Summary
The next day is rainy, so Mr. Hatcher takes the boys to see a movie. They see A Bear's Life, which their father chooses because it is rated G. On the way, Fudge jumps into every puddle he sees and is totally soaked by the time they arrive at the theater. Throughout the movie, Fudge talks and throws his popcorn, and Peter says he is too young for the movies. Finally, Fudge sits still and watches the bear on the screen, and Peter actually likes the movie too. When Peter turns to ask if Fudge has popcorn left though, he notices Fudge has disappeared. He tells his father, who goes out of the theater to look for him and tell the staff. A few minutes later the movie stops, the light comes on, and the staff come in to look for Fudge, telling the rest of the audience to keep an eye out as well.
Peter finds Fudge first, sitting on the floor of the first row because he had gone down to try to touch the bears. Relieved, they finish the movie and head home, where Peter's father says he is going to cook them dinner. This surprises Peter, since his father never cooks anything. He calls it a "super duper omelet," and uses a dozen eggs in it. Peter tries it, and it is the worst thing he has ever tasted. Fudge actually likes it, but then Mr. Hatcher tries it and realizes how bad it is. He takes Fudge's away from him, and Fudge throws a tantrum. Defeated, he just makes some peanut butter sandwiches.
Sunday afternoon, the family drives to pick up Mrs. Hatcher from the airport. No one tells her about the events that happened during the weekend. Six weeks later, they are watching TV one night when suddenly the Toddle-Bike commercial comes on with Fudge in it. Their mother does not believe it is him at first, and is astounded when she finds out it is. Peter and his father laugh about all the things she doesn't know about from her weekend away.
The final chapter of the book begins with Peter saying he will never forget Friday, May 10th, the most important day of his life. It starts out ordinary; he goes to school and comes home. When he arrives at his apartment, he goes to his room to see Dribble like he does every day. However, he immediately notices that the chain latch on his door is unhooked, and there is a chair in front of it. Dribble is not in his bowl. Peter searches his room, scared, then goes to ask his mother if she knows. She asks Fudge, who smiles and giggles, and it is clear that he knows.
They pester Fudge to tell them and he says that Dribble is in his tummy. Peter thinks he is joking, but slowly realizes he is telling the truth and is horrified. Their mother tries to get more information out of Fudge, and when she realizes he is not lying she panics and starts shouting about her poor baby. Peter feels betrayed that she doesn't even give Dribble a thought, and is only worried about Fudge. She calls an ambulance, and they take Fudge to the hospital. Mrs. Hatcher is crying the whole time. At the hospital, Peter goes back and forth between hating Fudge and worrying about him.
Dr. Cone comes out of the x-ray room to show Peter scans of Fudge's stomach, where he points out Dribble. They give Fudge all sorts of medicines and foods that will help the turtle move through his digestive system faster. Dr. Cone gently tells Peter that he will need to get a new turtle, and Peter is distraught.
Fudge stays overnight in the hospital, and they go back to the hospital waiting room the next day. Peter tells everyone that his brother ate his turtle, and is frustrated that no one says they are sorry to hear about the turtle's death. The doctors say that if the turtle does not move through Fudge's bowels soon, they may have to do an operation to remove it. Finally the turtle is out, and Peter asks if it is alive or dead. His grandmother, who is waiting with him, shouts at him for asking such a question.
The next morning, Fudge comes home from the hospital, and Peter's parents load him down with gifts and presents, happy he is "all better." Peter is disgusted that Fudge is getting presents and attention after he ate and killed Peter's turtle. That night, Peter's father comes home with the biggest box of all. Peter thinks it is another present for Fudge, but to his surprise, Mr. Hatcher says it is for him. Peter insists he does not want another turtle, and it won't make him feel better to get one.
But the present is not a turtle. His father explains that they think Peter has been a good sport about the whole situation, so they have decided to reward him with something special. Peter reaches in the box and feels something soft and furry... a dog! The dog jumps up into Peter's lap and licks him, and Mr. Hatcher reminds Fudge that this is Peter's dog, not his. Fudge nods and agrees. Mr. Hatcher jokes that this dog will grow too big for Fudge to swallow. Peter happily names his new dog Turtle, to remind him.
Analysis
When Mr. Hatcher is left alone to take care of the boys, there is a very different family dynamic than when Mrs. Hatcher is with them. He is less prone to worry than Peter's mother, which means he is not always hounding on Peter to do certain things. However, because he does not have a lot of practice in watching his children alone, certain things fall through the cracks—for example, the omelet dinner incident. This is actually good practice for Peter, who has to step up and be more of an adult when his father around, informing him of his and Fudge's usual routine and helping him rein in Fudge's unruly behavior.
In Chapter 10, the book reaches its climax with Fudge swallowing Peter's turtle Dribble. This is clearly the book's climactic event because it is the worst of all the terrible things Fudge has done up to this point. Before now, every chapter has shown Fudge misbehaving in a different way, with Peter getting progressively angrier at him and then cooling down and starting over. Now, though, Fudge has upset Peter in the worst way, and is still getting more attention than him because of it.
Dribble's loss is hard because he was Peter's first pet, and his first chance at adult-like responsibility. We know how important Dribble was to him because the very first story Peter chose to tell in this book was about how he got Dribble from Jimmy Fargo's party, and how excited he was to have his own pet at last. Peter showed time and time again that he could handle the responsibility of caring for a pet, looking out for Dribble whenever Fudge was around and checking on him first thing every afternoon when he came home from school. He meant a lot to Peter, and for a while, it seems as if he cannot forgive Fudge for killing him.
But the story reaches a resolution when Peter's parents surprise him with Turtle, his new puppy. Finally he has gotten the attention he deserves from them, after three years of feeling like everyone favors Fudge over him. They have shown that they were watching the way Peter handled this unfortunate situation, keeping an eye on him, and they noticed how much he has matured. They have deemed him ready for the ultimate responsibility of owning a dog, which requires far more diligent care than a little turtle. Peter feels triumphant having received both his parents' love and something that is his alone, not Fudge's.
This book is a coming-of-age story meant for young readers who are growing up and taking on new responsibilities themselves. Peter has grown and matured so much over these ten chapters, and we have watched as he's taken on the role of responsible big brother and rational decision-maker. He has gained control over his emotions, and knows how to stay calm whenever Fudge does something that angers him. Peter has crossed the threshold between child and young adult; though he is not full-grown yet, he shows a new adult-like maturity that will help him tackle all of the challenges ahead.
