Maniac Magee - Module 4

Maniac Magee
by Jerry Spinelli


Newbery Medal 1991

Published by Little, Brown Books (1990)
ISBN 9780316807227
Grades: 6-10

Tale

Born as Jeffrey Lionel Magee, it is due to his amazing skills, his fearlessness nature, and impetus in straighten things up that he becomes simply Maniac Magee. Orphan at age of three, he is brought to live with his uncle and aunt, which are not example of a happy family. At 12, he runs away and finds out a reality of two worlds divided by one street and by racism: blacks in one side and whites on the other side of this small town. Although a white little boy, he becomes a legend on both worlds. The book portrays Magee adventures, and misadventures, around these two words.

Thoughts

While the other characters of the book sees Magee as an impetuous boy, which can run as fast as a lightening, and to be not afraid of anybody or anything, the reader meet a boy with a big heart, who does not support rivalry, who does not understand racism, who wants to have an address more than a house. He loses too many loved ones but he does win a big battle!

This is a great story which I would recommend for readers older than the ones primarily aimed (ages 9-12). Although lightened up by Spinelli’s skilled count, with funny characteristics on some of the personages, the book is a serious portrait of a heavy reality. To learn more about Maniac Magee and to listen to an excerpt read by Spinelli, click here.

About the author  

Born on February 1, 1941 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Spinelli’s first published work as a writer was a poem about his school football team, published on the local newspaper. His first four adult novels didn’t have the same faith; they were all rejected by publishers. When the fifth one became rejected as an adult novel, based on the 13 years old protagonist, the story was published as a children’s book. Spinelli became, then, a noted children’s author with 25 published books.

To visit Jerry Spinelli official website, click here.

Review

SLJ Reviews 1990 June
Website: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

"Gr 6-10-- Warning: this interesting book is a mythical story about racism. It should not be read as reality. Legend springs up about Jeffrey ``Maniac'' Magee, a white boy who runs faster and hits balls farther than anyone, who lives on his own with amazing grace, and is innocent as to racial affairs. After running away from a loveless home, he encounters several families, in and around Two Mills, a town sharply divided into the black East End and the white West End. Black, feisty Amanda Beale and her family lovingly open their home to Maniac, and tough, smart-talking ``Mars Bar'' Thompson and other characters are all, to varying degrees, full of prejudices and unaware of their own racism. Racial epithets are sprinkled throught the book; Mars Bar calls Maniac ``fishbelly,'' and blacks are described by a white character as being ``today's Indians.'' In the final, disjointed section of the book, Maniac confronts the hatred that perpetuates ignorance by bringing Mars Bar to meet the Pickwells--``the best the West End had to offer.'' In the feel-good ending, Mars and Maniac resolve their differences; Maniac gets a home and there is hope for at least improved racial relations. Unreal? Yes. It's a cop-out for Spinelli to have framed this story as a legend--it frees him from having to make it real, or even possible. Nevertheless, the book will stimulate thinking about racism, and it might help educate those readers who, like so many students, have no first-hand knowledge of people of other races. Pathos and compassion inform a short, relatively easy-to-read story with broad appeal, which suggests that to solve problems of racism, people must first know each other as individuals. --Joel Shoemaker, Tilford Middle School, Vinton, IA Copyright 1990 Cahners Business Information."

Activity

At Nancy Polette’s website I found three interesting activities to be promoted with Maniac Magee reading. I liked these activities because they approach distinct subjects that are important and still current. The first activity is a text comprehension exercise; the second activity relates to homeless people; and the third activity is about conflict resolution. To see the activities, click here.