Big change is coming for the Hatchers — and this time it is not a baby. Peter’s father decides to take a whole year off from his advertising job to write a book, and the family is going to move from their New York City apartment all the way to Princeton, New Jersey. Peter is horrified. He does not want to leave his best friend, Jimmy Fargo, his familiar school, or the only home he has ever known. Leaving the crowded, exciting city for a quiet town feels like the end of the world. But the decision is made, and soon the whole family is packing boxes, saying goodbyes, and driving off to a brand-new house in an unfamiliar place. When they arrive, Princeton is green and roomy, with trees and a yard — a completely different setting from the busy sidewalks Peter grew up on. Like it or not, the Hatchers are starting a new chapter, in a new town.
| Focus | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Setting | The story moves from a NYC apartment to a Princeton house |
| Internal Conflict | Peter dreads leaving his friends and home |
| Theme (Fresh Start) | Facing a scary new beginning in a new place |
| Pages | Key Events |
|---|---|
| pp. 42–62 | Peter’s father takes a year off to write a book, so the family moves from their New York City apartment to Princeton, New Jersey; Peter dreads leaving Jimmy Fargo and his home, but the Hatchers pack up and settle into a very different, leafy new town |
There are no wrong answers here — just think, guess, and talk:
- Peter dreads moving away from his friends and his city. Have you ever had to leave a place you loved? What was the hardest part?
- The story’s setting changes from a busy city apartment to a quiet town with yards and trees. How might a new place change how the family lives?
- Predict: Peter arrives in Princeton certain he will hate it. Do you think he will find anything to like there?
This is an independent study guide created by Garden Heights Academy to support reading comprehension and literary analysis. It contains original analysis questions and does not reproduce any text from the novel. Superfudge is a work by Judy Blume. This guide is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by the author or any associated rights holder.
Moving to a new town is one of the biggest changes a family can choose, and researchers count it among childhood’s most stressful events — not because moving is dangerous, but because it swaps the familiar for the unknown all at once. A child leaves behind a bedroom, a school, a best friend, and the map of streets he knows by heart. Even when the reason is happy, like a parent’s new job or study, the body can still feel the strain of so much newness. This is why the Hatchers’ plan to spend a year away stirs such strong feelings in Peter. Change and loss often travel together, and naming that link helps a reader see why leaving can ache even when nothing is truly wrong . This word network turns action into purposeful register . This word network turns action into purposeful register.
Setting is more than a backdrop; it is a bundle of clues about mood, time, and what characters value. A skilled reader gathers details — a crowded city street, a quiet tree-lined town, the season outside the window — and asks what they reveal. When Blume moves the Hatchers from busy New York to calm Princeton, the change of place mirrors a change in the family’s life. Noticing that the setting has shifted, and how each character responds to it, tells you as much as any line of dialogue. Because a new place can feel exciting to one person and lonely to another, setting clues also expose character. Read the world of the story closely, and it will quietly hand you the story’s meaning . Actions become understandable once readers identify motive . Actions become understandable once readers identify motive.
- Peter is horrified and dreads leaving Jimmy.
- The family plans to move to Princeton.
- Homesick Peter slowly starts to adjust.
- Dad decides to take a year off to write.
- They pack up and drive to the new house.
Every story unfolds in a setting — the where and when that surround the characters — and a good writer makes that setting do real work. Blume gives Peter two very different worlds, the tall, humming city and the slower, greener town, so that the contrast can carry the book’s question about home and change. Setting shapes how people feel and behave; the same boy acts differently on a Princeton lawn than on a Manhattan sidewalk. When an author moves characters to a new place, she is usually testing them, seeing who they become once the familiar props are gone. Watch how the new town presses on Peter, because a change of setting in fiction almost always signals a coming change in the heart . Opposing details sharpen the episode’s contrast . Opposing details sharpen the episode’s contrast.
Peter did not ask to leave New York, and letting go of a home you love is a real kind of loss, even when no one has done anything wrong. Psychologists describe a small grief that comes with any goodbye — to a house, a friend, a routine — and they urge us to let children feel it rather than rush them to cheer up. The hard part for Peter is that the move serves his father’s work, so his own sadness can seem unimportant beside the family’s bigger plan. Yet a feeling ignored does not disappear; it waits. The conflict becomes difficult because of he does not want to leave his best friend, Jimmy Fargo, his. The outcome makes every decision produce a consequence . The outcome makes every decision produce a consequence.
Moving to a new home is one of the biggest changes a family can go through, and almost everyone finds it hard at first. It is natural to feel homesick — sad and out of place — in the first weeks after a move. A new town can seem strange: the roads go the wrong way, the shops are in the wrong places, and not a single face is familiar. Yet a move also brings gifts. A new home is a chance to explore fresh streets and parks, to try new activities, and to meet new people. A crowded city, with its tall buildings and busy sidewalks, puts everything close together; a leafy town, with its houses and yards, gives families room to spread out and play outdoors. Neither is better — they are simply different. Most people who move slowly adjust: the strange streets become familiar, new faces become friends, and the new place begins to feel like home. The secret, many say, is to give it time and to stay curious instead of closed off. Homesickness rarely lasts forever; with patience, a strange new town can become a place you love just as much as the one you left.
This writing task is optional and is not part of your auto-graded score. The feedback below checks only the basics — length, spelling, and grammar — not whether your ideas are right or wrong. It is meant for classroom discussion and creative practice, so feel free to use your imagination!
Writing Task — Part 3 “A New Place”
The Hatchers move to a brand-new town. Write about a new place you have gone to — a new home, school, city, or even a first day somewhere — and how it felt to be somewhere unfamiliar. Write at least 40 words.
No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby about the Hatchers’ move from the city to Princeton. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.
Part 3 Complete!
You finished pages 42–62 of Superfudge.
Here are your auto-graded results:
Your writing was checked automatically for length, spelling, grammar, and whether you included the key parts of the scene. Scroll back to Part 5 anytime to read your feedback and improve your work.
Independent study guide by Garden Heights Academy. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the author or any rights holders. Contains original analysis only; no text from the novel is reproduced.