story occurs when Peter's father finally gives Peter some much needed attention by bringing him a new puppy. In addition, Fudge begins to show feeling remorseful for his actions when he willingly agrees that the dog is only Peter's dog; this time he agrees without having the slightest trace of mischief in his eyes. Fudge, this time, is very serious about letting Peter have his dog. Furthermore, the whole family laughs when their father notes the dog will be too big for Fudge to swallow, showing us that all has been forgiven and forgotten. While Fudge and Peter may continue to have a strained relationship, the end of the book shows us that Fudge is starting to learn his lessons, and Peter truly does feel affection for his brother.

In Judy Blume's novel entitled Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, the main character, whose name is Peter Warren Hatcher, identifies his problem as his younger brother, Fudge. The novel is written from Peter's point of view, and the problem in the story is Peter's perception. In his mind, his entire world has been turned upside down by the arrival of this invader—his younger brother. He explains his problem in the quote below:

"My biggest problem is my brother, Farley Drexel Hatcher. He's two-and-a-half years old. Everybody calls him Fudge. I feel sorry for him if he's going to grow up with a name like Fudge, but I don't say a word. It's none of my business. Fudge is always in my way. He messes up everything he sees. And when he gets mad he throws himself flat on the floor and he screams. And he kicks. And he bangs his fists. The only time I really like him is when he's sleeping."

There is a six year age gap between Peter and his younger brother, Fudge. Peter doesn't get the same amount of attention because he's older and understands much more about how the world operates. He is long past his daisy-eating phase. Peter suffers many indignities in order to help Fudge. One of them is being requested to stand on his head so that Fudge will eat.

Peter's sense of justice is violated when his brother eats his prize possession—a turtle named Dribble—and doesn't seem to receive a punishment. Peter's parents are very concerned about Fudge's health and not concerned at all about Peter or how he feels having lost his turtle. This problem is resolved when Peter's parents give him a puppy to replace his lost pet. They tell him they thought he handled the loss of his turtle with a good attitude, and that a puppy is too big for Fudge to swallow. This enables Peter to tolerate Fudge's shenanigans, and in some way, restores his sense that justice has been served.