Customer Reviews

The Great Brain Reforms (Great Brain, Book 5)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The "Great Brain"(also known as Tom) is one of the most clever characters I have ever seen. He proves to be above both the children as well as the adults with his money-loving heart and his great brain. Tom manages to swindle every single child in his town (especially his simple-minded brother) and gets away with it most of the time. He could argue his way out of everything and he uses this advantage over others to have his own way over everything. I loved this book mainly because it was hilarious and was very realistically written by the author. I would certainly recommend this book to anybody who loves to read!! The "Great Brain" reminds me a lot of what I used to do to my brother, Chandu, when we were little. I used to get my way with him every time just like the Great Brain did with his brother, John.

John D. Fitzgerald, in the tradition of Mark Twain, wrote a semi-fictitious account of his childhood as a Mormon in Utah. The milieu and time for "The Great Brain" series is a Victorian, early 1900's era, making the stories more in the lines of Tom Sawyer and Huck Fynn. But that does not belittle this timeless classic written in the 70's. The Great Brain is in fact an interesting character to follow. The stories are told from the point of view of his younger brother, as he follows him through many schemes (all of which are money scams) and escapades, which somehow wind down to moral lessons. The Great Brain is a humorous, brilliant and witty work of historic fiction that is sure to touch every reader in some way. I first read the series as a young child myself, growing up in much the same way The Great Brain does- a strict religious family that promotes hard work and academic education. These stories are hard to find nowadays, Victorian morales having slipped away somehow in our modern day. I am glad to know that Amazon.com still has these great books and I recommend them to everyone, young and old. For me, reading the novels was a form of escape, as well as an insightful glimpse of a time that was far more innocent than our own- the violent gangs of today and MTV, Britney Spears, Joy of Pepsi, Ossie Osbourne generation compare nothing to the rebelliousnes of the Great Brain. All of the books are enjoyable, and it is not until the last book in the series, "The Great Brain Reforms" (the name says it all) that we discover the startling growth and changes the punky, swindling, intelligent adult-trapped in the body of a child Great Brain undergoes. A Must Read.

John Dennis Fitzgerald intended to chronicle his youth in Utah for adults, not children. His publisher thought otherwise and the result are these gems. I don't even call them children's lit gems because I find them just as enjoyable as an adult. Before I go on, you should know that Fitzgerald wrote one book about his youth that is for adults, called "Papa Married a Mormon". It is one of the most amazing books on the American west that I have ever read. Sadly, it is out of print, and you may, like me, have to pay an exorbitant sum to get a copy. Trust me, save up and do it. Now back to this book. Every single Great Brain book in the series is pure gold, and the entire set can be had cheaply, so I say buy them all at once. I "put my money where my mouth is" as Tom the Great Brain would say, and bought the lot.

Fitzgerald puts out yet another good book in the Great Brain series with the Great Brain Reforms. It details a few more of T.D.'s swindles, and builds up to the point where the rest of the kids in town hate him. When he risks two of the kids' lives for thirty cents, they realize that it has gone too far. They hold a mock court meeting, and convict the Great Brain of swindling everyone in town, and as punishment every kid in town refuses to speak to him for a whole year. The Great Brain promises to reform, so they agree to talk to him as long as he stays reformed. Definitely an interesting and humerous read.

Overall grade: A-

Young Tom Fitzgerald is the "Great Brain" because he is always outsmarting the other kids in town and taking their money--or baseball glove, bat, air rifle...you name it! All the kids hate him: He's a swindler, blackmailer, crook, and an attempted murderer, according to them. In other words, "The Great Brain" is an all-around rotten kid. Yet, Tom doesn't consider himself a bad guy at all--just smart. Though he is a number-one con man, he does do some good things; and all his schemes--good and bad--are clever to read about. Far from a dull book!

The Creative Teacher: Activities for Language Arts (Grades 4 through 8 and Up)

I read these books years ago, with my now 19 year old son, and we both loved the stories. They're based on the childhood of John Fitzgerald. We were sad when we came to the end of the series. I'm now collecting them for my grandsons and look forward to reading them again.

Book came as advertised. Thanks - great series. Recommended to kids of all ages. Nostalgic for me as I read it with my kids.

The Great Brain series is my very favorite of all the books I read as a kid. I recall beginning reading the series as a fourth grader, and re-read them ...and even now if I want an easy read that is guaranteed to make me chuckle I pull them out and read them. Also, Harriet the Spy, Little House series, and of course classics like Treasure Island, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer will appeal as well.

Once again the Great Brain aka TD manages to swindle his friends out of money by being smart enough to bet on a sure thing, but words it in such a way that his friends believe that they will win. For example, TD bets his friends that he can magnetize a wood stick. They fall for it since they know that he cant possibly magnetize wood. Well, we later find out that he made a boomerang and pretends to use a magnet to bring it back to him. My favorite part of the stories in this book is how TD livens up the swindles and money-making schemes with his story telling. Who wouldnt want to ride the raft, Explorer, after hearing him narrate during the ride? The author tells the story in such a way that it makes you smile. This book concludes with JD getting fed up with his older brother TD and devising a plan to make him reform. You wont want to miss it.