Book Review: Maniac Magee

| By: Committee for Children

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Reading Level: Grades 4-8

Jeffrey Lionel Magee is legendary for so many reasons: he outruns trains, he unravels impossible knots, he outslugs neighborhood baseball stars, and he befriends buffaloes. When it comes right down to it, though, “Maniac” Magee’s most astonishing feat is his ability to connect with people. An orphan at age three and homeless at 11 after leaving his silently feuding aunt and uncle’s house, the boy begins running for hours every day, seeking a true home. He winds up in Two Mills, a town split decisively down racial lines. Only, Maniac doesn’t really “get” racism:

“Maniac kept trying, but he still couldn’t see it, this color business. He didn’t figure he was white any more than the East Enders were black. He looked himself over pretty hard and came up with at least seven different shades and colors right on his own skin, not one of them being what he would call white (except for his eyeballs, which weren’t any whiter than the eyeballs of the kids in the East End).” As for being black, “For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why these East Enders called themselves black. He kept looking and looking and the colors he found were gingersnap and light fudge and dark fudge and acorn and butter rum and cinnamon and burnt orange. But never licorice, which, to him, was real black.” Maniac finds kindness and mean-spiritedness on both sides of Hector Street, Two Mills’ dividing line. Through his own kindness, his fabled—and real—acts of strength and courage, and his unusual mix of wisdom and ingenuousness, he helps the people of Two Mills come a little closer to crossing Hector Street.

 

Social-Emotional Lessons in Maniac Magee

Maniac Magee does not “cure” anyone of racism, although he does open some closed eyes and hearts in Two Mills. Even after soaking in all the tall tales surrounding Maniac, readers will finish Jerry Spinelli’s Newbery Medal-winning classic with a sense of realistic hope. It’s not necessary to be a phenomenal athlete or fearless maniac to have an impact. The characters who change the most are the ones who get beyond the legends and begin to know Maniac as a real person. He affects everyone he encounters because of his willingness to care, regardless of circumstances.

 

Classroom Activity

Ask students, “Have you ever been sure you were right about something and then found out there may be another side to the issue? Or have you ever seen someone else change their mind after thinking something through?” Have them write about that experience, or, if they don’t have a personal example, have them re-write a portion of Maniac Magee from the perspective of one of the characters who changed (such as Giant John McNab after Maniac brings his runaway brothers home safely; Grayson when he decides to let Maniac teach him how to read; Mars Bar Thompson watching Maniac take a bite of his candy bar, or after helping Maniac save the McNab brothers yet again…).