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190th out of 2,636 books
—
4,869 voters
The Great Brain (The Great Brain #1)
The best con man in the Midwest is only ten years old. Tom, a.k.a., the Great Brain, is a silver-tongued genius with a knack for turning a profit. When the Jenkins boys get lost in Skeleton Cave, the Great Brain saves the day. Whether it's saving the kids at school, or helping out Peg-leg Andy, or Basil, the new kid at school, the Great Brain always manages to come out on...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
February 9th 2004
by Puffin
(first published June 3rd 1967)
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What The Five-Year-Old Thought: "I can't explain why I liked it except that JD is telling the story. Tom is the one with the Great Brain and he rescued a few guys."
What Mommyo thought: My husband is in the process of reading this to our 5YO. Both are really enjoying it (true confessions -- my husband read this as a child, so his enjoyment may be partly nostalgia).
When they got to the bit about making homemade ice cream, The 5YO said: “Daddyo, I want to jump into the book right that second.”
You...more
What Mommyo thought: My husband is in the process of reading this to our 5YO. Both are really enjoying it (true confessions -- my husband read this as a child, so his enjoyment may be partly nostalgia).
When they got to the bit about making homemade ice cream, The 5YO said: “Daddyo, I want to jump into the book right that second.”
You...more
Okay, what Miniscule Brain at Dell Yearling authorized the AWFUL, anachronistic covers for the 1970s reprints of these books? I'm sorry, but it's Mercer Mayer's original drawings or NOTHING, in my opinion. If you are unlucky enough to own the 1970s Dell Yearling reprints with their Little Rascals-esque cover art, you have my profound pity. The good news is that Mayer's classic, gorgeous, marvelous drawings are still included inside the books. Fitzgerald alone is great, but Fitzgerald with Mayer?...more
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I bought this one for my nephews out of nostalgia the other day, remembering having liked it as a kid. And so I thought I ought to reread it myself. It's not often one reads fiction set in 19th century Utah, and this is an interesting perspective from the Fitzgeralds--Sweyn, Tom and John--three Catholic boys who grew up circa 1896 in Utah's Dixie, in the small fictionalized Mormon town of Adenville (the author in fact was born and raised in Carbon County).
What I did not remember was the narcissi...more
What I did not remember was the narcissi...more
Want to learn how to charge people to see a toilet flush? Need to learn to swim, or walk with a peg leg? Find your way out of a dangerous cave? Get rid of a strict teacher? Ask the Great Brain, Thomas "T.D." Fitzgerald. Set in the early days of Utah statehood (1896)in southern Utah, John "J.D." Fitzgerald recounts the amazing and mind blowing stunts and escapades of he and his brothers, among the minority of Catholics in a predominantly Mormon community. When the "Great Brain" puts his mind to w...more
This book is a very humorous and capturing book about a young boy who lived late in the 1800's and was the best swindler of anyone ever. Each chapter is another trick or Tom's own way of making money. His father is putting a bathroom into their house and he charged kids a penny each to come and watch. He saved his two friends who got lost in a cave outside the town by using his "big brain" to figure out where they were and get them out safely. Not all his schemes were good though. He also tried...more
We owned the boxed set of these books, and I devoured them. Loved them all, although my favorite book was the one where Tom (The Great Brain) goes to the academy. However, one of the most memorable things I read as a child was contained in this book. It is the part about Abie Glassman. His story was one that stayed with me forever.
Some things that I am thinking now as an adult:
These stories are WAY more mature than I remembered. There are stories about illness, suicide, death and so on. It is al...more
Some things that I am thinking now as an adult:
These stories are WAY more mature than I remembered. There are stories about illness, suicide, death and so on. It is al...more
I've seen this book on the shelf for years, mistakenly thinking it was somewhat like the Encyclopedia Brown Mystery Series. The story is set in a small town in Utah around 1900. The writing is really good, and I admit, it was a page turner....I guess I was hoping for reformation - the moral content leaves quite a bit to be desired! Here are some examples: The parents give the kids the silent treatment for punishment for disobedience - sometimes up to a month at a time (not speaking to them or ac...more
I got this book for my nephew, who's seven, after my sister told me he was reading chapter books now. After it arrived, and after some further conversation, I realized that "chapter" was a term she was using quite loosely, but I still thought it would be nice to read together with his father, but I decided to reread a chapter or two to be sure it was as good as I remembered.
It was--oh, it was. But it was also very, very different, much more complex in its portrayal of ethics than I realized when...more
It was--oh, it was. But it was also very, very different, much more complex in its portrayal of ethics than I realized when...more
My modern day sensitivities got in the way again when, in the last chapter of this book I read out loud to my boys, I started reading about peg leg Andy who wanted to commit suicide because he was plumb useless. Our dear narrator, little J.D. was just the type of pal to help him out too. I continued to read about the different ideas the boys came up with to do in Andy, and tried to figure out what I could make up to pretend the story was over and get out of reading the last 10 or so pages of the...more
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Sep 12, 2010
Peter
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
any child, and any adult with a sense of humor
I've read a lot of books to my son. A lot. The Hobbit, all three books of The Lord of the Rings, the Narnia books, Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, six or seven of the original Doctor Dolittle books, several Three Investigators books, and far more. And he's loved almost all of them (I selected them carefully, from the books I loved best as I child and teen).
But so far, I think he loves the Great Brain series best.
Partly, I think that because they're so accessible. John D. Fitzgerald writ...more
But so far, I think he loves the Great Brain series best.
Partly, I think that because they're so accessible. John D. Fitzgerald writ...more
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 ord...more
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This was probably one of my favorite kids series. I love children's literature that makes you think, and is less concerned with the moral of the story than the idea of you figuring out how to solve your problems on your own. By default, most children's literature presents a moral, but I adored these books for making me THINK. Tom D. is the lovable Great Brain, and many of his schemes make a younger reader appreciate the peaks and pitfalls of relying on your own knowledge and learning from your m...more
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...more
Sep 12, 2011
Jeanne
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
juvenile,
childhood-faves
I loved this series when I was a kid. We actually read this novel in 6th grade reading class, long after I had read the entire series.
The Great Brain refers to Tom D. Fitzgerald, the scheming older brother of John D. "JD" Fitzgerald. JD is our narrator, and he tells the tales of the Great Brain's adventures.
The year is 1896 in Adenville, Utah, and the Fitzgerald boys are up to their necks in excitement. From the installation of a water closet to the arrival of a Greek immigrant boy, the boys ar...more
The Great Brain refers to Tom D. Fitzgerald, the scheming older brother of John D. "JD" Fitzgerald. JD is our narrator, and he tells the tales of the Great Brain's adventures.
The year is 1896 in Adenville, Utah, and the Fitzgerald boys are up to their necks in excitement. From the installation of a water closet to the arrival of a Greek immigrant boy, the boys ar...more
I'm very pleased to see that the Great Brain and its follow-up books are still going strong, or fairly strong. I've worried that they are a bit overlooked, but they seem to be getting a reasonable number of strong reviews here at Goodreads.
This was one of my childhood favorites. I loved to imagine I was something like the Great Brain, always solving problems in ingenious ways. Unfortunately, I probably was a bit like the Great Brain, but more in the sense of being arrogant and sassy--qualities...more
This was one of my childhood favorites. I loved to imagine I was something like the Great Brain, always solving problems in ingenious ways. Unfortunately, I probably was a bit like the Great Brain, but more in the sense of being arrogant and sassy--qualities...more
If you have any doubt that reading aloud to your class can make a difference, let me please encourage you to continue to make time for that read-aloud. It's probably been at least 20 years since one of my elementary school techers read The Great Brain to me in class, and I not only remembered it, but chose to share it with my own son. I didn't realize until tonight, as we finished More Adventures of the Great Brain, that the first of these books was originally published in 1967. I probably first...more
My husband read these as a child, but I had never heard of the author or the books, so I read the first one and it's a really great read even for an adult. It covers topics that today I doubt would be published in a children's book and not every scenario ends happily. My husband said he read these when he was about 8 years old, which surprises me, but an 8 year old would get something out of it different than a teenager, different than an adult. This book dealt with items such as death, suicide,...more
I loved these stories as a kid and wanted to read it to my 8 year old son since it is outside his reading ability. The story is as fresh and exciting as I remember it. The setting - a Catholic family in Mormon Utah in the 1890's - is wonderfully drawn, and bursting with specific and interesting historical details. I love reading about the first outdoor water closet in Adenville, Utah; the way families dealt with diseases; and the details about how the Catholic, Protestant, and Mormon families al...more
My wife loves this book series and we listened to it together. I would liken it to Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Babysitter Club, Boxcar Children, etc. If you grew up with it, you probably love it. If not, it's hard to get into it as an adult. I can imagine countless children I know who may love this book, although the games referenced and way of life are all but lost post frontier America.
What this book does have going for it is that it is true, and a memoir written for children as the audience. Tha...more
What this book does have going for it is that it is true, and a memoir written for children as the audience. Tha...more
In the nostalgic world of 1890s Utah, a precocious ten year old schemes ways to swindle the local children and make a few pennies. Occasionally he uses his incredible powers of cognition to exact revenge on cruel adults or to save the day, such as when he intervenes to save a child amputee from committing suicide. (Yes, said kid was driven to self-harm because he couldn't participate in games of "kick the can"? These stories are quite a bit darker than I remember!) Anyway, it seems crazy that th...more
I'm pretending that I'm reading these for Austin, but really I just love these books. The stories are still fresh and free of any over-protectiveness: best way to stop the bully? fight him until he respects you; people and animals die; different religious groups take care of their own; kids are mean to each other. At the core, however, is a sweet family with lots of sensible rules of conduct.
There's a level of irony that Austin doesn't always get at age 6, but if I stop to chuckle, he can figure...more
There's a level of irony that Austin doesn't always get at age 6, but if I stop to chuckle, he can figure...more
Very engaging vignettes of a time long past. The stories were humorous, touching, and at times disturbing. Attitudes toward fighting and how boys should behave have changed since this book was written. As an adult reader, I enjoyed this book completely. As a teacher, I don't know how I could explain some of the attitudes toward fighting between boys described in this book. Also, the narrator's naive willingness to help a friend commit suicide would be difficult to discuss in the classroom. Yet t...more
This is another one that Josh is currently reading. I don't know where he got this idea of reading more than one book at once..........
**Spoiler alert! (Josh can't review books without telling it all!)**
Josh's Review: Everyone should read this book. It's about this boy that has a great brain. Part of it is sad (one of the characters thinks that he should die because he has a wooden leg is one example). The whole thing is very interesting. The main character helped the boy with the wooden leg: He...more
**Spoiler alert! (Josh can't review books without telling it all!)**
Josh's Review: Everyone should read this book. It's about this boy that has a great brain. Part of it is sad (one of the characters thinks that he should die because he has a wooden leg is one example). The whole thing is very interesting. The main character helped the boy with the wooden leg: He...more
3.5 stars
The Little Bookworm
I read this book when I was in fourth or fifth grade and I vaguely remember what happened. Well, really I only remembered the "water closet" story since I was fascinated by the idea that people didn't always have indoor plumbing. But the rest of the stories were familiar in a way. The Great Brain tricks people into giving him money in some way that they don't know they are being swindled. He is a Tom Sawyer type, for sure. He also got on my nerves. I was tired of him...more
The Little Bookworm
I read this book when I was in fourth or fifth grade and I vaguely remember what happened. Well, really I only remembered the "water closet" story since I was fascinated by the idea that people didn't always have indoor plumbing. But the rest of the stories were familiar in a way. The Great Brain tricks people into giving him money in some way that they don't know they are being swindled. He is a Tom Sawyer type, for sure. He also got on my nerves. I was tired of him...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
"The Great Brain" is one of the great, unsung book series for kids. I loved them as a kid, so I bought the whole set for my son for Christmas. He didn't take to them like I thought he would, so I did what I always do: I started reading them out loud to my boys at night. We just finished the second one and they are completely won over now.
To me, these are the consummate "boy" books, about a family of boys growing up in Utah during the turn of the century. (The author is not Mormon, but there is...more
To me, these are the consummate "boy" books, about a family of boys growing up in Utah during the turn of the century. (The author is not Mormon, but there is...more
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I read this book in elementary school and loved it, so when I saw it on display at our local library I had to get it and re-read it. I really liked it the second time, too. It's a fun read, especially since it takes place in Utah from the perspective of a non-Mormon family in the late 1800's. I have to say I was a little bit shocked by one chapter where the main character (an eight or nine year-old) is convinced he needs to help his despondent friend commit suicide. But the author manages to cre...more
My dad read this series to us when we were kids. I recently read them to my son (10 years old) and he loved them too.
I loved the Great Brain books as a kid. I was introduced to the series when one of my elementary school teachers read The Great Brain to my class. Since that time, I have always had good memories of the Great Brain books, even though I don't think I have read any of them since elementary school.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is still enjoyable to read, even as an adult. It is well written, imaginative, and has characters that grow and develop as the story goes on.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is still enjoyable to read, even as an adult. It is well written, imaginative, and has characters that grow and develop as the story goes on.
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OFFICIAL WEBSITE REFERENCED REPORTS:
John Dennis Fitzgerald was born in Price, Utah, on February 3, 1906, to Thomas and Minnie Melsen Fitzgerald. His father had a pharmacy degree but engaged in a number of business ventures and served on the Price Town Council for four years. John graduated from Carbon High School and at the age of eighteen and left Utah to pursue a career as a jazz drummer. He wo...more
More about John D. Fitzgerald...
John Dennis Fitzgerald was born in Price, Utah, on February 3, 1906, to Thomas and Minnie Melsen Fitzgerald. His father had a pharmacy degree but engaged in a number of business ventures and served on the Price Town Council for four years. John graduated from Carbon High School and at the age of eighteen and left Utah to pursue a career as a jazz drummer. He wo...more
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May 31, 2012 10:31am