Double Fudge

Uncle Feather’s wing is broken, but the vet says he’s a lucky bird. Peter’s father meets them at the vet’s office, and Howie praises Peter and Fudge for handling the situation as well as they did. They return to the apartment, where Mini is watching the Discovery Channel on TV, and Eudora tells Howie that she “[doesn’t] want to hear one word about it” (166-67) from Howie. Howie tells Mini not to let Uncle Feather out of his cage again, but he also tells Fudge that he shouldn’t blame Mini for what happened. Peter and Fudge play a game of Monopoly, but Fudge doesn’t understand the game and tries to use Fudge Bucks and one of Grandma’s old expired credit cards. When Peter’s mother returns home, they fill her in on what happened with Uncle Feather.

Suddenly, Frank and Jimmy arrive and give the Hatchers one of the paintings from Mr. Fargo’s art show. Mrs. Hatcher is touched and admits that they were saving money to buy a little art for the apartment, but money has been a little tight lately. Fudge is fascinated by this idea of “tight money,” and he reminds the family that he “love[s] it when [they] talk about money” (173). Peter tells Jimmy all about the incident with Uncle Feather and how no one knows why the bird stopped talking or why he started again. Fudge shows Mr. Fargo his paintings in which he used Turtle’s pawprints, and he offers to sell one to Peter. Peter spends the night at Jimmy’s house, and Jimmy tells him that Mr. Fargo and Beverly are getting married soon. When Peter returns home the next day, Flora and Fauna have returned from the Tubmans. The days pass with all five Hawaii Hatchers again sleeping in the living room. Finally, after a week, Howie announces that he and his family will be living in the apartment building for another six weeks, subletting one of the apartments. This news causes Peter to “[fall] to the floor” (178), and Fudge laughs.

Peter is relieved when the Hawaii Hatchers move out of the apartment and Flora and Fauna stop going to his school. However, the other students are sad to see Flora and Fauna leave, and they ask Peter when the girls will return to school. Fudge tells his family that a police officer came to his classroom to discuss stranger danger. The police officer told Fudge’s class that they need to have special code names with their family members. Fudge explains that his code name is Egduf Muriel: his first name is spelled backward and his grandmother’s name. Right before Halloween, the building elevator is updated to a self-service, and a security camera is added to the inside. Henry teaches the children in the building how to call for help if there is a problem in the elevator and warns them that “anyone who pushes buttons just for fun will lose elevator privileges” (184). Fudge tells Eudora about the importance of code names, and she says that Mini’s code name would be Yelraf Rose.

The Hawaii Hatchers invite Peter and his family to their apartment for dinner, and Fudge says Mini can trick-or-treat with him. Howie hesitates but says his children can trick-or-treat as long as they don’t eat any candy. On Halloween night, Peter, Flora, and Fauna take Fudge, Mini, and Melissa trick-or-treating around the building. Melissa’s cat, whom she brought along, breaks free and runs into one of the apartments, distracting the older kids. When Peter looks around the hallway, “Fudge and Mini [are] nowhere in sight” (194). They go to the lobby and find a crowd gathered around the monitor for the elevator’s security camera. Fudge, Mini, and the elderly Mrs. Osterman are stuck on the elevator, waiting for the fire department to rescue them. Howie, Eudora, and Peter’s parents join the anxious crowd in the lobby, and after nearly an hour of being trapped, the fire department arrives and helps them out. An impromptu party breaks out in the lobby, and Fudge, Mini, and Mrs. Osterman are celebrated as the reason for this gathering of neighbors.

As winter approaches, the Hawaii Hatchers prepare to leave New York City for Florida. Mini is talking more than ever, and when his sisters try to speak for him, he puts his foot down and tells them to stop. The night before the Hawaii Hatchers leave the city, Peter’s family has them over for dinner, along with Mrs. Osterman, who regales Flora and Fauna with her stories of being a Broadway star. She tells them that New York is “a magical place [...] where your dreams can come true” and “a girl can become a star overnight” (203). The girls beg their parents to let them stay in New York and ask Mr. and Mrs. Hatcher if they can stay with them. Fortunately, the subject changes when dinner is served, and everyone at the table gives thanks for something they are grateful for. Although Fudge initially says that he is thankful for money, he also says that he is thankful that Uncle Feather is talking again and that his wing is better. He also adds that he is grateful that his family loves him. Howie invites the New York Hatchers to visit his family in the Florida Everglades, and Mr. and Mrs. Hatcher agree to visit “some winter” but not “this winter” (208).

During dessert, Fudge loses his first tooth, but later in the evening, the tooth goes missing. The Hatchers realize that Mini swallowed Fudge’s tooth, and Fudge is furious because he thinks the tooth fairy won’t come now. Peter is reminded of the time Fudge swallowed Peter’s pet turtle, Dribble, and he tries to comfort Fudge. Peter explains that Fudge was once “a disaster” like Mini, and when Fudge asks if Peter still thinks he is a disaster, Peter doesn’t answer. Fudge shows Peter a box of baby teeth he found in their parents’ room, which Peter knows must be his baby teeth. Fudge explains how he intends to trick the tooth fairy with one of these stolen teeth. Peter takes the box from Fudge, but instead of putting it back, he slides it under his pillow just in case.