The Great Brain Reforms

The Great Brain #5

by John D. Fitzgerald

This fifth book in the series is a great combination of  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer  and The Terrible Two series, and is perfect for fans of Roald Dahl.

It's summer vacation, and  J. D. is determined to reform his older brother Tom, a.k.a. the Great Brain, from his money swindling ways for good.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Historical, Humor

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

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 worked in a variety of occupations during his life, including newspaper reporter for the World-Tribune in New York City, foreign correspondent for United Press, advertising and purchasing agent, and bank auditor. He also served on Wendell Willkie's staff when Willkie was running for president.

At the time his first book, Papa Married a Mormon (1955), was published, he was living in Los Angeles and working as a steel buyer. Fitzgerald had collaborated with his sister, Belle Fitzgerald Empey, to write this book. Her name was not included as coauthor of the book because it was written in the first person. Papa Married a Mormon was very popular and was reprinted in several foreign-language editions, including Chinese. Twice chosen as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, it was also serialized in McCall's Magazine. A sequel, Mamma's Boarding House, appeared in 1958.

Fitzgerald moved to Denver in 1960 where he tried for a short time to make his living as a full-time writer. He later reported that "I quit my job and went to a mountain cabin to make my living writing. I had to sell my jack and a tire to get back to Denver. When I got there I sold my typewriter and swore I would never write again." His wife later bought him another typewriter and he eventually resumed writing.

He had a very successful writing career, publishing more than 500 magazine articles, as well as poetry and songs and two books on writing, The Professional Story Writer and His Art (1963) and Structuring Your Novel: From Basic Idea to Finished Manuscript (1972).

His most successful and widely read novels are the juvenile books in the Great Brain Series. They were loosely based on the adventures of his brother Thomas N. Fitzgerald. Books in this series include: 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), and The Great Brain Does It Again (1976).

The Great Brain Series has led to one of the most asked questions in Utah literature: "Where is Adenville, Utah?" Adenville is a fictional town created by Fitzgerald, but most readers believe that the geographical setting loosely fits that of a small town in southern Utah.

Fitzgerald and his wife, Joan, moved to Titusville, Florida, in about 1972 where he continued his writing career. He died there May 20, 1988, at the age of 82.

Reviews

[Jeffrey Caston]

Tom "The Great Brain" Fitzgerald's schemes to enrich his money-loving heart take a more malicious and darker turn. I remember the near catastrophe with the raft before I started, but then I recalled Tom's trial once the narrative got there.

Another enjoyable literary journey down memory lane.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro)]

Tom, known as The Great Brain, is up to his old tricks again, fooling the neighborhood kids into sucker bets, tricking his brother into doing all the chores, blackmailing his adopted brother out of his allowance money, and generally making trouble for the town.

But when a few kids nearly lose their lives in one of his pranks, will the shame and fear of death be enough to get the Great Brain to reform his ways?

I enjoyed this funny story about the mischievous schemes of Tom and how he drags his brothers along for the ride. He definitely reminds me of Tom Sawyer, only he's WORSE!
The wholesome atmosphere of the old town and the simple quiet people who live there, are stirred up by the wild and crazy scenarios that Tom cooks up. There is never a dull moment!

The characters are hilarious, and I loved reading how different people react to Tom's cunning. Sometimes there are serious consequences to Tom's shenanigans, but he always manages to come out on top.

I would recommend this book to anyone ages 7-15.

[Cassie]

Good times. :)

[Shiloah]

Such an enjoyable read aloud! This was read taking turns Dad, Mom, Madi (22), and Bella (18)

[Matt]

All I can say is, I remember the moment when the Great Brain decides he's going to stop his manipulating ways and he tells his friend he feels "different, somehow...clean and warm and Christmasy."

I've found myself quoting that quite a few times in my life and usually forgetting from whence it came.

[Chrisanne]

But does he?

[Ann Lewis]

More delightful stories about these interesting boys!

[Benb]

The Great Brain Reforms by John D. Fitzgerald is about a family of boys that like to make money especially Tom. Tom was the oldest and had a very talented brain. One day he decided to make a raft for the river across the street. The raft took tom a wile to built but he built it. Then toms great brain thought it was a good idea if he charged kids to go on the raft. One of the kids tom was taking down the river fell of in the rapids. Tom jumped in to save him and almost died from a bolder. This is a good action adventure story and is hard to put down. I recommend this book to others.

[Hila]

4.5 rounded

Book 5 in The Great Brain series, and these books don't stop entertaining!

Tom, a.k.a. The Great Brain, is home from the Catholic Academy for the summer; and he's ready to put his great brain to work on swindling the neighborhood kids out of the cool stuff they've gotten while he's been away. As usual, he's successful, but this time his money-loving heart has gone too far. Now the community is against him, and his brother John figures he's the only one who can help The Great Brain reform.

Lots of laughs as well as some more sobering moments in this installment of the series. Our family is still loving reading them together as our read-alouds, and we're excited to continue the series!

[Michelle]

Bit less charming than the rest of the books as there's no actual feel-good denouement - though there is a denouement. Tom is home for the summer from the Academy and proceeds to scam every other kid in Adenville out of their treasures. When he puts 6 kids' lives in danger for 30 cents, though, he's gone too far, and his little brother John decides to do something to convince Tom to reform his conniving ways. I was amused by the fact that their father didn't think Tom would charge his friends to use the raft - I mean, does he even know his son?! Also, why is John's having gotten $500 for capturing the outlaw in book #3 never mentioned?

[Jacob G.]

I'm reading this series to my kids and its their favorite so far.

This is definitely a step down from TGB a the Academy. I think the problem is with the episodic format, where character growth has to reset in order to keep the same basic format.

In this book Tom has become fairly one dimensional character - all conniver. Gone is his change of heart at the Academy, and even the soft spot he has previously shown makes no appearance. For the purpose, far as I can tell, of making a point about how you can't force someone to reform, to be played out in book 6.

Still compelling. Harks back to a time when kids roamed wild with other kids from the neighborhood.

[Alex]

The reformation only happens in the last few pages, and T.D. has become less endearing as the series rattles along. His reformation is unlikely to last seeing as there’s three more books in the series. I distinctly remember the tug of war, but it’s certainly cheating more than being clever. A lot of this book feels like tiresome swindling. We could try to balance that with the junior confidence man being able to spot and out the grown confidence men, but it’s worth noting that T.D.’s motivations are non-altruistic. I’ll keep rolling along on this nostalgia trip, but this entry has me less excited to keep plowing.

[James Davidson]

The Great Brain Reforms is a fun, fast-moving story full of more capers from the quintessential confidence man, T.D. Fitzgerald. What makes the story especially worthwhile, however, is that beneath the humor and mischief lies a useful moral lesson: intelligence and persuasion are powerful tools, but character and honesty ultimately matter more. The book strikes a nice balance between admiring T.D.’s ingenuity while also showing the consequences of pushing things too far.

[Mary]

3.5 stars

My 11-year-old and I continue to enjoy this series together. This one had a little more bite, a little less innocence, then the previous books. In this book Tom became a little less likable. It will be interesting to see where the next book in the series takes him.

[Amber]

I had a cassette tape as a kid that had Tom Hooks A Fish Named Sweyn on one side at Alkali Flats on the other, and I think those two chapters are permanently etched into my brain with the number of times I listened to them.

[Becky]

I sure loved these books as a girl, but man, the "Great Brains" antics are far more annoying to me as an adult. I loved watching him push his friends to the limit of requiring reform intervention. JD's forgiving heart will always inspire me.

[Keven Dickerman]

Fun stories

I love the entire series. In this book we learn that the Great Brain reforms, but how? Will it last? I loved reading the many stories that lead to his reformation. I think you will like them too.

[coyurin]

3.8

It was good, but not one of the better ones. From the title I thought it'd be a book of Tom using his intelligence to help people as his reformation, and not that he's sad no one likes him.

[Liam Murphy]

My faviorte

[Julie]

I would love this series reading it by myself, but reading them to my kids makes it that much greater.

[Lili]

It was great

[Heather Culley]

I don’t like that kid.

[Nathaniel]

i liked it

[Dylan Tyson]

Good read

The Great brain is better than everyone else at every thing so he uses that to his advantage Good Book

[Erneilson]

These stories are both entertaining and instructive - I am glad my children read them.

[Holli]

We enjoyed another excellent book in the Great Brain series! The kids get a kick out of Tom’s wit and confidence.

[Ranette]

Reading fun for the whole family.

[Emily Sparks]

JD’s Trial of the Great Brain at the end of this book is one of the best scenes of the series.

[Katie Andrews]

This was a re-read of a childhood favorite.

[LobsterQuadrille]

3.5 stars