Double Fudge

Peter is the oldest child in the Hatcher family, Fudge’s older brother, and the main protagonist in Double Fudge. As the oldest child, Peter is frequently tasked with helping his parents care for his younger brother and sister, and when Fudge’s antics go awry, Peter often finds himself in the middle of the chaos. In Double Fudge, Peter is 12 years old and about to go into seventh grade, and as he explains to Fudge, “by the time you’re twelve there’s a lot of stuff you know” (5). Of course, Peter is still a child, even if he is the oldest and most responsible of the Hatcher children, and even Peter reaches his breaking point as he deals with his chaotic family throughout the novel.

Peter has a deep fear of public humiliation, and he worries about everything from the shoes he wears to his family’s behavior in public. Peter is entering seventh grade and thinks his classmates will tease him for any minor public embarrassment, which causes him to fixate and become anxious over small things. When Fudge tells Peter that his shoes aren’t cool, Peter is seized with panic, wondering if his shoes are “bad enough so the kids at school will laugh” (12) at him on the first day of school.