Maniac Magee
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Age Level: 11+ years
Newberry Award: 1990
This novel is essentially a tall tale about a boy who does his part to ease the racial tensions between blacks and whites in the town of Two Mills. Jeffrey Magee is orphaned at a young age and spends the next several years literally running, trying to find a place he can call home. He lives with his aunt and uncle for some time, but runs away from these feuding guardians. Next he finds himself in the racially divided town of Two Mills, Pennsylvania where he is taken in by a black family by the name of Beale. After performing several amazing feats, like making an inside-the-park home-run bunt with a frog, surviving Finsterwald's backyard, and untying Cobble's Knot, he is nicknamed Maniac Magee. However, the presence of a white kid in the middle of East End is not accepted by everyone and he runs out of town to protect the Beales. He spends some months living in a bandshell at the zoo with an elderly man named Earl Grayson. He feels that he has finally found a home, but Grayson unexpectedly dies. Maniac is forced to run again. This time he ends up with the McNab family from West End - a family that is the antithesis of the Beales. After gradually winning the respect of his rival, Mars Bar Thompson, Maniac can finally return "home".
Like most characters from tall tales, Jeffrey 'Maniac' Magee certainly ranks among the most likeable and memorable. The author effectively draws his readers in and generates genuine concern for Maniac in his quest for his true home. Mr. Spinelli has also done an outstanding job of introducing the serious theme of racism while including enough humor to prevent the tone of the novel from becoming too somber. While the subject matter and character interactions were at times a little raw, overall this was an enjoyable read that could spark some very good discussion.
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