Maniac Magee, A Novel by Jerry Spinelli

Spinelli,J. (1990). Maniac magee. New York: Little Brown and Company, pp. 184.
Genre: Adolescent Literature, Fiction, John Newbery Medal,.

Maniac Magee is about a young boy named Jeffrey Magee who lost his parents in a tragic accident (not giving anything away I promise, it's in the first few pages), and winds up on his own discovering his own way. After losing his parents he is placed at his aunt and uncles, who have a very dysfunctional relationship where they do not speak and are constantly putting Jeffrey in the middle. After trying to deal with them for eight years, he screams at them one night at a school concert saying, "talk to each other!" and then he runs away. As Jeffrey goes on to try and find a new home, at only 11-years-old, he finds himself living in a buffalo shelter at the local zoo in a town called Two Mills, which is over 200 miles away from his aunt and uncle. He discovers very soon that Two Mills is a town divided by race, known as East End and West End, and no one crosses into the other neighborhood without paying a price. This story follows Jeffrey's journey as he uses his athletic and knot untying skills to become known as "maniac," discovers the meaning of home and belonging, and helps to try and unify a town.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of this book is that it does not tell what time period it is set in. The way the book deals with the issue of racial barriers seemed to me to be set around the time that integration was just starting, but it could have fit any time period. It could represent today's times and the issues with we still deal with. This book could be really useful in the classroom because it does address that issue. Magee's character is very strong and he appears to be fearless. Because he has been on his own for a while, he doesn't realize the depth of the issue that Two Mills is experiencing. But even after he realizes how serious of an issue he is facing, after being welcomed into an African-American family home, he still faces the issue bravely and challenges others to accept each other. I admired his character and his determination to make a difference in people's lives, even though his own life was filled with adversity. The other characters in this novel help to build Magee's character and, through his journey to find a home, he is taught many valuable lessons. This book would be valuable to any adolescent who was in foster care, had lost a parent, or didn't ever really feel like they had a stable home. Magee helps to represent those students in a positive light and help them to see that they can still be successful people and powerful influences in the world.

This book would be great as a read aloud. It has many scenes that younger kids would probably find really funny if read aloud to them. It could also be used as a small group, or individual read.

The best age range for this novel would be around 11 to 14-years-old. The overriding themes and concepts are not that hard to discover so it would be good for that age group because the issues are presented in a way that is appropriate for them and easy for them to relate to.

At first I had a hard time getting into this novel. I tend to find it hard to follow something that is not concrete in nature of its setting. But after I became emotionally connected to Magee's character, I began to realize that I didn't need to know exactly when the story was taking place because the plot was written well enough for me to overcome that. I would recommend this book to younger students, especially boys. Girls would also enjoy this book, but it does have an overriding sports theme that accompanies it.