Fourth Grade Rats

by Jerry Spinelli, Jennifer A. Bell (Illustrator)

Last year Suds was a Third Grade Angel, but now... it's time to be a Fourth Grade Rat! Fourth graders are tough. They aren't afraid of spiders. They say no to their moms. They push first graders off the swings. And they never, ever cry.Suds knows that now he's in fourth grade, he's supposed to be a rat. But whenever he tries to act like one, something goes wrong. Can Suds's friend Joey teach him to toughen up... or will Suds remain a fourth grade wimp?Now with brand-new illustrations, this sequel to Jerry Spinelli's THIRD GRADE ANGELS is a classic story of fitting in (or not) and friendship.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, School, Juvenile, Chapter Books

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

When Jerry Spinelli was a kid, he wanted to grow up to be either a cowboy or a baseball player. Lucky for us he became a writer instead.

He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and went to college at Gettysburg College and Johns Hopkins University. He has published more than 25 books and has six children and 16 grandchildren.
Jerry Spinelli began writing when he was 16 — not much older than the hero of his book Maniac Magee. After his high school football team won a big game, his classmates ran cheering through the streets — all except Spinelli, who went home and wrote a poem about the victory. When his poem was published in the local paper, Spinelli decided to become a writer instead of a major-league shortstop.

In most of his books, Spinelli writes about events and feelings from his own childhood. He also gets a lot of material from his seven adventurous kids! Spinelli and his wife, Eileen, also a children's book author, live in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Alex Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

Troublesome Rat and goody Angel

"First grade babies! Second grade cats! Third grade angels! Fourth grade rats!" Splendid, funny, believable, Fourth grade rat by Jerry Spinelli leaves you wanting more. The author makes the book flow because of the themes of the book, descriptions of the characters unique personality, and their thoughts.
The theme, peer pressure, from the book Fourth grade rats, happens a lot to Suds. Suds, the main character, just want to be a third grader again so that he can stay an angel. But Joey is proud to be a rat. Tired and Angry, Joey teaches Suds to be a rat, impatiently. He has been really stressed out of being a rat because of overcoming his fear of everything. To me being a rat seems to be like a gangster. Being a rat to Suds seems to be the hardest thing to do since he doesn’t have the right fit of a rat. Joey has been training him by doing things that rats are suppose to do as well like not being afraid of spiders, don’t cry like baby, and etc. If I am a rat I wouldn’t try to change myself to act like one because I am who I am and people can’t change me by peer pressure.
Jerry Spinelli has a good description on his characters in his book. The character, Suds is like a goody, sweet person inside and outside of school. Joey is like the opposite of Suds, which he acts poorly outside and inside of school like a rat. By acting poorly, Joey has been bullying other smaller kids and talks back to his mom. The way the characters act expresses there feeling and what they think inside. Even though both have different characteristic they can still be friends.
The author also shows unique thoughts of the character. In the book Suds have been telling his emotions every time since the beginning of the book and the end. The thought of the character helps us understand what the character wants to do and feel. It helps me understand what the main idea of the book is. Suds from the beginning want to stay as an angel and Joey wish he was a rat forever. In the book Suds expresses his feeling by saying that he can’t be a rat for the things he is afraid of.
Fourth Grade Rat is like a teen problem because everyone in that age once acts somewhat like a rat and an angel. It also shows two different ways of acting/personality can still be friends with each other. This book has taught me that if you are told that you are suppose to be acting this way, you don’t have to listen, and just follow your own thought.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I figured I might as well start adding the books I read with my students on here. I love Jerry Spinelli. This was pretty amusing, but not as funny as some of his other books I've read. My 4th graders have LOVED it though, if that says anything. :)

[Julie Ruble · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, a little lame. Does any little boy actually decide that since he's in fourth grade, he has to be a jerk now? Eh. Not my favorite Spinelli.

[Ensiform · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Morton, a.k.a. "Suds," has just started fourth grade, and isn't quite sure how to act. His cool "friend" Joey takes literally the schoolyard chant that all the kids know: "First grade babies! Second grade cats! Third Grade angels! Fourth grade rats!" Joey insists that the way for Suds to be cool is to drop his "baby" ways like his favorite lunch box, and to act like a rat (read: a misguided, ersatz adolescent bully). But Suds isn't very keen on the idea of pushing smaller children as a pastime; he recalls his angelic third grade days and wonders if acting like Joey is really such a good idea. He certainly finds it very hard to tell his mother "no" as Joey advises. However, the lure of girls' admiration makes Joey's bravado seem almost sensible. It's a simple morality tale, without much in the way of a plot twist or any "zero to hero" moments. However, it's very skillfully done, with some genuinely comic moments, as when Suds tries hard to mess up his room. As ever, Spinelli is great at addressing kids' worries — about popularity, empathy, self-knowledge, and being true to yourself — realistically and sympathetically.

I read the prequel to this book, Third Grade Angels, first and didn't know it was a prequel. I'm impressed with it all the more for how seamlessly Spinelli integrated Suds' third grade year into this already-extant book, creating some clever foreshadowing after the fact.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

We read 3rd Grade Angels and decided to continue on to 4th Grade rats. I'm not so sure it was a good idea though. My students were a little disturbed by the bad behavior of kids in this story. That's probably a good thing. I even had a student who decided to try some of the rat strategies in this book: ignore things adults tell you to do (or not do), never apologize and break the rules whenever you can. I think I'll save myself from that headache in the future.



I have enjoyed many Jerry Spinelli books. Not this one though.

[Kristiina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was hilarious!!! I laughed out loud numerous times, and at one point I couldn't stop!!! I can't wait to read it to my 4th graders in the fall!!! A perfect chapter book for any boy who is a reluctant reader.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVE the message of this book: what it really means to grow up, and how sometimes that means changing relationships. Should be required reading for every kid, though it will probably resonate more with boys.

[Sarah Hay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suds is a 4th grader now and according to the school yard rhyme that means he is no longer a 3rd grade Angel but a 4th grade rat. His best friend Joey is trying to convince him that they need to start acting like rats since that will help them grow into men. Suds isn't so sure, acting like a rat isn't very nice and doesn't seem like the way he wants to behave. Can Joey convince him to be a rat so they can terrorize the school together? And more importantly, will acting like a rat impress the girl that Suds has a big time crush on.
Classic message about figuring out who you are. This is a great story though a few bits are outdated as they boys talk about watching an ET video cassette and using the VCR.
Good one for boys ages 8-10.

[Ella Geraci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book its about a boy who is in fourth grade and the school made up this saying first grade babies second grade cats third grade angels fourth grade rats!!!!!!
The boy wanted to be an angel. but his friend wanted him to be a rat because that's when you become a man in fourth grade. You will have to read to find out the rest.

[Callie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was given to me to read by one of my 4th grade boys. I think it is perfect for 4th graders…especially boys who think they are too cool for school! However, it wasn’t as entertaining for me as an adult. Go figure. ;)

[Alyssa deLara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun book! The main character Suds is a great fourth grade character. Of course we can relate to the sibling issues too! The message is a true coming of fourth grade age book. 💛

[~just one hopeless romantic~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4th grade Rats was... WEIRDLY AWESOME!!!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I loved all of the characters I hope 🤞 that fourth grade Rats gets changed to I don’t know how about something different then rats cause I hate rats also why third grade angels? How about third grade dogs 🐶 or something!! I loved Fourth Grade Rats!! ( beware of rats)

[Taniah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to grow up and get rid of somethings that you grew up with ? The genre of Fourth Grade Rats is realistic fiction. My opinion is that the book is good but it has to many parts where the main character ( Suds ) should have had flashbacks on how him and his best friend ( Joey ) were such angels in third grade.

The setting of the story takes place at Joey's and Suds's house and at the play ground.Joey wanted Suds to grow up and act like a rat but some of the things they tried didn't work out as it was planned.So Joey told Suds to tell his mother no and to eat baloney instead of peanut butter and jelly,then Joey mother got tried of taking all his rat nonsense so his mother took him to Suds house to say sorry for pushing him into doing all that rat nonsense.The conflict is person vs self because Joey thinks that Suds need to grow up and stop bringing peanut butter and jelly sandwich to school and he need to start bringing a paper bag for his lunch instead of a lunch box with elephants on the front . Joey is a kid that wants to grow up early and not live a kid life . Suds is a kid that doesn't really want to grow and he want to continue to be an angel.

I was surprised when Suds let a spider crawl on his arm because Suds is afraid of spiders and the spider wasn't even little. The main character Suds have a big crush on this girl name Judy Billings and he will do anything to get her attention so since he have a big crush on her he was going to save her get from falling off the tree so he climbed up there and he got stuck . A theme of this book is be yourself and someone will like you for who you are because if you act like someone your not you wont have any friends because you are not yourself anymore. I couldn't understand why being a rat was such a big deal to Joey because being a rat is really not a big deal to other students in his school. I had predicted that Joey would figure out that it was stupid trying to become a rat but it turned out that he wanted to continue becoming a rat.

I believe that if the author would have gave reasons on why Suds liked being a third grade angel so much the story could have been better. In the text it stated that Joey would prefer to be a rat than a angel because a rat is just a step to prepare you to become a man. In the text it stated that Suds would be a angel instead of a rat. To myself i can infer that he prefer to be an angel because he wants to be a kid and he don't like being bad. I can compare this book to wonder cause Suds is getting made fun of about his elephant lunch box and August is getting made fun of cause how he look. So if these to characters ever meet each other they will have a lot in common and they can talk about how they faced their problems.

A thought I had on this book is that Joey should just let Suds grow up on his on time. A rate i would give this book is a 9 because it was good but it wasn't really giving Suds thoughts on how become a rat felt. I would recommend this book for fourth grade boys that is trying to impress a girl that they like and if they need to try to find a way to adjust to fourth grade. If you ever get in a situation where you need to grow up and get rid off something just do something like Suds did where he got in the tub when he was upset and not in the mood or try the things that your friend told you that you should try .

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading Fourth Grade Rats as a Teacher Read Aloud to my 4th grade class. The reason I chose this book was because the librarian at my daughter’s school had read Fourth Grade Rats to her class as a read aloud when she was in the 4th grade. My daughter would always come home excited to tell me about all of the funny things happening in the book. In fact when the librarian finished reading the book to my daughter, my daughter asked if she could read the book out loud to me at night as part of her required reading minutes. Of course I said, “Yes”, and I loved listening to my daughter read the story to me with such enthusiasm in her voice. So, to make a long story short I chose to read Fourth Grade Rats to kick off the start of my student’s fourth grade year, and the book did not disappoint. My students absolutely loved it and they were all so sad when the book ended. Fourth Grade Rats is a nice quick read, with a lot of humor, as well as a great lesson to be learned at the end. Another great book from the author Jerry Spinelli.

[Elizabeth Stavis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suds was happy as a "third grade angel" and he doesn't want to have to be a "fourth grade rat." His friend, Joey, can't wait to be a rat, and to only look at for "number 1" (that's himself!).

I loved how this book was easy to read but funny. Joey is over the top--he does crazy things like try to pierce his own ears just for the pain!--and Suds does hilarious things like carry a lunch box with flying elephants and yo-yos. You'll laugh out loud at their adventures!

[Skittles · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book I didn't enjoy. Suds shouldn't be mean just because he's in 4th grade! I like many Jerry Spinelli books but not this one much. Some parts made me laugh out loud but other parts led me facing boredom...

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this one... I thought the characters felt forced and not very believable. The story seemed underdeveloped and the whole thing felt like something somebody had done in an afternoon, rather than a real novel.

[Luca Gajovich-Protich · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my opinion and I think most kids won't be interested.It is a pretty stupid book.I did this book for my book report and didn't like it.

[Isobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very funny

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is super good and funny I like it

[Melodi Hubbert]

A boy named Suds was entering fourth grade and was a nervous wreck. He had heard that fourth graders were called rats according to a nursery rhyme. He hated the idea of going from a third-grade angel to a fourth-grade rat. He didn’t get it. He wanted to be looked at as tough and not a rat. Fourth graders weren’t afraid of spiders. They told their moms no. They pushed the smaller kids off the swings. And they most definitely never cried. Suds knew that because he was now in fourth grade, he was supposed to act like a rat, but he didn’t want to. Whenever he tried to act like one something always went wrong. The problems become teenage like because everybody at that age acts like a rat or an angel or maybe both. Suds wishes he was a third grader again because he wants to be an angel. His friend Joey though is proud of becoming a rat, so he teaches Suds the way of being a rat. Suds isn’t that way though. He isn’t as fearless as Joey. For him, becoming a rat means to get over his fear of everything. Suds struggles with this because he wants to fit in and show everybody that he can be a rat. He doesn’t want to be picked on, but he also doesn’t want to be a rat. Suds is a sweetheart to everybody, inside and outside of school but Joey is different. He acts appropriately outside of school but inside of school he acts just as a mean rat. Joey bullies the smaller kids, and he becomes disrespectful to his mom. Although Joey and Suds are very different when it comes to behavior, they still become the best of friends. Joey tries his best throughout the book to convince and teach Suds to be and act like a fourth-grade rat but its just not in his personality to act like one. Suds must figure out the way of life in fourth grade and realize that what people want you to be isn’t what you have to be. You have to be your own person and follow your own mind. He has to go through the peer pressure and learn that its okay to be your own person and not follow what everybody else is doing. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it, you don’t have to do it. Suds also learns that if he is afraid or feels that something isn’t right then that means he doesn’t need to do so.

[Julie Decker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suds is having a rough time now that he's a fourth grader. He'd really rather be a "third grade angel," but in his school, fourth graders are "rats." He's uncomfortable when his best friend tells him he's got to be tough on his way to being a man, and that means he's got to handle bugs, bully little kids, and even say no to his mom. How can he handle growing up when it's like this--when he can't cry and has to face his fears? The girl he likes also seems impressed with boys who can handle bee stings, and boys like him don't even get a chance. How can he grow up without sacrificing who he is?

The story is competent and entertaining. I had some issues with how the family situation was portrayed with the conflicts between the protagonist and his younger sibling, and though it was pretty relatable how he didn't want to grow up the way he was being told he had to, I felt like the gaggle of girls oohing and ahhing over a bee sting was a bit exaggerated. It was interesting how the girl Suds liked was having some kind of problem and he tried to comfort her she wasn't having it, and it wasn't really said what was wrong with her. Cool that she could have an issue that had nothing to do with him (if I understood what was going on correctly!).

[Bentley C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth Grade Rats
By: Jerry Spinelli

This book is about a kid that is going into fourth grade but does not want to, because there is a saying called first grade baby's, second grade cats, third grade angels, and fourth grade rats. Last year he was an angel so he would get all the attention and everyone liked them. But this year he is rat so his friend starts to try to make him do really mean things and make fun of people. One day when he went to his friend's house, his friend decided to turn his room into a mess and put tattoos on his arms. The next day his friend wanted him to be a rat and they both became really mean. A week later their moms found out and they made them stop doing what they are doing. After that they were just back to normal. This goes with the theme, because it is really funny and the theme was comedy. I give this book a four star, because I liked the story but it was a little too weird. I would recommend this book to someone that likes comedy.

[Marquisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book found it's way onto my favorites because Jerry Spinelli is one of my favorite authors and this book is no different. In this book he talks about the struggles students face with peer pressure, something students might understand or be able to relate to. This book is about a fourth grade boy Suds, a character you can't help but love, that struggles with coming to terms with his new status as a fourth grader he doesn't want to be a bully or be bullied and misses the simplicity of third grade. At his school each grade has a certain status if you will first grade babies, second grade

As a teacher I would use this book as a class read aloud or have it available as a book for students to read from my class library. It is a great book for early readers to transitional readers as the vocabulary isn't too difficult and there are some black and white pictures to help you along the way the pictures aren't very vibrant but still very appealing and help with the story. I would have this in a 2-4 grade classroom.

[Cynthia Castaneda · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Summary
o First grade babies, second grade cats, third grade angels, fourth grade rats! Sud has a lot to learn now that he’s in the fourth grade. There are things he can and cannot do such as saying no to his mom, push kids off of the swings, and not cry. He’s expected to be a rat and no longer a third-grade angel no matter how bad he misses it.
• Evaluation
o I read this book out loud to my fourth graders during my fourth-grade placement and they absolutely loved it! I was able to help them make connections to the characters and events in the story throughout which made this a great read aloud book.
• Teaching Idea
o I would use this book as a read aloud. I like the idea of reading this to fourth graders and having them make school friendly rules for the year. As students who went through grades K-3 already I would like for them to focus on how we can work together to help each other succeed as a school. How we can be nice to each other and move forward with kindness.

[Swankivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute little story--you really feel for the main character not wanting to grow up and be what a fourth grader--a "rat"--is supposed to be. With his friend pressuring him to say no to his mother and bully younger kids as a way of maturing, he feels like he'd rather stay where he is or go backwards, but he also realizes the girl he likes is impressed by the daredevil behavior his best friend demonstrates, and he's not sure what to do. I like that they make it clear maturity isn't contingent on pressing your emotions down and being mean to other people. (Especially crying at E.T. Haha.) I'm kinda sad that the protagonist was "inspired" to be a jerk because of wanting to impress a girl. (Personally, as a little girl, I was never impressed at all by boys being able to endure pain or handle bugs. I was like, "that boy is gross.")

[Nikki Resele · Rating 4 out of 5]

From 3rd grade angels to fourth grade rats, Suds has some major changes in his life!
Suds and his best friend, Joey, are the new fourth graders. School tradition says that as rats they are expected to act a certain way; to bully the little ones and push first graders off the swings. Joey is living up to the name and loving it. Suds, however, is having a hard time being mean. Can Suds learn from Joey and be truly be a fourth grade rat?
My nephew (a 4th grader this year) and I read this book and enjoyed laughing at the silly things done and said by the characters. It was a great independent read for his age and a fun story to share!

[Dave Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading level: 2.5

Summary: This a story about a fourth grader who's friend tries to convince him into being mean, a rat, to be more popular. As much as he tries, it's just not in his nature

Characteristics that support the genre: Daily lives of fictional fourth graders in school and at home.

Writing traits:
Presentation: This book is told with an underlying message, to be yourself. It has small black and white drawings throughout.
Organization: The book is organized into a table of contents, and 14 short chapters.

Classroom Integration: This book could be read by students independently who are interested in relatable, fiction stories.

[Silvia Letture caldi abbracci · Rating 4 out of 5]

36’ per leggerlo

Un bel libro per ragazzi (dai 9 anni), veloce da leggere ma che insegna molto.
Si sa che entrare in una nuova classe e crescere portino con sè emozioni nuove, contrastanti e che fanno paura.
Ma una scoperta dopo l’altra, tra un errore e un’esperienza, si cresce senza accorgersi. E qui Jerry Spinelli lo spiega con una scrittura lieve, fluida e che ai ragazzi piace molto. Inoltre mostra come anche certi atteggiamenti genitoriali siano d’aiuto, perché per crescere figli non vi sono libri, ma sbirciare qualche esempio aiuta. Aggiungiamo qualche figura accattivante e l’argomento scuola… e voilà! Un libro che consiglio a tutti, grandi e piccini.

[Elizabeth Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are scrolling through and saw a book review on "Fourth Grade Rats" that had below 3 stars, the reader must not have been the right age to read it. Let's be real, reading "Fourth Grade Rats" is usually a thing for fourth graders. I read this about 13 times due to my love for it. I older than fourth grade, but I still loved it. I know earlier I said readers who didn't like it must be older, but I like the fun of youthful books. The creativity makes me joyful and juming from being happy.