About this title: A companion to TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING, this book focuses on Peter Hatcher's nemesis and neighbor, Sheila Tubman. When her parents announce that the family will be spending the summer house- and pet-sitting for family friends, Sheila must face her fear of dogs, the dark, and spiders. To make matters worse, her parents insist she must take ...
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Puffin Books
Date Published: 09/2002
ISBN-13:9780525469285ISBN:0525469281
Description: Very good in very good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 138 p. read more
"Another winner from THE 'tween book author, Judy Blume. As with all Blume's books, this reads so well, and is funny and touching and relatable and so... well, perfect. Sheila is both annoying and lovable, and she is all of us at some point in our childhood. I can get into Blume books no matter my age, but I did read this when I was about 11."
"How had I forgotten about this book??? It gets overshadowed by the hilarious Fudge series and Judy Blume's more serious books for older readers. This is a mistake. Sheila's inner monologue is so funny and universal. Her striving to hide her inner "sheila tubman" and only to show others "Sheila The Great" still speaks to me at 38. And my seven year-old giggled and giggled in recognition. Highly recommended for elementary kids and for grown-ups who feel like elementary kids."
"A recent New York Times article profiling a Georgia middle schol teacher who uses the 'reading workshop' approach to literature noted that the teacher: 'As a teenager...loved the novels of Judy Blume and Danielle Steel. But in school she was forced to read the classics.' Here I thought I was working my way through the Judy Blume catalog because many of her books are viewed as classics of children's literature. Certainly her novels for elementary school readers, like this one about a ten-year-old, are staples of many language arts curricula. I'd rate Blume's work for kids just below Beverly Cleary's, which is high praise from me. They're thoughtful, well-written, and deal with real children in real-life situations. In 'Otherwise,' a good example, Sheila Tubman puts on a brave face but is afraid of dogs, swimmming, spiders and the dark. When her family moves to a summer rental and she makes new friends, she is forced to confront those fears and take some risks.
I haven't yet read Blume's teenage or adult books. And I'm all for Nancie Atwell's 'reading workshop' approach, which encourages choice, and that great Georgia teacher who took a risk by introducing it in her seventh and eighth grade classes. I don't think kids in any grade should have to read any one book, even if by Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary. Kids should just have to read some books, and think critically about what they are reading. I have seen middle schoolers (and high schoolers!) who may never look into books by Mark Twain or William Golding or Harper Lee again because they were once required to read these authors, and that's a shame. What some middle school teachers might learn from elementary school is reading aloud a book or a part of a book their students might not pick up, where the teacher can stop and check if processing is going on. That's what often happens in fourth grade with Blume's 'Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,' and many kids go on to read the rest of the Fudge books on their own."
"I loved this book when I was younger-- I read it a least a half a dozen times. I haven't read it in probably 15 years but I loved it just as much now. I found my old copy at my mom's house on Sunday and decided to read it again (it actually wasn't my copy since it has my sister Becky's name in it... but it's mine now). The book is completely falling apart at the seams-- the pages are loose and torn and wrinkled and it smells "old", which adds to the charm of it and reminds me of growing up. Maybe that's why this book is 5 stars for me- the nostalgia of it all.
EIther way, I love this book. I loved it when I was 10 years old and I love it now 20 years later! I'm going to have Aspen read it now- she's almost 10 and I think she'll love it. At least I hope she does."
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