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Fitzgerald, John D. The Great Brain. New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, 2000. Reviewed by Colin C., Rundlett Middle School.
This book has stuck with me as one of the best books I've read. The Great Brain takes place in Utah in a town that was founded by the Mormons. Even though, it was no longer so heavily populated with Mormons. The Great Brain is about Thomas Dennis Fitzgerald, aka The Great Brain. He has a younger brother John and an older brother, Swen. They all have the same middle name and are often addressed by their first two initials. TD, JD and SD. The Great Brain earns his name by the many schemes he thinks of, most of which he tries to get money out of. One of my favorite schemes in when the school gets a new teacher. Everybody has their mind set on getting rid of him and the Great Brain knew just how. All of the boys, except for the Mormons, were summoned to a meeting. Each boy was to bring a sip of liquor from their medicine cabinet. They put all of the liquor into some bottles. The boys put the partially filled liquor bottles along with a box with some snuff in it to Jimmy Peterson, whose mother owned the boarding house in which the teacher lived. Jimmy Peterson placed the liquor bottles and the snuff into the teacher's bedroom and send a letter to the superintendent to say that the teacher was a secret drinker and to see for himself by checking his bedroom. Sure enough the liquor bottles and snuff were discovered. Just as the Great Brain's plan was about to work and the teacher to be fired, he gets busted for his scheme and is punished. The Great Brain is filled with such schemes and if this one interests you, I would suggest you read this book.