This series was a favorite from childhood for all the kids in our family. I remember my teacher and my mom reading them to us, and then re-reading them several times later. Having read these aloud now myself for homeschool, I was surprised by the mature themes that I didn't remember. I still recommend the books, and think that dealing with these topics through literature is a much safer way to expose kids to the struggles of life than the street/ family/ friends/ news talk that often brings new ideas to their attention. That being said, parents should assess the age, maturity and sensitivity of their children before reading aloud, but especially before assigning the child to read it on their own. This installment features John D. (the narrator of the other books) adjusting to his brother's departure for boarding school by trying to fill his place in the town. Therefore, the stories of this book, and #4 "The Great Brain at the Academy" actually run concurrently.Chapters 1 & 2 details John's struggles to imitate his brother's cleverness.Things take a more serious turn in Chapter 3 when a family is killed in a landslide and the sole survivor, a four year old named Frankie, arrives at the Fitzgerald household. Frankie is a precocious brat and John has little tolerance for him. However, the adults are insensitive to John's struggles and beg for his patience due to the immense strain that Frankie is under, having lost his entire family in a tragic accident. These themes are wrestled through in Chapters 3-5, and illustrate well the difficulties when siblings needs clash.Chapters 6-8 take an even more serious turn as Frankie is taken captive by an escaped outlaw. Though the story ends well, the scenes may too intense for more sensitive children.Even with these serious scenarios, this book remains an adventurous look at the world through the eyes of endearing children. A family treasure, we'll be reading this series for years to come!
Me and My Little Brain is another fun selection I recently read for the Battle of the Books competition! This is the third book in the popular Great Brain series and, never having read any of the Great Brain books, I didn't know quite what to expect when I picked this one up. A clever little chapter book, Me and My Little Brain tells the story of J.D. who, now that his big brother Tom (otherwise known as the Great Brain) is away attending boarding school, has high hopes for becoming the newest neighborhood "wheeler-dealer". J.D.'s bound and determined to find a way to convince other neighborhood kids to do his chores for him, and he's hell-bent on bamboozling extra money by renting out his brother's bike. But, in his attempt to live up to his big brother's legacy as a swindler, J.D. begins to realize the importance of being his own person and finding what it is that he is good at.This book was a wonderful, light read. It's such a cute story filled with amusing scenarios, and the sibling rivalry theme is one that transcends the ages. Despite the fact that this book takes place in the late 1800s, it would be easily relate-able for all kids trying to live up to an older sibling's notoriety! I think the message emphasizing the importance of being your own person is a terrific one for elementary kids to hear. Definitely a great book to share with your kids!
What do You think about Me And My Little Brain (2004)?
Another nice entry in the Great Brain series. In this third book, the author ships The Great Brain himself off to school in Great Lake City and leaves his brother J.D. (aka The Litttle Brain) behind trying to impersonate him. By this point, the plots are all familiar, and there is not as much period color as there are in the first 2 books, but it is still quite enjoyable to read. The chapter where the Fitzgeralds take in an orphan boy who is traumatized and is given carte blanche to whale on poor JD is hilarious. The chapters where JD singlehandedly resolves a hostage crisis with a rope and pitchfork was also good fun. My 8 year old is hooked and wants to read the remaining 5 books in the series. Interestingly the remaining books are out of print and cost a pretty penny on ebay or Amazon so we will have to use the library.ps. Reading the Great Brain is in no way an endorsement of Mitt Romney.
—Craig
How I adore Me and My Little Brain. John D. Fitzgerald hits paydirt a third time with another sensitively rendered, torrentially paced story about brothers Tom and John Fitzgerald in 1800s Utah. This time, though, John isn't the only little brother in the house. When their parents adopt a new kid, a young boy, John's visions of what it must be like to act as an older brother quickly go up in smoke when he realizes his new sibling is a terror. The way the family comes together in its moment of greatest need is as rewarding as the prior greatness shown by John D. Fitzgerald in writing this wonderful series. As with the first two books, I could make a strong Newbery case for Me and My Little Brain, and also like its two predecessors, I absolutely love this book.
—Josiah
This is the third book in the "Great Brain" series. Here the narrator, JD, the Great Brain's younger brother, here he takes center stage. We also get little Frankie, the adopted orphan, the "kickin'est, fightin'est, bitin'est kid I ever seen", in the words of Cal Roberts, scoundrel and murderer. The real story here is how JD outwits Cal to save Frankie's life.I'm having a blast reading these books again, some twenty five years or so after I read them for the first time.For what it's worth, this is the version with Mercer Meyer's illustrations. The Meyer version is the ONLY way to go, IMHO.
—Matt Evans
