Judy Blume's Double Fudge
On Sale September 30, 2002
PENGUIN PUTNAM
BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rhalee Hughes, Publicity Manager
Phone: 212/414-3630 Fax: 212/414-3393
Email: rhughes@penguinputnam.com

Judy Blume treats her fans to what they have been waiting for,
a big dose of

Double Fudge

      Judy Blume, the best-selling and award-winning author, brings her scores of Fudge fans a long awaited new adventure with DOUBLE FUDGE (Dutton Children's Books; fiction, hardcover; $15.99; 224 pages; Ages 8-12; September 30, 2002). Judy Blume is a household name and her books have influenced successive generations of middle grade, young adult, and adult readers. DOUBLE FUDGE is the first new book in her Fudge series in 12 years.

      The first book in this series, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, is a timeless classic loved by both boys and girls and this year the paperback ranked #3 on Publishers Weekly's list of All-Time Bestselling Children's Books (all of the Fudge titles rank in the top 25 on this list). The publication of DOUBLE FUDGE celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Dutton Children's hardcover 1972). Just as generations of fans have loved the Fudge books, generations of Judy's family have inspired them. Thirty years ago, Fudge was inspired by her son, Larry, and now Double Fudge was written at the request of her grandson, Elliot.

      In DOUBLE FUDGE, Fudge (Farley Drexel Hatcher) is back and driving his brother Peter crazy, as usual. Any fan of Fudge knows that he never does anything halfway. So it should come as no surprise that when he discovers the value of money, he mints his own Fudge Bucks, pores over catalogs to select his birthday presents years in advance, and dresses as a miser for Halloween. Peter, who's just starting seventh grade,finds his almost six-year-old brother's behavior highly embarrassing, and warns his parents that Fudge's new found materialism is getting out of hand.

      Things change when the Hatchers have an unexpected reunion with their long-lost relatives, the Howie Hatchers of Honolulu, Hawaii. New cousins Flora, Fauna (also known as the Natural Beauties), and four-year-old Farley Drexel (yes, a mini Fudge), set the stage for a wild beginning to the school year. Somehow through all of the wackiness, Fudge begins to understand, with help from the Howies and favorite characters from the previous Fudge books, that the best things in life are free. DOUBLE FUDGE is an ample reward for fans who have long awaited the next Fudge misadventure.

      Judy Blume is the award-winning author of twenty-three books and is one of America's most beloved writers of children's, young adult, and adult fiction. More than 75 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide, and her work has been translated into twenty-six languages.

Judy Blume lives on islands up and down the East Coast. Her biography is attached.

Title: DOUBLE FUDGE
Author: Judy Blume
Pub. Date: September 30, 2002
Imprint: Dutton Children's Books
ISBN: 0-525-46926-5
Price: $15.99
Pages: 224
Ages:

8-12

Also in Fall 2002
Dutton Children's Books is proud to present re-jacketed hardcover editions of the first four books in the Fudge series available on September 30, 2002.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing 0-525-46931-1
Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great 0-525-46928-1
Superfudge 0-525-4630-3
Fudge-a-Mania 0-525-46927-3
Pure Fudge (boxed set) 0-525-47121-9

Audiobook version of Double Fudge available from Listening Library in September.

For more information about Judy Blume, please visit www.judyblume.com or www.penguinputnam.com

You may also contact Rhalee Hughes, Publicity Manager
Phone: 212/414-3630 Fax: 212/414-3393 Email: rhughes@penguinputnam.com

We appreciate two tear-sheets of any review or mention of our books.


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