Fanny Fitzpatrick and the Brother Problem

by Dana Hammer

Dion Isaacs (the reincarnation of Dionysius), Athena's brother, is wreaking havoc. After to an unfortunate bee-venom poisoning at his wine business, he is down on his luck and crashing at Athena's place. But the former god of wine, feasting, and excess is a bad influence on Fanny's best friends, with his partying, wacky business schemes, and general debauchery. Sure, Dion is a fun guy. But there is such a thing as too much fun, and Fanny seems to be the only one who sees it.

Meanwhile, Fanny's mother is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, which basically means she pukes all the time, because she's pregnant. With her mom unable to work, her dad is taking extra shifts to make more money, and things are getting tense at home. Fanny is excited to be a big sister, but all this sickness and stress over money are starting to take their toll on her.

Can Fanny save her friends from Dion's negative influence, while also solving her family's money problems? Of course she can. She's Fanny Fitzpatrick.

Genres: Greek Mythology

172 pages, Paperback

Published February 6, 2024

About the author

Dana Hammer is a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. She drinks tea to soothe her shattered nerves.

Reviews

[Yamini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Fanny Fitzpatrick series and it follows N after the story of dealing with the Greek Gods and cockroach problems. Skirting around Dionysus and his weird lifestyle and his life choices, was a very interesting part.

The book carries a light mood essence with lively characters and a little stigma of responsibilities in children of growing age. Fanny has a lively character and all her actions, reactions and impulses seem very realistic. I read this book in a single day but multiple sitting over the weekend. I feel this can be a mood booster if you are struggling to complete your books and looking for a short but entertaining story involving a contemporary world with fantasy characters.

Thank you @cinnabarmothpub for the review copy
Genre: #middlegrade ##greekmythology #contemporary #fiction
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️


#FannyFitzpatrick

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was happy to get an advanced copy of this book. This was the first book I read by Dana Hammer and I really enjoyed it. It brought back nostalgia from when I read the Fudge stories growing up.

Fanny Fitzpatrick and the Brother Problem is the second book after My Best Friend Athena. I have not read my Best Friend Athena yet but you are still able to easily read the second book without doing so. It still works as a standalone book.

I won't write out all the spoilers here but keep it short. Dion is a very annoying brother, and I found that I never did like him through the whole book. He is very self absorbed and the girls are always having to watch him and clean up his messes. I did like the creative idea of Dion and Gemma creating cheese, because who doesn't like cheese? Also there are Gods and Goddesses in this story, living as regular people.

I loved the bonded friendship between Fanny, Athena, and Gemma. It was sometimes hard to believe that they were (and also some of the characters portrayed) eleven year holds because of how responsible they were.

I loved Dana's easy and fun reading style, and the quirky moments throughout the story. It is definitely not your average normal book, and I enjoyed it for that. I felt like I was able to take a break and have some laughs and I was able to breeze through it.

If you want a break from every day life and would enjoy a cute but comical story about kids achieving great things, I recommend it!

[Kayla Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fanny Fitzpatrick and the Brother Problem: everything seems to be going wrong all at once for Fanny. Her mom is pregnant, and can’t stop puking. Her friend Athena’s brother Dionysius is in town causing chaos at every turn. Oh, and her former bully Daniel has a crush on her. And all Fanny wants to do is help everyone!

This series is delightful, and the second installment is an good as the first. FFATBP does a great job of showing how confusing it is to be a kid, and how sometimes parents can forget that kids don’t have the life experience necessary to figure out complicated situations. I think the best part of the book is that kids reading it can see themselves. Kids have problems and stress too! Parents can be a drag and just totally not get it! Also, everything is SO profoundly difficult and embarrassing when you’re 11.

I love Fanny and her friends, and while Dion is undeniably a terrible influence and overall agent of chaos, I also sort of love him. He spends the book making grand pronouncements and swanning around like Auntie Mame meets Norma Desmond meets David Rose. I’m excited to see which god is introduced in the next book!

Thanks to LibraryThing and Cinnabar Moth Publishing for the ARC!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Evan Baughfman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winning entry in the “Fanny Fitzpatrick” series! A great mix of Greek mythology, adolescent drama, humor, ice cream, and cheese. (Yes, ice cream and cheese play integral roles in the whimsical plot!)

Fanny is the star of this series, and she’s a great protagonist: funny, strong-willed, and ready to help friends and family in need. I said it before in my review of “My Best Friend Athena”… Fanny has a wonderful narrative voice!

My favorite parts of this story:

1) Any time Fanny steps up to assist her pals and parents.
2) Fanny’s brief transformation into an owl. A quick moment of quirky body horror.
3) Every time Fanny reacts to the cringey love song written about her.

Overall, a terrific middle-grade book that teaches as well as entertains!

[Devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 10 year old and we really enjoyed it. There were both funny and sad parts, parts that I anticipated, and parts that surprised me. I was truly impressed that the book did not go as I expected, taking some twists along the way.

[Stewart Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story and fun read, perfect for its target middle grade audience.