Author: -Jerry Spinelli
Title: -Maniac Magee
Publisher: -Little, Brown and Company
Year: -1990
Format: -Hardcover Book
Genre: -Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: -Independent Reader
Interest Level: -Late Elementary/ Early Middle School
Topics: -Newbery Award, Racism, Home, Acceptance, Approval.
Summary: - The story is all about a boy named Jeffery Lionel Magee. His parents had been killed by a drunk driving accident and he was left to his Aunt and Uncle of whom he ran away from because of the racially controversial setting they lived in. A year later, he finds himself across the river from where his Aunt and Uncle live, on the "wrong" side (racially). He earns his nickname after a scuffle with a bully (Mars Bars) and is saved by his new and one of his only friends, Amanda. Amanda Beale takes Maniac Magee in and he becomes a part of their family until a few of the East siders make it clear they do not want him there. Maniac does everything in his power to make the family like him, and is happy that he has a home. But his happiness only lasts for so long because he does not want to hurt the Beale's anymore so he runs away to the buffalo pen. After a couple more instances of becoming homeless, and finding a home, and becoming homeless again, Magee ends up happy in the home of the Beale's.
Publisher: -Little, Brown and Company
Year: -1990
Format: -Hardcover Book
Genre: -Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: -Independent Reader
Interest Level: -Late Elementary/ Early Middle School
Topics: -Newbery Award, Racism, Home, Acceptance, Approval.
Summary: - The story is all about a boy named Jeffery Lionel Magee. His parents had been killed by a drunk driving accident and he was left to his Aunt and Uncle of whom he ran away from because of the racially controversial setting they lived in. A year later, he finds himself across the river from where his Aunt and Uncle live, on the "wrong" side (racially). He earns his nickname after a scuffle with a bully (Mars Bars) and is saved by his new and one of his only friends, Amanda. Amanda Beale takes Maniac Magee in and he becomes a part of their family until a few of the East siders make it clear they do not want him there. Maniac does everything in his power to make the family like him, and is happy that he has a home. But his happiness only lasts for so long because he does not want to hurt the Beale's anymore so he runs away to the buffalo pen. After a couple more instances of becoming homeless, and finding a home, and becoming homeless again, Magee ends up happy in the home of the Beale's.
Extension Activities:
-This book is very racially controversial. It is interesting that this kind of unequality can be compared back to nearly seventy years ago. Many of our grandparents or great-grandparents have gone through this kind of racism in the United States. Split up into groups of four or five, have each group present a skit on racism, discrimination, segregation, or judgmental behaviors using the the book.
-Improve writing skills: In the novel, Maniac Magee has amazing baseball, football, rescuing people from bullies, and long distance running skills. What is another super-human skill that he posesses? What will he be able to do with this skill? How will this affect the town? Write three paragraphs.
-It's really interesting to see what each person thinks a character looks like when there are no illustrations to a book. Have each child draw a picture of what they think the main character looked like: Maniac Magee, Amanda Beale, Mars Bars, John McNab, and Earl Grayson.
-This book is very racially controversial. It is interesting that this kind of unequality can be compared back to nearly seventy years ago. Many of our grandparents or great-grandparents have gone through this kind of racism in the United States. Split up into groups of four or five, have each group present a skit on racism, discrimination, segregation, or judgmental behaviors using the the book.
-Improve writing skills: In the novel, Maniac Magee has amazing baseball, football, rescuing people from bullies, and long distance running skills. What is another super-human skill that he posesses? What will he be able to do with this skill? How will this affect the town? Write three paragraphs.
-It's really interesting to see what each person thinks a character looks like when there are no illustrations to a book. Have each child draw a picture of what they think the main character looked like: Maniac Magee, Amanda Beale, Mars Bars, John McNab, and Earl Grayson.
