The Great Brain

Illustrated by Mercer Mayer
Look inside
Paperback
$8.99 US
5.06"W x 7.81"H x 0.56"D  
On sale Feb 09, 2004 | 208 Pages | 978-0-14-240058-6
| Grades 3-7
Reading Level: Lexile 840L
This first 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.

The best con man in the Midwest is only ten years old.  Tom, a.k.a., the Great Brain, is a silver-tongued genius with a knack for turning a profit.  When the Jenkins boys get lost in Skeleton Cave, the Great Brain saves the day.  Whether it's saving the kids at school, or helping out Peg-leg Andy, or Basil, the new kid at school, the Great Brain always manages to come out on top-and line his pockets in the process.
John D. Fitzgerald was born in Utah and lived there until he left at eighteen to begin a series of interesting careers ranging from jazz drummer to foreign correspondent. His stories of The Great Brain were based on his own childhood in Utah with a conniving older brother named Tom. These reminiscences led to eight memorable Great Brain books. John D. Fitzgerald also wrote several best-selling adult books, including Papa Married a Mormon. He died in Florida, his home of many years, at the age of eighty-one. View titles by John D. Fitzgerald
Mercer Mayer began writing and illustrating children’s books in 1966, and since then, he has published over 300 titles. Readers can open any of his award-winning books and out may pop dragons, cuddly monsters, wonderful creatures, and endearing critters. Drawing from his own childhood adventures for inspiration, Mayer created one of children’s books’ most cherished characters, Little Critter. He lives in Connecticut. View titles by Mercer Mayer
* "A funny, fast-moving, endearing book that [readers] will lap up!"--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

About

This first 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.

The best con man in the Midwest is only ten years old.  Tom, a.k.a., the Great Brain, is a silver-tongued genius with a knack for turning a profit.  When the Jenkins boys get lost in Skeleton Cave, the Great Brain saves the day.  Whether it's saving the kids at school, or helping out Peg-leg Andy, or Basil, the new kid at school, the Great Brain always manages to come out on top-and line his pockets in the process.

Author

John D. Fitzgerald was born in Utah and lived there until he left at eighteen to begin a series of interesting careers ranging from jazz drummer to foreign correspondent. His stories of The Great Brain were based on his own childhood in Utah with a conniving older brother named Tom. These reminiscences led to eight memorable Great Brain books. John D. Fitzgerald also wrote several best-selling adult books, including Papa Married a Mormon. He died in Florida, his home of many years, at the age of eighty-one. View titles by John D. Fitzgerald
Mercer Mayer began writing and illustrating children’s books in 1966, and since then, he has published over 300 titles. Readers can open any of his award-winning books and out may pop dragons, cuddly monsters, wonderful creatures, and endearing critters. Drawing from his own childhood adventures for inspiration, Mayer created one of children’s books’ most cherished characters, Little Critter. He lives in Connecticut. View titles by Mercer Mayer

Praise

* "A funny, fast-moving, endearing book that [readers] will lap up!"--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more

PRH Education Classroom Libraries

“Books are a students’ passport to entering and actively participating in a global society with the empathy, compassion, and knowledge it takes to become the problem solvers the world needs.” –Laura Robb   Research shows that reading and literacy directly impacts students’ academic success and personal growth. To help promote the importance of daily independent

Read more