Young Adult (Middle Grade), Comedy, Historical Fiction
The Great Brain centers on three brothers growing up in 1896. It's set in a real time long before our time, making it historical fiction. The boys range in age from seven to almost twelve, and their concerns (friends, school, play, and chores) are typical of children in what today would be elementary to middle school. They haven't reached the age of young adult concerns like identity, romance, and coming-of-age, so we'll place this one squarely in middle grade territory. Finally, we can laugh along with Tom's parents at his antics and shake our heads at J.D.'s naïveté—as a lighthearted book with a happy ending and no great tragedies, it's definitely a bit of a comedy.