Friend or Fiend? with the Pain and the Great One (Pain & the Great One) [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Judy Blume (Author, Reader), Kathleen McInerney (Reader)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Pain & the Great One

What’s the difference between a friend and a fiend?

Jake is so embarrassed by a reading circle blunder, he vows never to speak in class again. Abigail believes she can no longer trust one of her best friends. Their teenage cousins have turned into fiends. And on the perfect snow day, who jumps on Jake and washes his face in snow? And who rescues him?


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–3—The Pain and the Great One are back in another series of short vignettes. This time Jacob, aka the Pain, is embarrassed when he makes a mistake in front of the entire class, and Abigail, aka the Great One, deals with the betrayal of trust when her good friend Sasha steals her story. The brother and sister also contend with obnoxious cousins when they visit their curmudgeonly Uncle Phil and with mean Madison Purdy when they have a snow day. Like the previous volumes, this book concludes with a chapter from the family cat, Fluzzy. Stevenson's ink sketches are interspersed throughout the chapters and add detail to the stories. The situations are believable, and many readers will relate to the squabbles between the siblings and their school experiences. A nice addition, but not an essential purchase unless the series has a strong following.—Beth Cuddy, Seward Elementary School, Auburn, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Many kids will befriend this delightful fourth chapter book about the slice-of-life experiences of a third-grade sister (the Great One) and her first-grade brother (the Pain). The siblings trade narration of chapters that describe recent excitement at home and at school, such as a birthday party with burned cupcakes or shopping with contentious cousins. Fluzzy the cat once again stretches his literary whiskers and contributes the last chapter. Blume’s singular ability to portray the minutiae of a child’s everyday life with humor is perfectly complemented by Stevenson’s occasional line drawings that extend the story’s charm and fully shaped characters. Grades 1-4. --Andrew Medlar --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Audio CD
• Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition (May 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739380591
• ISBN-13: 978-0739380598
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.6 x 5.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,740,184 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, NJ, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places, doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Superfudge; Blubber; Just As Long As We're Together; and Forever. She has also written the best-selling novels Wifey; Smart Women; and, Summer Sisters. More than 75 million copies of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into twenty-six languages.
She receives thousands of letters each month from readers of all ages who share their feelings and
concerns with her.
Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year that American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. She has won more than ninety awards, none more important than those coming directly from her youngest readers.
She serves on the boards of the Author's Guild, currently as Vice President; the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, where she sponsors an award for contemporary fiction; and the National Coalition Against Censorship, working to protect intellectual freedom. In Spring 2002, Judy was a spokesperson for the Cheerios "A Book for Every Child" literacy campaign which benefited Reading is Fundamental, America's largest literacy organization. She is also the founder and trustee of The Kids Fund, a charitable and educational foundation.
Judy's first book in the Fudge series, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, was published in 1972. She is thrilled to be celebrating its 30th Anniversary with the publication of Double Fudge. Just as generations of fans have loved the Fudge books, generations of Judy's family have inspired them. Thirty years ago, Fudge was inspired by her son, Larry, and now Double Fudge was written at the request of her grandson, Elliot.
Judy lives on islands up and down the East Coast with her husband George Cooper. They have three grown children and one grandchild.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great books, January 9, 2011

By 

jcturner7 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Friend or Fiend? with the Pain and the Great One (Pain & the Great One) (Audio CD)

I would recommend all of the books (audio or not) in "the pain and the great one" series. These kept my girls entertained in the car--varying ages 5-12.

4.0 out of 5 stars Lukewarm Recommendation., August 1, 2010

By 

J. Aday "J. Aday Kennedy" (Mineola, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Friend or Fiend? with the Pain and the Great One (Audible Audio Edition)

The sibling duo of Abigail and Jake aka the Great One and the Pain along with their cat Fluzzy narrate the compilation of stories by Judy Blume. In class Jake makes a mistake reading and is so embarrassed he vows never to read out loud again. Abigail argues with a classmate over a story her friend steals from her. Abigail and Jake butt heads and come together in a way all siblings can relate.
The stories are fraught with the high emotions of the very young. Blume accurately portrays the actions, thoughts and feelings of the youngsters. She uses a vocabulary suitable for beginning readers.

The negative I found was the over usage of he said/she said. It made the prose monotonous and predictable. I listened to the book and cannot comment on the art work. My review and ranking are based solely on the text.
Would have given a ranking of 3.5 stars.