Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Book Genre: Fiction

Publishing Info: Scholastic, Inc. 184 pages

Awards or honors received: Newbery Medal

Summary: Maniac Magee (which is a nickname) runs away from home and becomes a legend in the town of Two Mills. He runs the streets all day and finds various places to sleep at night. He has many talents that the citizens of the town quickly notice. Because of these talents, the kids in the town try to find out who he is. Throughout the story, Maniac temporarily lives with several different people, but there always seems to be a problem. The West-End of town doesn't like him because he's white, and the East-End of town doesn't like him because he has lived in the West-End. Because of his status as a legend, though, Maniac is able to change the racial opinions and feelings of the residents of Two Mills.

Personal rating and reason for rating: **** Great! I think Jerry Spinelli did and excellent job creating a character that was able to chance social prejudices and do it on a kids level. Students will be able to understand that the town in the story is divided and that Maniac's character helps to change that. Students can be inspired to change things in their towns or schools that they know aren't right, even when some people are against what they stand for. The book is entertaining while still teaching about a serious topic.

Reading level: 5.4

Interest level: 4-7 grades

Possible uses of the text in integrated units of study (reading and writing across the curriculum):

Math: Throughout the story Maniac is running. There are several specific times and distances that he runs. Math problems could be created to figure out how far Maniac runs on average each day, how long it would take him to cross North Carolina, and even the country.

Social Studies: Because the topic of segregation is prevalent in the story, students can research racial segregation and integration in the US, in North Carolina, and in our city.

Art: Create a collage that represents all the things that make Maniac a "legend" in Two Mills.

Writing: Maniac learned about life in the past by talking with Grayson (an older man who worked at the zoo). Students can interview a senior citizen about life in the past and write one of their stories to share with the class.

Potential Problems or Difficulties: Maniac Magee contains lots of racial issues. Students may become offended at some of the remarks made by some characters. Make sure to explain that at that time, some towns were segregated, and that blacks and whites didn't always like each other simply because of skin color.