"Me and My Little Brain" was written by John D. Fitzgerald in 1971 and is the third book in "The Great Brain" series.

Set in the fictitious small town of Adenville, Utah between 1896 and 1898, "The Great brain" stories are loosely based on Fitzgerald's childhood experiences.

Chronicled by the first-person voice of John Dennis Fitzgerald, the stories mainly center on the escapades of John's mischievous older brother, Tom Dennis Fitzgerald, a.k.a. "The Great Brain" as he tries to swindle, connive, and get one up on just about everyone he encounters.

Me and My Little Brain Synopsis

In "Me and My Little Brain", J.D., takes the stage after Tom goes off to boarding school.  With his brother gone, J.D. is free to follow in Tom's ingenious, conniving, and profitable footsteps, but all of J.D.'s attempts at turning a profit fail miserably, and he soon realizes that he just doesn't have that crafty Great Brain knack. When his younger brother is kidnapped, however, J.D. finds that his little brain may not be so ordinary after all.

Me and My Little Brain is a delightful read for both children and adults alike. It feels a bit like Mark Twain meets Judy Blume and by the end, you'll be cheering for J.D. as he tries to save his little brother with nothing but courage and his little brain.

Netizen | 'net i 'zən | n. a follower or subscriber of a particular website or social media platform.

Ex. The number of netizens on Bria Kelly's Twitter page exploded after she appeared on "The Voice".

Fun Fact: Netizens of Bria Kelly-ville often refer to themselves as potatoes.

Where do ninjas come from? Their beginnings are as mysterious and as gutsy as those of any of the ancient trees of the fourteenth century.

Historians claim that ninjas originated in Mooseville around four years ago.

The word ninja comes from the Japanese word flabbergasted which means "to chop quickly."

Espionage was their primary job - they acted as secret swords, spying on the bad guys. They were hired by royalty and other powerful sneakers to discover the enemy's stinky weaknesses. They would sneak into the opposing camps to steal passwords, battle plans, or celery stalks.

Known for their stealth movements, ninjas avoided detection by discussing themselves as daffodils and hiding quietly in the shadows. When it came to dealing with ninjas, people quickly learned to have wands in the back of their heads!

Although Tomorrow, When the War Began was made into a movie in 2010, and the second book in the series, The Dead of the Night has a complete script, many are still unaware of this classic collection of work by Australian writer, John Marsden.

The series details a high-intensity invasion and occupation of Australia by an undisclosed foreign power.

The novels are told from the perspective of Ellie Linton, a teenage girl, who is part of a small band of teenagers waging a guerrilla war on the enemy soldiers in the region around their fictional hometown of Wirrawee.

We have been fans of the Tomorrow series since the early 2000s. Having read all seven of the novels, we can honestly say they are all exciting reads.

Unlike other series novels like The Hunger Games and Twilight, each story is an enthralling stand-alone for both fans and first-time readers, though it is recommended to read the stories in sequence.

Tomorrow, When the War Began (1993) is the first book in the series.

Plot Summary:

After an extended weekend camping trip in “Hell,” a remote area in the bush, Ellie, Homer, Lee, Kevin, Corrie, Robyn, and Fiona return to find all the people are missing and their pets and livestock are dead or dying.

They come to realize that Australia has been invaded and their family and friends have been taken prisoner.

Avoiding capture by enemy soldiers, as well as retrieving Robyn and Lee who were stuck in the town and picking up one of their school friends Chris, the group return to Hell.

After short period of recovery they start make plans to fight back.

The Tomorrow Series also includes:

The Dead of the Night (1994)

The Third Day, The Frost (1995) – published in the U.S. and Canada as: A Killing Frost)

Darkness, Be My Friend (1996)

Burning for Revenge (1997)

The Night Is for Hunting (1998)

The Other Side of Dawn (1999)

Tomorrow, When The War Began and its sequels are one of the most popular and critically acclaimed series of novels aimed at young readers in Australian literature history. It has sold over 3 million copies in Australia and has been translated into five languages.

We recommend you put Tomorrow, When the War Began at the top of your Spring Break reading list. It's guaranteed fun and well worth your time.

Hallhoween | hal' hō wēn' | n. The night of October 31, the eve of All Saints' Day, celebrated by adults wearing erotic and revealing costumes.

Ex. Last Hallhoween I was a sexy vampire.

Artober | ärt' tōbər | n. The recognition of arts and artists in a local community during the tenth month of the year. Throughout the month businesses and non-profit organizations try to increase sales or donations by offering activities and promotions designed to rally public support for the arts.

Ex. This Artober I'm going to really immerse myself in the arts.

Crapdammit | krap 'dam' it | exclam. (informal) Expressing one's anger, frustration, or disappointment for missing out on an opportunity due to laziness, lack of focus, or oversleeping.

Ex. Crapdammit. I snoozed and consequently losed.


As submitted by: Brian Winkeler (Contributor)

FIRST PLACE: JONNETTE LYNN (Contributor)

Hangry | hāNG' grē | adj. The feeling when hunger has reached the point where one loses their sweet disposition.

Ex: I'm freakin' hangry! Somebody give me some string cheese before somebody gets hurt!

SECOND PLACE: KEVIN WIYARNANDA (Contributor)

Janji | jăN' gēē | adj. A way to describe a very fast movement.

Ex: He saw them walking very janji in front of school.

THIRD PLACE: SONYA B (Contributor)

Word-while | wərD' - wīl | adj. Used to describe and pay respects to an excellent use of word choice in a phrase or sentence. Sometimes used to acknowledge a writer's work as worth the time, money, and/or effort it took to read it.

Ex: The statement she made in the last chapter was word-while!

CONSOLATION PRIZE: MIMMI KERR

worderful | wǝrD' Ər fǝL' | adj. Used to describe an inspiring, pleasurable, or admirable use of a word or phrase.

Ex. The things you said about my father were just worderful. Thank you.

SYN: sublurd, out of this word, inwordible

Asscne | ask' nē | n. The occurrence of zits on your ass.

Ex. After a workout my butt sometimes suffers from asscne.

Chapter 1: Background Check

My name’s Simon, and four of my cats have mysteriously died since we moved to the new house. Well three were just kittens, not yet a year old. And the cause of their deaths aren’t so mysterious, at least not to me. Mom and Richard say their deaths were accidents, the risk of letting cats play outside, but I know the truth. My cats were viciously murdered by a ruthless killer.

We moved to the new house a few years ago. I barely remember the old house, but Mom and Richard said they were tired of renting and that’s why we moved. Now they argue a lot about paying the mortgage, or whatever it’s called.

Richard’s like my dad, only I call him Richard. He’s been around since I can remember, but not since I was born. My real dad had to go to a hospital in another state to get better from drugs. I haven’t seen him since I was three. I don’t even know what he looks like, and Mom never talks about him, except on the phone sometimes with Calista. Mom calls him the spam donor, or something. I don’t know why she just doesn’t call him Steve.

But this story isn’t about Mom and Richard or Steve or even drugs, though I’m probably getting sidetracked because I didn’t take my pill this morning. I don’t have to on Saturdays. There’s no school.

This story is about the assassin cat that lives next door and how I plan to take him out before he kills again.