Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Part 6 Study Guide

What Happens in Part 6

And now the ultimate injustice, in Peter’s eyes. One of his father’s advertising accounts is the “Toddle-Bike,” a little tricycle for tiny children — and who gets picked to star in the television commercial for it? Fudge! Cute, chaotic little Fudge is going to be on TV. The family goes to the studio, where Fudge, under the bright camera lights, behaves like a natural little star. Soon his adorable face is on television screens all over the city, and everyone is talking about him. For Peter, this is almost too much to bear. His maddening little brother — the pest, the menace, the tooth-loser — is now famous, while Peter is still just a fourth-grade nobody. Peter is green with jealousy. It seems desperately unfair: the worse Fudge behaves, the more attention and reward he somehow collects.

What We Will Learn

Focus	What It Means
Irony	The family menace is rewarded with fame
Sibling Rivalry	Peter’s jealousy at its peak
Media (Commercials)	How a TV ad is really made

Chapter Summary

Pages	Key Events
pp. 76–90	Fudge is chosen to star in a TV commercial for the Toddle-Bike tricycle, one of Dad’s accounts; he is a natural on camera and becomes a little celebrity — while Peter, green with jealousy, feels it is desperately unfair

💭 Before You Read · Warm-Up (not scored)

There are no wrong answers here — just think, guess, and talk:

Fudge misbehaves constantly, yet he becomes a TV star. Why does it feel so unfair when someone is rewarded for the wrong reasons?
Peter is jealous of his little brother’s fame. Is jealousy always a bad thing, or can it tell us something about what we want?
Predict: Peter’s frustration keeps building. What do you think might finally happen between Peter and Fudge?

Copyright Notice

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. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is a work by Judy Blume. This guide is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by the author or any associated rights holder.

Part 1

Vocabulary

Study 10 key words from pages 76–90, then answer each question.

🧠Knowledge Bank · Making a Television Commercial

Film Production · CommercialsA commercial may last thirty seconds and still take days to make. It begins on paper as a script and a storyboard, a comic strip of every planned shot. A casting session then picks the faces, and in the 1970s an advertisement for a toy often wanted a genuine preschooler rather than a trained actor, because real delight cannot be faked. Filming happens in a studio under hot lights, with a director calling for the same few seconds again and again until one take is right. Afterwards editors cut the best pieces together, add music, and adjust the color. Thirty seconds of finished film can swallow a week of work and a great deal of money, which is worth remembering the next time an advertisement looks completely effortless.

Black-and-white view of a television studio: two camera operators in headphones stand behind large boxy cameras on wheeled stands, aimed at a lit set where three small children and a man in a suit stand around a low table with bowls — Photograph of a children’s program being filmed at a television studio in Tampere, Finland, in February 1965. Two camera operators wearing headphones stand behind large studio cameras, and on the lit set three young children and a man in a suit gather around a table. The *Knowledge Bank* explains that filming happens in a studio under hot lights, with a director calling for the same few seconds again and again, and that an advertisement often wanted a genuine preschooler because real delight cannot be faked. This is a program, not a toy commercial, and it was made in Finland, not New York. Notice how big the cameras are next to the children — the machinery that a thirty-second ad swallows.
Television program filmed at Frenckell's studio, Tampere, Finland, 1 February 1965; Archives of the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yleisradio. Source: Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

commercialn.p.77

A short advertisement on TV or radio

“Fudge starred in a TV commercial.”

televisionn.p.76

A device (and medium) that shows programs and ads

“Fudge appeared on television.”

cameran.p.80

A device that records pictures or film

“Fudge smiled into the camera.”

starn.p.81

The main, most famous performer

“Fudge became the little star of the ad.”

famousadj.p.84

Known by many people

“Suddenly Fudge was famous.”

jealousyn.p.86

An unhappy feeling of wanting what another has

“Peter was filled with jealousy.”

unfairadj.p.88

Not right or just

“It seemed terribly unfair to Peter.”

adorableadj.p.82

Very cute and charming

“Fudge looked adorable on screen.”

sulkv.p.87

To be silent and gloomy because you are upset

“Peter went off to sulk.”

resentv.p.88

To feel bitter about something unfair

“Peter began to resent all the fuss over Fudge.”

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, 1970s toy ads wanted a real preschooler because ___.Pages 76–90

2A ‘camera’ is a tool that —Pages 76–90

3Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 76–90

Word choices:jealousyresentkindnessjoy- some words will not be used

Watching Fudge get all the glory fills Peter with

Peter starts to ___ his little brother’s fame .

4A ‘star’ of a show is —Pages 76–90

5To feel ‘proud’ is to feel pleased with something you did.Pages 76–90

6Someone ‘famous’ is —Pages 76–90

7Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 76–90

Word choices:unfairsulkfaircheer- some words will not be used

Peter thinks it is deeply

When things go against him, Peter tends to .

8Something ‘adorable’ is —Pages 76–90

9‘Television’ is —Pages 76–90

10To ‘grumble’ is to praise loudly and happily.Pages 76–90

Part 2

Comprehension

How well do you understand pages 76–90?

🧠Knowledge Bank · Tracking the Main Idea

Reading Strategy · Main IdeaA long book is more than a pile of episodes; one repeated thought runs underneath them, and readers call it the main idea. You find it through repetition rather than drama. Ask which feeling keeps returning however the scenery changes, and which character keeps landing in the same position chapter after chapter. When the same ache turns up at a dinner, at a playground, at a party, and now on a television set, the pattern is a signpost and not a coincidence. Try compressing what you have noticed into one sentence of your own words; if that sentence covers most of the book, you have probably found it. Doing this turns a reader from somebody following events into somebody tracing an argument.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1The Knowledge Bank says you find the main idea through ___.Pages 76–90

2Who is chosen to star in the Toddle-Bike ad?Pages 76–90

3How does Fudge behave in front of the camera?Pages 76–90

4The commercial makes Fudge a little famous.Pages 76–90

5Write the numbers 1–5 in the boxes to show the correct order across Part 6. Number 1 = what happens first.Pages 76–90

The finished commercial makes Fudge famous.
Fudge misbehaves in front of the camera.
Fudge is chosen because he is adorable.
Peter watches, feeling jealous and left out.
An ad company needs a cute toddler for the ad.

6Peter feels jealous of Fudge’s new fame.Pages 76–90

7How does Peter feel about Fudge’s fame?Pages 76–90

8Why does it feel unfair to Peter?Pages 76–90

9Why did Fudge get the part?Pages 76–90

10What pattern is really bothering Peter?Pages 76–90

Part 3

Literary Elements

Understanding HOW and WHY Judy Blume tells the story across pages 76–90.

🧠Knowledge Bank · Irony and the Unfair Reward

Literary Craft · IronyIrony is the gap between what ought to happen and what actually does. Literature has run on that gap for thousands of years, from Greek tragedy to modern comedy, because a reversal seizes attention in a way a fair outcome never can. Situational irony is the branch at work here: the impossible child is handed the reward while the cooperative one is not even considered. A twist by itself would only be clever, so skilled writers pair it with an emotion the reader already owns. Nearly everybody has watched the wrong person collect the prize and has had to keep a polite face while burning. The reversal makes you shake your head; the borrowed feeling makes you lean in. Together they can give a thirty-second toy advertisement a real sting.

Visual AidThe gap that makes it irony

Diagram for the Knowledge Bank on irony. The left box is what ought to happen and the right box is what actually does, with the gap between them marked as the irony the Knowledge Bank defines; the line beneath adds the borrowed feeling that gives the twist its sting. It does not describe the commercial. Notice that the gap alone is only clever — the feeling is what makes you lean in.

Gap and feeling as defined in the Knowledge Bank. Drawn for Garden Heights Academy.

📚 Literary Devices in This Part · definitions & examples

Irony here is the painful gap between what should happen (good Peter rewarded) and what does (naughty Fudge rewarded). Peter’s first-person voice makes his jealousy a relatable emotion. This unfair pattern also drives the book’s theme of the overlooked older sibling.

🧠Knowledge Bank question

1According to the Knowledge Bank, irony is the gap between what ought to happen and ___.Pages 76–90

2Irony is a gap between what is deserved and what happens.Pages 76–90

3Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 76–90

Word choices:ironythemehumorsetting- some words will not be used

Fudge, the troublemaker, being rewarded is

The big idea of feeling small and overlooked is a .

4Feeling like ‘a fourth-grade nothing’ is the book’s big idea, or —Pages 76–90

5A theme is a big idea a whole book explores.Pages 76–90

6Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 76–90

Word choices:themeironyhumormood- some words will not be used

The gap between deserved and given is

The book’s big idea about feeling small is a .

7That the naughty child gets the reward is an example of —Pages 76–90

8Peter’s feeling of being a ‘nothing’ is the book’s main —Pages 76–90

9Fill in each blank with the correct word.Pages 76–90

Word choices:ironythemehumorplot- some words will not be used

The unfair gap of Fudge being rewarded is

The big idea of feeling overlooked is the .

10The irony of Fudge’s reward mainly makes Peter feel —Pages 76–90

Part 4

Think Deeper

Four deeper challenges — no single-word recall. Read, weigh the evidence, and reason it through.

🧠Knowledge Bank · The Squeaky Wheel Problem

Behavioral Science · Reward SignalsAn old proverb says the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and behavioral scientists have a less charming name for the same effect: attention follows noise, so noise gets reinforced. Every household, classroom, and office runs some version of this. The loud member is answered because answering stops the noise, and the quiet member is left alone because leaving him alone costs nothing today. Over time the arrangement teaches an unfortunate lesson about how a person gets what he needs. The remedy is not for the quiet one to start shrieking. It is for the adults in charge to notice deliberately and in advance, since attention handed out only during emergencies becomes a reward for producing emergencies. Cooperation nobody ever acknowledges eventually stops feeling worth the effort.

1Claim: “Peter feels the sting of injustice when Fudge gets the spotlight.” — choose the two details that best prove it.Claim & Evidence

2Shows Peter’s sense of injustice, or just a detail of the scene? Tap each item to sort it — tap again to switch sides. You can keep tapping to change your answer.Sort into two

◄ Peter’s sense of injusticeJust a detail ►

3Match each cause to its result. For each cause, pick its result.Cause & Effect

Father has the Toddle-Bike account→

The company picks a star→

Fudge gets the spotlight→

Peter watches Fudge shine→

🧠Knowledge Bank question

4Fill both blanks to complete the reasoning.Build the Argument

The Knowledge Bank says attention handed out only in emergencies , so the remedy is for .

Part 5

Standardized Test

Key Details & Inference — SAT & TOEFL-style practice

Filming a TV Commercial

The cheerful thirty-second commercial you see on television looks effortless — but making one is a surprising amount of work. It begins not with a camera but with an idea, written down as a script and drawn out as a storyboard, a comic-strip plan showing every shot before filming starts. Next comes casting: choosing the star and the other actors, who may be adults, children, or even animals, depending on what the ad needs. On filming day, everyone gathers in a studio bright with lights and crowded with equipment, where a director guides the action. Here is the surprising part: the same few seconds of action may be filmed over and over, dozens of times, until every detail looks perfect. Then editors take all that footage and carefully trim it down, choosing the best moments, adding music and words, and polishing the tiny film until it shines. All of this — hours, sometimes days of effort — produces an advertisement that flashes by in seconds. Knowing how much craft goes into every ad reminds us that the bright, happy images on our screens are carefully built to catch our attention and, in the end, to sell us something.

Original passage written for Garden Heights — not a quotation from the novel.

1A TV “commercial” is —TOEFL · Factual Information

2A “storyboard” is —TOEFL · Factual Information

3In the passage, the work begins 'not with a camera but with an idea,' meaning the first step is ___.SAT · Words in Context

4The same action is filmed over and over until it looks “perfect,” meaning —SAT · Words in Context

5Who guides the action on filming day?TOEFL · Factual Information

6In the passage, the star of the ad is ___.SAT · Words in Context

7The passage says a finished commercial lasts only —SAT · Inference

8What can the reader infer about the smooth ads we watch?SAT · Inference

9The passage mainly wants readers to see that ad images are —SAT · Rhetorical Purpose

10This TOEFL task lists six sentences; choose the THREE that best capture the passage’s main ideas. The other three do not belong — they state minor details or ideas the passage does not present.TOEFL · Prose Summary

Part 6 · Optional

Creative Writing

A bonus challenge to practice your English. Take your time and have fun with it.

About This Section

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 6 “When I Felt Jealous”

Peter feels jealous of his little brother’s fame. Write about a time you felt jealous of someone — a sibling, a friend, a classmate. What made you feel that way, and what did you do about it? (It’s a normal feeling — be honest!) Write at least 40 words.

You can start with: “One time I felt really jealous was when…”

0 / 40 words minimum

🗣 Teach It · Just for Fun (optional)

No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby why Fudge gets famous and how it makes Peter feel. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.

Part 6 Complete!

You finished pages 76–90 of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

Here are your auto-graded results:

-

points out of 100

Teach it to someone

The best last step is to teach it. In your own words, explain what happened — retell a favorite scene, teach a character’s big choice, or sum up the main idea for a parent, friend, or classmate. When you can teach it clearly, you truly own it.

Move on to Part 7 →

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.