Peter Hatcher is the protagonist and narrator of Fudge-a-Mania. At 12 years old, he is on the cusp of adolescence and is often irritable, angry, jealous, or frustrated. These negative emotions follow Peter for most of the novel, and he reacts poorly to almost every piece of bad news he receives: sharing space with the Tubmans, hearing that Jimmy can only stay a week, finding out that Sheila is babysitting Fudge and he missed a golden opportunity, and having to wait an extra week for the baseball game with Big Apfel. Peter also hates being teased and acts awkward and embarrassed whenever the subject of crushes or romance is brought up. Fudge regularly remarks on his plans to marry Sheila, but Peter’s reaction is always to mock him for it. Similarly, Sheila reacts defensively to Peter because Peter starts conflicts when he sees her. Peter is devoted to his dog, Turtle, and his other passion is baseball. He loves his grandma and the comfort and understanding she provides, and Jimmy is Peter’s closest friend.

Peter’s narrative style is often sarcastic: “That’s when the Perfect Baby-sitter appeared” (53).