What do You think about The Great Brain (2004)?
Fitzgerald, John D.. The Great Brain. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1967.Characters: 10 year old Tom Dennis (T.D.) Fitzgerald ( A.K.A. "The Great Brain"), Tom's younger brother 8 year old John Dennis (J.D.) Fitzgerald (narrator), eldest brother Sweyn Dennis Fitzgerald, and Papa and Mama Fitzgerald (Catholic).Setting: Adenville, Utah (population of 2500; mostly Mormons and some Catholics and Protestants; time period:1896- early 1900's.Theme: Character Development, Friendships, Values, Culture Genre: Humorous Realistic FictionTarget Audience: Upper Elementary to Middle School Grade; grade 4-8.Plot/Summary: J.D. Fitzgerald narrates in a humorous fashion about his clever older brother Tom D. Fitzgerald. It is evident that J.D. looks up to his older brother and admires how he uses his "Great Brain" to make a profit when in actuality Tom is basically conning people in an inconspicuous manner, yet Tom regularly ends up looking like the hero. It's interesting and funny to be privy to Tom's true motives when devising schemes to make money and just when you think he is going to be found out, Tom's plans take another turn to his benefit and advantage. Tom even gets surprised of certain outcomes. The life of the "Great Brain" reveals history, culture, and life lessons about human relationships in a very skillful and humorous manner.Personal/Critical Response: This humorous book gives plenty of insight of the way of life of late 19th and early 20th century Utah. The character Tom D. Fitzgerald is clever and charming. The story lines are about human relationships and life lessons that are thought provoking. This would be a great book on good character and deeds, and moral development.
—Lizeth Velazquez
This book was a childhood favorite. Last Christmas I sent a copy to my nephews, and a week and a half ago, I decided I needed my very own copy to put on my bookshelves. It's set in Utah in the late 1800's, and despite being written in 1969, it is still in print, a testament to its staying power. Written from the perspective of J.D (John Dennis), the stories revolve primarily around his brother Tom--T.D. Something I didn't notice the first hundred times I read it is that J.D. is also the initials of the author, John D. Fitzgerald, a great Irish name if ever there was one. This little decision to name the narrator after the author lends an immediacy to the tales and adventures. This technique also reminded me structurally of The Great Gatsby in that Nick Carroway relays Gatsby's story. It gives both The Great Gatsby and The Great Brain a voyeuristic quality.I really loved dipping back into a childhood favorite. It's nice sometimes to remember in these turbulent times that though the world can be chaotic, there can also be peace in the center, a return to the simpler times of childhood and the pleasure of reading a wonderful book.
—Michael Anson
Oh I really enjoyed this book and I wanted to give it 5 stars, but it had a few little issues. Before I go into the nitty gritty I have to say to my sister Nikki, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS! We have a favorite story from when we were little. My dad was the cheapest person any of us knew, and he took Nikki and I to MacDonalds one afternoon. When my mom took us we had always shared a happy meal, but somehow my sister talked my dad into letting us each get our own. And not only that, she was able to order the chicken nugget happy meal (which was the most expensive) and a chocolate milkshake besides. Nikki has always had the ability to get the most (monetarily speaking) out of people, and the main character boy in this book has the exact same mentality! His antics were really entertaining.Interesting: The story is set in a predominantly Mormon small town in Utah. I think it preceeds World War II, but I'm not sure. There are many accurate references to Mormons throughout the book, although the family of the main character are not members.Problem I: There is a child's game the boys play called "Jack _ _ _" (you fill in the blanks). So I'm not sure what to tell my son about that. The name of the game is mentioned 10 or 15 times, too, so it's not like you can just skip over it. Maybe I could tell him to think a different name in his mind like Leapfrog, since that's kind of what the game is like. At some point he will probably have to read books that include some profanity at school, and I think a good strategy is to read the sentance in your mind using substitute words in place of the bad language...at least that's how I got through a lot of my high school reading assignments.Problem II: There is a child in the book that says he wants to "do himself in." You'll probably have to read the book and judge for yourself whether your child is mature enough to read through that scenario and remember the sanctity of life and the seriousness and irreversibility of committing suicide.All in all, I think this one is a winner. The AR level it is assigned is 5.2. I think I will recommend it to my son, but I will be sure to have conversations with him about the mention of suicide in the book. I don't want him to think it's any laughing matter.
—Kasha
