Product Description

Struggling with problems that the kids in his class see as clowning around, such as mixing things up and spelling letters backwards, Brian learns he has dyslexia and suffers peer teasing when his friends do not understand. Reprint. K. SLJ.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #150334 in Books
• Published on: 1995-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Brian dreads entering sixth grade, knowing his learning experiences will be fraught with the confusion and frustration of years past. But on opening day, his teacher recognizes his problem--tipped off by the boy's reversing letters when writing his name--and conducts a battery of tests. Results indicate that, despite a keen intellect, Brian has dyslexia. A meeting with Brian's (heretofore unaware) parents leads to a support program at home and at school. Betancourt ( More Than Meets the Eye ) "brings her own experience with dyslexia to Brian's story," though it seems unlikely that a child in a modern-day urban environment would reach sixth grade without having been diagnosed. (The boy's father and grandfather are similarly afflicted.) A superfluous subplot concerns the point system Brian and his friends devise for clowning in school; lengthy passages about Canada geese further slow the pace. Despite rather undistinguished writing, struggling students may relate to this protagonist's difficulties. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-- Brian and his fellow members of the Jokers Club hate school. To make it more fun, they create a secret game, winning points for making other people laugh during the day. Brian wins the first point when he writes his name as "Brain" on the blackboard. But it's no joke. He is dyslexic. Betancourt weaves in a good deal of information on this learning disability, but first and foremost, this is a story. Brian, who narrates, is characterized by more than his problem. Not only must he practice new ways to learn, but he must also deal with his father, also dyslexic; with a childhood friend whose behavior becomes increasingly disturbing; and with a girl he hates. As readers follow him through the sixth grade and see the changes it makes in his life, he becomes a real person to them. They will close the book with a sigh of satisfaction. It is written clearly and simply, with an obvious understanding of, and empathy for, Brian. That this is a good story balances three problems readers might have with the book: the chapter titles are confusing, some sections that focus specifically on dyslexia might be boring, and Brian's handwriting, which appears throughout, is hard to read. Children with learning problems will relate well to this book; as a presentation of that issue, it's outstanding. --Constance A. Mellon, Department of Library & Information Studies, East Carolina Uni versity, Greenville, NC
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Brian starts school hoping to do better this year, only to mess up by misspelling his own name the first day. Fortunately, his no-nonsense sixth-grade teacher is different from last year's pushover: not only does he spot Brian's previously undiagnosed dyslexia and arrange for an effective educational plan, but he's obviously an unsuitable butt for the pranks Brian and his three pals have projected for their ``Jokers' Club'' competition. Betancourt's profile of Brian's family is prototypical, if mostly plausible: his ``learning difference'' is in its third generation, but unsympathetic Dad (a carpenter) persists in thinking that Brian simply doesn't work hard enough. Meanwhile, the unusually intelligent Brian is lucky enough to be offered a fine combination of tutoring and mainstreaming with a gifted and resourceful teacher. He gets through the opprobrium associated with his new status with relative ease, begins to build on his real interests with a class project, and--in some pleasantly suspenseful exchanges--gets the better of his two less savory friends and comes to appreciate the third, plus an erstwhile enemy. Packaged with earnest intent and a somewhat pat outcome, but still a skillfully structured, entertaining story; Brian himself, struggling to redefine himself in terms of his newly discovered potential, is drawn with real insight. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

My Name is Brian
Being an (teacher in training) adult that is not dyslexic but a parent of a dyslexic child, I was very interested to read this book. It gives an insight into how a dyslexic child may feel and is motivated however struggles to maintain it due to the written word being so prevalent in our world!!

Insightful sensitive writing, that was easy to read and understand for adults and children alike.

Good to gain a perspective from a dyslexic child's viewpoint!

My Name is Brain/Brian
This book should be required reading for all dyslexic kids and those
who teach them (parents and educators). It really touchs so many
facets of dsylexia in a kind and straight forward way - and it's a
really good story too!

One of my favorite books
What can I say about "MNISBB"? It's great. Highly recommended to mature preteens who can appreciate it's newberry honor plot. (Why DIDN'T it get newberry?)