Point Appertaining To Books The Great Brain Does it Again (The Great Brain #7)
| Title | : | The Great Brain Does it Again (The Great Brain #7) |
| Author | : | John D. Fitzgerald |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 144 pages |
| Published | : | August 15th 1976 by Yearling (first published 1975) |
| Categories | : | Childrens. Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Young Adult |
John D. Fitzgerald
Paperback | Pages: 144 pages Rating: 4.24 | 2403 Users | 47 Reviews
Explanation Supposing Books The Great Brain Does it Again (The Great Brain #7)
This was hard to rate. It's an odd, interesting book. One tends to assume that this sort of series thing is going to be fairly light and generic, and I haven't read any of the earlier volumes so didn't much know what to expect. Furthermore, I usually find Mercer Mayer's art--though lovely and polished--a tad too saccharine.However, this book is generally much better-written than the format might suggest. Fitzgerald uses a more complex vocabulary and style than one might expect. The book is still easily digestible (and short!), but it has some meat to it, stylistically and linguistically. A factor in the digestibility is that each chapter is essentially a self-contained story; there is some continuity to the book, reference to things that happened earleir, the passage of time, and so on, but esentially each chapter just offers another iteration of Tom, the "Great Brain," using his prodigious intellect to accomplish some feat, usually one designed to put money in his pocket. This aspect of the book was actually somewhat disappointing, as he doesn't seem all that clever to me--the story about the Indians, especially, depends not at all on Tom being smarter than everyone else but just on him being the only one willing to query the government about what's going on. I was hoping his tricks would be more clever.
On the other hand, Fitzgerald does craft an odd and interesting character in Tom. He seems almost a sociopath in some stories, given his (almost) exclusive focus on his own profit and his fundamental inability to understand how others might feel. The story about the rocking horse, especially, paints a slightly chilling picture, as the tragedy of the situation eludes Tom, with him caring only about getting his reward, in contrast to his younger brother's generosity. (Bonus: having a kid in a kid's book die of diabetes is a rather daring touch.) In fact, Tom's intervention on behalf of the Indians being bilked seemed out of character, as there was never anything in it for him. And the final story, about Toming hitting the teens and beginnig to get interested in girls, seems oddly anti-climactic (I assume this is the final book in the series). Nevertheless, these are pleasant and entertaining stories.
And Meyer's art is a further bonus. His black and white illustrations are dense and busy, reminding me almost of Edward Gorey in their nearly gothic detail. This is not a cute, sparkling world; Meyer's art suggests the darker subtexts of the book without being macabe or baroque. They're excellent illustrations.
Overall, I'd say this series deserves to have wider recognition than it seems to have today.
Describe Books Concering The Great Brain Does it Again (The Great Brain #7)
| Original Title: | The Great Brain Does it Again (Great Brain #7) |
| ISBN: | 0440429838 (ISBN13: 9780440429838) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | The Great Brain #7 |
| Literary Awards: | Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (1978) |
Rating Appertaining To Books The Great Brain Does it Again (The Great Brain #7)
Ratings: 4.24 From 2403 Users | 47 ReviewsComment On Appertaining To Books The Great Brain Does it Again (The Great Brain #7)
Shenanigans and adventures galore. :)T. D. Fitzgerald has to come up with fair ways to earn money these days, although they still seem to be a swindle. We have enjoyed this series very much and are ready to plow into the last book.
When I was little I loved the Great Brain books. Does It Again is not one of the better ones. I forgot just how much of an asshole Tom is, and how much of a wimp John is. Mr. Fitzgerald also has some odd notions about justice.
I guess the last time I read this book -- the seventh in the Great Brain series -- I didn't care for it as much as the others. This time around, I thought it was quite fine and fit well with the rest of the series. It is perhaps not quite as consistent or as memorable overall as some of the other books, but it stands up fine. I remain amazed at the variety of stories that John D. Fitzgerald was able to craft. Even knowing that much of this is fictionalized, the Fitzgerald family must have been
This one was okay. In book four Tom is in Salt Lake city and the new setting made the series fresh and exciting. The books since then are back in Adenville and it feels sort of like they are just parodying the earlier books in some ways. Still funny, just not as great since I've been reading all the other books before them.
Girls ruin everything.
This was hard to rate. It's an odd, interesting book. One tends to assume that this sort of series thing is going to be fairly light and generic, and I haven't read any of the earlier volumes so didn't much know what to expect. Furthermore, I usually find Mercer Mayer's art--though lovely and polished--a tad too saccharine.However, this book is generally much better-written than the format might suggest. Fitzgerald uses a more complex vocabulary and style than one might expect. The book is still
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