The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald, Mercer Mayer (Illustrator)
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(Paperback - Reissue)
- Age Range: 8 to 12
- Pub. Date: February 2004
- 192pp
- Sales Rank: 6,452
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: February 2004
- Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
- Format: Paperback, 192pp
- Sales Rank: 6,452
- Age Range: 8 to 12
- Series: Great Brain Series
- ISBN-13: 9780142400586
- ISBN: 0142400580
- Edition Description: Reissue
Synopsis
Reader t.b.a.
approx. 5 hours
3 cassettes
Ten-year-old Tom D. Fitzgerald is known to everyone as The Great Brain. J.D., The Great Brain's sometimes confounded but always-admiring younger brother, tells his story. Such people as Mr. Standish, the mean schoolmaster, regret the day they came up against The Great Brain. But others, like the Jensen kids lost in Skeleton Cave, Basil, the Greek kid, or Andy, who has lost his leg and his friends, know that Tom's great brain never fails to find a way home.
Annotation
The shrewdest con artist west of the Mississippi during the early 1900s was 10-year-old Tom Fitzgerald, alias "The Great Brain." The stories of his exploits and schemes are told by his younger brother J.D. "A lively, funny . . . touching book written with flair."--Saturday Review. Ages 9-12.
More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
John D. Fitzgerald was born in Utah and lived there until he left at eighteen to begin a series of interesting careers ranging from jazz drummer to foreign correspondent. His stories about The Great Brain are based on his own childhood experiences with a mischievous elder brother named Tom.
Customer Reviews
- Reader Rating:
- Ratings: 13Reviews: 9
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An addicting series! Great for 4th through 9th graders.by 4thGradeTeacherUT
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November 22, 2009: I am a 4th grade teacher, and have read 'The Great Brain' and 'More Adventures of the Great Brain' to my class for the past several years. As a result of this, whenever the older grades in our school have library, they snatch up any book in this series they can get their hands on. They then proceed to read them - over and over again - until they fall apart. This phenomena has been hard on our school librarian. The later books in the series are difficult to replace, and she's been asked "Which book comes next in 'The Great Brain' series?" so many times, that she finally made a laminated poster that lists 'The Great Brain' books in order. I'm pretty sure she's going to key my car any day now.
The story takes place in a small Utah town in the 1890s. It is told through the eyes of the "Great Brain's" 7 year-old brother, John D., who is awe struck at his 10 year-old sibling's genius. John D.'s hero worship of Tom (a.k.a. The Great Brain) is touching and provides some of the book's funniest moments. The Great Brain is a bit of a complicated character. He hates seeing people treated unfairly, will always defend the underdog, and helps his uncle, the town's sheriff, uphold and defend the law, by solving crimes & mysteries with his 'great brain' that have stumped the grown-ups. However, he is far from perfect. His money-loving heart makes him completely unscrupulous when faced with a financial matter. He has made many an enemy by using his 'great brain' to turn a profit and by lording his intelligence over others.The boys' long-suffering papa knows what his intelligent son is capable of, and he is hilariously paranoid that his son is the cause of anything unusual that happens in town. The illustrations (done by Mercer Mayer, best known for the 'Little Critter' and 'Little Monster' books) are delightful and remarkably detailed.I realize how popular fantasy books are with today's children (the Harry Potter Generation), and this book is definitely not a fantasy. However, once your kids (or students) get to know John D. and Tom D. and his great brain, they'll forget all about flying dragons and magic school.I Also Recommend: Me and My Little Brain (The Great Brain Series), More Adventures of the Great Brain.
Greatby Anonymous
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June 16, 2008: I'm a fifth grader and our class read this book. It was a great book and it always left you hanging. I would recommended this to everyone who likes adventure books. It's an awesome book.
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