Maniac Magee

Maniac Magee
by Jerry Spinelli

Little Brown & Company, 1990







Genre:  Fiction, Humor

Honors:  Newbery Award, Boston Globe Horn Book Award, Carolyn W Field Award, Arkansas Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award, Delaware Diamonds, Hawaii Nene Award, Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award, Kansas William Allen White Children's Book Award, Massachusetts Children's Book Award, Missouri Mark Twain Book Award, New Mexico Land of Enchantment Award, New York Charlotte Award, North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award, Ohio Buckeye Children's Award, Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award, Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award, Rhode Island Children's Book Award, Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, Virginia Readers Choice, West Virginia Children's Choice Book Award, Wisconsin Golden Archer Award, Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award
Review:  Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee is an orphan who ran away from his oppressive home with his aunt and uncle, a couple who wouldn't share a single thing - except the roof they lived under. He came to a city that was split by race, East and West Ends, but overcame that difference by seeing all the people as the same.  This commendable trait along with Maniac's participation in extraordinary incidents upon his arrival created a unification of the two Ends, and made Jeffrey a legend for all time.

Opinion:  A fantastic and inspiring story of overcoming odds and finding a place in this world, made a heartwarming read for me. Spinelli incorporated humor which I found added a perfect cadence of realism and added a layer of fun.

Ideas:  If kids were looking for some of the great Newbery Award books, I would suggest this one. Additionally, this book would work well on a display of stories related to the division between African-Americans and Caucasions.