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Book Review: My Name Is Brain/Brian by Jean Betancourt

This is one of a growing number of books about students with learning disabilities. Others already reviewed on this site are:

• Do Bananas Chew Gum? by Jamie Gilson
• Freak the Mighty and Max the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
• Yellow Bird And Me by Joyce Hansen
• Yolanda's Genius by Carol Fenner

Title, Author & Publisher: My Name Is Brain/Brian by Jean Betancourt. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1980.

Length: 128 pages, no illustrations.

Print size: fairly small (typical 'chapter book')

Other readability/instructional issues -

This book is written in the first person, in chronological order. Unlike _Freak the Mighty_ and its sequel, the narrator Sam's reading disability is a focal point of the book, though not as central as in _Do Bananas Chew Gum?_. It's a little bit easier to read than _Bananas_.

Summary: Brian has two thoughts for the new sixth grade year -- that he really "can do it this time" and, with his friends in the Joker's Club, that a "Joke a Day Brings Relief." There are many threads weaving through the story, as Brian negotiates troubles with homework and academics (and finds creative ways to do projects and reports), and learns the limits of friendships when some of the jokes are on him and his "friends" do things that will get him into trouble.

Typical words:

Typical multisyllable/irregular words - you may want to see how many of these words your students can identify before expecting them to read independently.