Superfudge recap

Twelve-year-old Peter Hatcher is dismayed when his parents announce both a new baby and a year-long move from New York to Princeton, where his father plans to write a book. Fudge, now five, greets the upheaval with his usual enthusiasm, starts kindergarten, becomes fascinated with money, and acquires a talkative myna bird named Uncle Feather. Peter slowly settles into Princeton and befriends Alex Santo. The baby, Tamara Roxanne, is born and nicknamed Tootsie, making Fudge confront the loss of his position as the youngest Hatcher. Visits, school problems, pet trouble, and the demands of three children keep the household unsettled, but Peter gradually develops a life of his own in Princeton. By the end of the family's planned year, Tootsie is beginning to talk, the major crises have passed, and the Hatchers decide to return to New York, leaving Peter unexpectedly sorry to say goodbye to the friends and routines he found in New Jersey.

Previously, Peter Hatcher spent fourth grade feeling overshadowed by his toddler brother, Farley Drexel, known as Fudge. Fudge disrupted family visits, meals, Peter's schoolwork, and an advertising job, while Peter was repeatedly expected to be the patient older child. The conflict culminated when Fudge swallowed Peter's pet turtle, Dribble. Fudge recovered after hospital treatment, but Dribble died. Peter's parents finally recognized his loss and gave him a puppy, which he named Turtle.

Peter Hatcher is now twelve and hoping for more control over his own life. Instead, his parents announce that Mrs. Hatcher is pregnant. Peter reacts badly to the prospect of another child, remembering how completely Fudge changed the family. Mr. Hatcher then explains that he intends to leave his advertising job temporarily to write a book and that the whole family will spend a year in Princeton, New Jersey. Peter dreads leaving New York, his school, and his best friend Jimmy Fargo. Fudge, by contrast, is fascinated by the coming baby and treats the move as another adventure. As the adults make plans, Peter feels that two enormous changes have been imposed on him at once and doubts reassurances that the family will still respect his needs.

The Hatchers move to Princeton, where Peter initially compares everything unfavorably with New York. He begins school and slowly finds a friend in Alex Santo, giving him someone his own age with whom to explore the town and discuss family frustrations. Fudge also starts school and brings his literal questions and restless confidence into the classroom. His growing interest in money leads to elaborate ideas about wealth and what it can buy. The family's largest change arrives when Mrs. Hatcher gives birth to Tamara Roxanne, soon called Tootsie. Peter is wary of being burdened with another younger sibling, while Fudge discovers that a baby can command the attention he once took for granted.

With Tootsie at home, the family works out new routines. Fudge acquires a myna bird and names him Uncle Feather; the bird's talent for repeating speech delights Fudge while making the house even less predictable. Peter's Princeton friendships become more important, and he begins to admit that the move has brought experiences he would not have had in New York. A visit from Mr. Hatcher's cousin Howie, Howie's wife Eudora, and their children fills the house with more relatives and noise. Peter again struggles to find privacy, but he is now better able to recognize that Fudge is also adapting to a changed place in the family.

As the Princeton year nears its end, holidays and family complications test the routines the Hatchers have built. Fudge's questions about what adults tell children create further confusion, and Uncle Feather becomes the center of a frightening incident before the bird is recovered. Tootsie is growing from a passive baby into a vocal member of the household, while Fudge has learned that being an older brother is different from being the family's only small child. Peter, once determined to hate Princeton, realizes that Alex and his new experiences matter to him. The family decides to return to New York after the planned year. Peter welcomes the prospect of seeing Jimmy and resuming city life, but he now has genuine ties to leave behind, making the return a more complicated transition than the move out was.

After a year of changes, the Hatcher household has expanded to include baby Tootsie and Fudge's talkative myna bird, Uncle Feather. Peter has made a real friend in Alex and adapted to Princeton, while Fudge has started school and adjusted, unevenly, to no longer being the youngest child. A late scare involving Uncle Feather is resolved, and Tootsie's growing ability to speak becomes another sign that the family is moving into a new stage. The Hatchers decide that their Princeton year will remain temporary and prepare to return to New York. Peter leaves with more mixed feelings than he expected: he is glad to regain his old city life and friendship with Jimmy, but the place he originally resisted has also become a home he will miss.