The Great Brain

Our class discussion about old-school fiction got me thinking about one of my favorite series from when I was 10(ish). "The Great Brain," by John D. Fitzgerald, and the subsequent novels were among my favorites, even if the main character was a boy and I wasn't. Reason? They are hilarious.

Set in Utah in the late 1800's, the stories tell of the shenanigans of the narrator's older brother, Tom, a.k.a., The Great Brain. The many ways Tom invents to pry pennies, nickels, and dimes from the neighborhood kids always made me laugh. Even when Tom does a good deed, he manages to make a profit doing it. In the first book, Tom helps the new kid, Basil, fit in. Then he sets out to set Mr. Standish, the new teacher and "meanest thing on two legs", straight. The Great Brain even helps rescue some kids lost in a cave. Doesn't he sound like a saint? Well, trust me, he isn't.

When I read this with my son, he was literally slapping his leg and laughing out loud. I, too, have been known to do the "silent cry" when a fit of Tom-induced giggles gets the best of me. If you like humor, and I know a lot of you do, check out a copy of "The Great Brain". Then comment and let me know what you think of it.

Sadly, some of these books are hard to purchase. However, check your local library. And if you're in my class, you're in luck. We have most of them.

*=We have it!
*The Great Brain (1967)
*More Adventures of the Great Brain (1969)
*Me and My Little Brain (1971)
*The Great Brain At The Academy (1972)
The Great Brain Reforms (1973)
The Return of the Great Brain (1974)
*The Great Brain Does It Again (1976)
*The Great Brain Is Back (Published in 1995 from loose notes after the author's death)

Happy reading!