The great brain

Name: The great brain
Author: John Dennis Fitzgerald
ISBN: 0440430712

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by John Dennis Fitzgerald

Great Brain

Reading Level 5-6 LP · Mild · Physical Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LP, means mild content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

Tom uses his clever thinking to tackle tricky problems, amazing everyone around him, especially his brother. His quick wit leads to fun and surprising adventures that show the power of a sharp mind. Join Tom as he turns challenges into opportunities with his brilliant ideas.

Themes

Family Friendship Humor Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 5-6 book with mild content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated The great brain LP (Mild)

The great brain is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 175 pages (approximately 47,205 words). Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage The great brain on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

Read aloud, The great brain runs about 5.3 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate The great brain as LP (Mild, mostly physical) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, The great brain explores family, friendship, humor, and coming of age — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, friendship, humor.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 7 more books in the Great Brain series.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LP · Mild · Physical

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Mild ←

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?