MEET THE PAIN My sister's name is Abigail. I call her The Great One because she thinks she's so great. Who cares if she's in third grade and I'm just in first? MEET THE GREAT ONE My brother's name is Jacob Edward, but everyone calls him Jake. Everyone but me. I call him The Pain because that's what he is. He's a first-grade pain. I'll always know exactly what he's thinking. That's just the way it is. These seven warm-hearted stories will give young listeners a peek at how a brother and sister relate to each other.
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"This book was so good! Judy Blume always has this way of telling a story from different points of view (sometimes from the Pain's and sometimes from the Great One's) and always making it hilarious. The stories are really funny and show the dynamics of a family; most importantly that between a brother and a sister. This book shows that even though they often fight and get very annoyed with one another, no matter what your sibling will always be your friend and will always be there for you."
— Jacqueline (5 out of 5 stars)
" I loved This!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "
— Tori, 2/18/2014" I just read this book to my 2nd and 6th grader as a bed time story. They both loved it. Realistic sibling rivalry. Sibling, close to home situations. Our favorite chapter was The Great One not being able to ride a bike in third grade. "What third grader can't ride a bike?" --the Pain. Anybody with brothers or sisters or kids should read Judy Blume's funny book. "
— Shelly, 2/13/2014" This is a good book for young adults to read. "
— Melissa, 2/1/2014" This book inspires young children to stop fighting about everything silly or argue about some little opinion and over every little thing "
— Chaela, 1/31/2014" Good book for 3rd graders and up. "
— Emily, 1/29/2014" This book could be used to talk about the relationships that a child has with their sibling, or if they do not have a sibling, a close friend. It could be used to compare and contrast nice things versus the mean things that The Pain and The Great One have toward each other.Then as a teacher the class could talk about the benefits of working together with your brother/sister/friend and how it helps build relationships with each other. "
— Ashley, 1/24/2014" First Judy Blume book I can't say I enjoyed. I read this with Aidan, thinking it would be akin to the Fudge series. While there were similarities, I found the similarities sat more in the less appealing aspects of the book. I never saw the siblings display any true warmth towards each other - just bickering and competition (something we are trying to downplay in our house). I was also a bit peeved at the too-frequent use of insults - I grew more than tired of hearing one call the other "stupid." In the Fudge series, you feel a real affinity for both Peter and Fudge. In this? I just felt annoyed with both The Pain and the Great One. I won't be looking for the others in the series. "
— Kim, 1/22/2014" I heart Judy! "
— Alison, 1/18/2014" I thought this book was pretty funny and an easy read. "
— Beth, 1/2/2014" A fun read-aloud with Henry. We are enjoying the brother-sister dynamic. Sure feels like the siblings in our house... "
— Amanda, 12/31/2013" These are perfect little stories for 4-8 year olds. Blume describes normal things kids go through in an entertaining way: birthday parties, haircuts, soccer teams, sibling rivalry, etc. My 5 and 6 year old boys both loved listening to this. "
— Katie, 12/18/2013" I love judy blume really, she is just so fun and creative. I love her!!! we all should read all of her books!!! haha "
— Elaina, 11/29/2013" A really fun style of book with each chapter written by either the Pain or the Great One! "
— Emma, 11/27/2013" lots and lots of sibling rivalry but some nicer parts too. I think it would be a good read for a kid who is struggling with their sibling relationships. told from alternating perspectives. 7yo N loved it even though her relationship w her siblings has a very different dynamic. "
— Gillian, 11/23/2013" A bit boring, to be honest. Nowhere close to Blume's other wonderful books. "
— Martha, 11/18/2013" Judy Blume does it again with this funny two-sided story of a big sister (The Great One) and a little brother (the Pain). Anyone who has ever been either one will enjoy this. "
— Heather, 9/4/2013" I have read all the Judy Blume books to my daughter and this one is much like Super Fudge etc. More timely than those are now but Judy Blume still keeps the kids coming back for more. My daughter loves these books! "
— Jen, 7/2/2013" We listened to this on CD on our trip. A few of the stories were funny, but the kids weren't that interested. Just OK... "
— Jennifer, 5/1/2013" I thought it was a funy book! The charecters were kind of like me and my brother!The brother agravated the sister sometimes,and the sister agravated the brother sometimes. "
— Luci, 2/3/2013" More of the same silly humor with The Pain and The Great One. "
— Jackie, 12/28/2012" Another great children's book from Blume. Being the youngest of three I was often the pain! "
— Andrea, 11/24/2012" Not a fan. Characters lacked the development of earlier Blume books. While some of it was funny, I found a few of the story lines similar to other books. Good but not knock your socks off funny. "
— Sherri, 9/22/2012" I thought this books was simple, but funny. I liked it because the 8 year old girl couldn't ride a bike--just like our Kaitlin. Anyway, our kids loved this book, too. "
— Jeff, 7/8/2012" This book is great for beginner readers. I'm sure little kids would relate to the brother and sister rivalry. It was well written and great dialogue. I thought the illustrations were wonderful, and that's what attracted me to the book in the first place, plus I really liked the writing. "
— Patricia, 3/1/2012" It was an ok sorta book. It was not my favorite though. "
— Zoe, 2/4/2012" It was funny but it's not a must-have. I would borrow it from the library to read it. "
— Khadija, 1/17/2012" Not the Judy Blume I remembered and loved as a kid, but my 8 y/o enjoyed it. "
— Megan, 1/2/2012" Great audio book, with different readers for Jake and Abigail. It's a fun look at the complicated love/hate relationship between siblings. Perfect for early elementary school students. "
— Yapha, 12/12/2011" A beautiful story of a young sister and brother who struggle to get along but eventually find value in each other. This is a great book that students with siblings can relate to. "
— Kyle, 9/20/2011" This book has different stories about a girl thinking she is better than her brother "
— Katie, 9/12/2011" I can really relate to this book! I am the oldest child and have a little brother i think sometimes can be a pain! I can go on some pretty cool adventures with the pain and the great one! "
— Meg, 8/9/2011" I love the author Judy Blume and Loved the Pain and the great one series when I was in Grade 3. They are still fun to read when I have nothing to do so I think it is a awesome book! "
— Moe, 6/29/2011" The kids listened to this on audio book and loved it. They listened to it many times and could recite some of the dialog. "
— Dawn, 4/21/2011" Blume is back and just as good as always and Stevenson adds a wonderful layer to these whacky tales of a brother and sister. "
— Michael, 3/21/2011" Another great children's book from Blume. Being the youngest of three I was often the pain! "
— Andrea, 3/13/2011" I love judy blume really, she is just so fun and creative. I love her!!! we all should read all of her books!!! haha "
— Elaina, 1/28/2011" This book is great for beginner readers. I'm sure little kids would relate to the brother and sister rivalry. It was well written and great dialogue. I thought the illustrations were wonderful, and that's what attracted me to the book in the first place, plus I really liked the writing. "
— Patricia, 1/13/2011" We listened to this on CD on our trip. A few of the stories were funny, but the kids weren't that interested. Just OK... "
— Jennifer, 8/8/2010" This book has different stories about a girl thinking she is better than her brother "
— Katie, 6/5/2010" It was an ok sorta book. It was not my favorite though. "
— Zoe, 3/2/2010" I can really relate to this book! I am the oldest child and have a little brother i think sometimes can be a pain! I can go on some pretty cool adventures with the pain and the great one! "
— Meg, 2/1/2010" Here is a new series from Judy Blume aimed at early chapter book readers. It's called Pain and the Great One. The Pain is the younger brother and the Great One is the older sister. They trade off as the main character in each chapter. Entertaining read for both boys and girls. "
— Kim, 12/15/2009" Judy Blume does it again with this funny two-sided story of a big sister (The Great One) and a little brother (the Pain). Anyone who has ever been either one will enjoy this. "
— Heather, 8/22/2009Judy Blume is the enduringly popular author of many books for young readers. Over eighty million copies of her books have been sold, and the Fudge books (which feature a character based on her son Larry) are timeless classics. Among Blume’s many awards is the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. She lives in Key West with her husband.
Fred Berman has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He is an actor of theater, film, and television whose credits include Broadway’s The Lion King, Law & Order, and Directing Eddie, among others. He was featured in Entertainment Weekly for his work on the Walking Dead audiobook series.
Kathleen McInerney won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration in 2011 and was a finalist for the Audie in 2010 and 2015. Her narrations have also earned several AudioFile Earphones Awards. She has performed in New York and around the United States in both classical and contemporary theater. Her credits also include television commercials, daytime drama, radio plays, and a broad range of animation voice-overs.