Double Fudge

Twelve-year-old Peter Hatcher lives in Manhattan with his parents, his two-year-old baby sister Tootsie, and his exuberant five-year-old brother Farley Drexel, who goes by “Fudge.” Recently, Fudge has become obsessed with money, and he can’t stop thinking (and talking) about his plans to get rich and buy anything he wants. He asks Peter how much it would cost to buy all of New York City; Peter calls Fudge a “miser” and insists that he worships money and has no values. Peter raises his concerns about Fudge’s fixation with money to his parents, who dismiss him and claim that “it’s not unusual for young children to want things” (9). Still, Fudge’s constant talk about money begins to worry his parents. He creates his own play money, “Fudge Bucks,” and announces that he intends to “buy the whole world” with his imaginary riches. When Fudge’s myna bird Uncle Feather begins to join him as he sings about his love for money, Mrs. Hatcher wonders how this happened because the Hatchers were always careful with their money and never talked about it in front of their children. Peter suggests this is the problem, and he warns his parents that they need to get Fudge “straightened out” before the school year begins.