Maniac Magee
- Full Title: Maniac Magee
- When Published: April, 1990
- Literary Period: Modern
- Genre: Children’s/Young Adult Fiction
- Setting: Two Mills, Pennsylvania
- Climax: Maniac is unable to rescue Russell McNab from the trolley trestle.
- Antagonist: Giant John McNab and Mars Bar Thompson
- Point of View: Third-Person Omniscient
Full Answer
What is the funniest part in Maniac Magee?
Spinelli creates a deliberately humorous picture of two people who are unhappy in their marriage but do not want to separate due to religion by describing how they split all their possessions and refuse to speak. Some would believe it ironic that Jeffery experienced discrimination (including bullying and graffiti) due to his skin color.
What are the personality traits of Maniac Magee?
- Jeffrey Lionel “Maniac” Magee. Jeffrey “Maniac” Magee is a legendary figure in the history of Two Mills, Pennsylvania. ...
- Amanda Beale. Amanda is the first person who talks to Maniac in Two Mills. ...
- Earl Grayson. ...
- Giant John McNab. ...
- Mars Bar Thompson. ...
- Finsterwald. ...
- Mrs. ...
- Mrs. ...
- George McNab. ...
- Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan. ...
Why was Maniac Magee considered a legend?
This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats. Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan.
What is the moral of Maniac Magee?
The moral of Maniac Magee seems to be that increased communication between people of different races, separated by social constructs like segregated neighborhoods as well as social boundaries and stereotypes passed down from adults to children, could lead to a more positive United States. Spinelli also shows that the actions and beliefs of even one person can begin to lead others toward this understanding.
Is Maniac Magee a true story?
Maniac Magee is not a true story. It is a novel, and novels are fictional.
Is Maniac Magee black or white?
whiteBy Jerry Spinelli until Maniac, who's just crazy enough to make it happen. Maniac is white, but the first family he finds a home with is black.
What is the theme in Maniac Magee?
In this novel of a young boy's attempt to unify the town of Two Mills, Spinelli juxtaposes three distinct themes: homelessness, racial prejudice, and literacy. The themes demonstrate Spinelli's realistic portrayal of the world as he sees it.
Is Maniac Magee appropriate for 4th grade?
A Must Read! I teach 4th grade and read this book for the first time this year. Jerry Spinelli does a magnificent job taking a true world issue and explaining it through a child's eyes. Maniac is a character who inspires you to try harder, be kinder, and not to judge others.
Is Maniac Magee colorblind?
He loved joining all the colors at the vacant lot and playing the summer days away. Maniac Magee was blind.
Is Maniac Magee fiction or nonfiction?
novelManiac Magee is a novel written by American author Jerry Spinelli and published in 1990 Exploring themes of racism and inequality, it follows the story of an orphan boy looking for a home in the fictional town of Two Mills.
Who dies in Maniac Magee?
They happily spend the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays together, and five days after Christmas, Grayson dies in his sleep. Maniac is alone again. To deal with his grief, Maniac runs wherever his legs will take him. Depressed and lonely, Maniac ends up at Valley Forge where he decides to die.
Does Maniac Magee have a movie?
Maniac Magee is a television film made for the Nickelodeon network, based on the novel of the same name by Jerry Spinelli. The story follows twelve-year-old Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee, an orphaned runaway with many extraordinary and athletic talents, who arrives in a town divided with racial conflict.
What is Cobble's knot in Maniac Magee?
By Jerry Spinelli The deal was, solve the knot, get a prize. Cobble's Knot ended up outliving Cobble's grocery. Now it's a pizza parlor, and the prize for solving the knot is a large pizza a week for a year.
How old should you be to read Maniac Magee?
Ages 8-12.
How old is Maniac Magee at the end of the book?
11-years-oldWhen he's 11-years-old, he's finally had enough, and takes off running. Yup, literally running. He runs for a couple hundred miles and a year, and ends up in Two Mills, Pennsylvania. Maniac doesn't know it yet, but Two Mills is a divided town.
What level book is Maniac Magee?
Grade Level: 5th (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.) Synopsis: Maniac Magee is a folk story about a boy, a very excitable boy. One that can outrun dogs, hit a home run off the best pitcher in the neighborhood, tie a knot no one can undo. "Kid's gotta be a maniac," is what the folks in Two Mills say.
Where is Maniac Magee from?
BridgeportManiac is born in Bridgeport, to "regular" parents, but he's soon orphaned by a tragic trolley accident. After living for eight years with Uncle Dan and Aunt Dot, Maniac runs away and ends up in Two Mills, Pennsylvania.
What is Maniac Magee's real name?
Jeffrey Lionel MageeHe wasn't born with the name Maniac Magee. He came into this world named Jeffrey Lionel Magee, but when his parents died and his life changed, so did his name. And Maniac Magee became a legend.
Where did the blacks live in Maniac Magee?
The town of Two Mills is split down the middle, with blacks living in East End and whites living in West End. Maniac Magee moves in with a black family on the East side and then a white family on the West, and in between houses, even lives at the town zoo.
How old was Maniac Magee when he ran away?
11-years-oldUncle Dan and Aunt Dot are strict Catholics who hate each other, meaning Maniac grows up in a loveless, largely silent house. When he's 11-years-old, he's finally had enough, and takes off running. Yup, literally running.
What is Maniac Magee best known for?
But the thing Maniac Magee is best known for is what he did for the kids from the East Side and those from the West Side. He was special all right, and this is his story, and it's a story that is very careful not to let the facts get mixed up with the truth. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, Scholastic Inc. 2002.
Who is Maniac Magee?
Maniac Magee is a legend. As a young boy he runs away from home from his fighting aunt and uncle, and finds himself in a series of houses, deer pens, bison pens, and baseball shells. He meets people along the way - white, black, old, and young. He meets people in poverty, people with strange perspectives.
How long did Maniac Magee live?
Maniac Magee. Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run.
What is the story of the boy named Lionel Magee?
the time when black people and white people were seperted. 'Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli is about a little boy named Jeffrey Lionel Magee. When he was only three years old, his parents died in a P&W high-speed trolley accident. Magee was then sent to his nearest relatives, Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan.
What is the plot of Maniac?
Plot: A little boy named Maniac's parents had a tragic death. He lives with his stupid aunt and uncle who should get a divorce. During a march of the animals or whatever school play, he shouts like Harry in the fifth and runs into the onion smelling night. He lives with animals and eats animal food.
Who is the narrator in Maniac Magee?
The beginning of the story, intrigued me most. Spinelli’ s narrator takes on the voice similar to that of a folklorist, examining the legend, the myth, the boy that is Maniac Magee. This may lead readers to interpret this book as a tall tale instead of realistic fiction.
Who is the boy in the movie "Magee would live in the Zoo and sleep with t. mage
Magee would live in the zoo and sleep with t. 'Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli is about a little boy named Jeffrey Lionel Magee. When he was only three years old, his parents died in a P&W high-speed trolley accident. Magee was then sent to his nearest relatives, Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan.
Maniac Magee: Introduction
A concise biography of Jerry Spinelli plus historical and literary context for Maniac Magee.
Maniac Magee: Detailed Summary & Analysis
In-depth summary and analysis of every chapter of Maniac Magee. Visual theme-tracking, too.
Maniac Magee: Quotes
Maniac Magee 's important quotes, sortable by theme, character, or chapter.
Maniac Magee: Symbols
Explanations of Maniac Magee 's symbols, and tracking of where they appear.
Brief Biography of Jerry Spinelli
As a child, Jerry Spinelli wanted to be either a cowboy or a professional baseball player. In high school, however, he stumbled upon writing as a future career path when his poem about a championship football game was published in a local paper. He majored in English at Gettysburg College and also took writing seminars at Johns Hopkins University.
Historical Context of Maniac Magee
Although it’s never stated exactly when the story takes place—which is part of the setting’s legendary feel—Spinelli has stated that the story draws from elements of his childhood in a small Pennsylvania town in the 1950s.
Extra Credit for Maniac Magee
Biographical Basis. The fictional town of Two Mills is based on Spinelli’s hometown of Norristown, Pennsylvania. Bridgeport, Pennsylvania (cited as Maniac’s hometown in the book) is indeed located across the Schuylkill River from Norristown.
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What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Jerry Spinelli 's Newbery Medal-winning novel Maniac Magee tells the story of an orphaned White boy who becomes a local legend in a racially divided town.
What's the story?
The book title MANIAC MAGEE refers to a boy (really named Jeffrey), who is such a fast and impressive athlete that people start referring to him as a "maniac." When the story begins, Jeffrey, who's White, is living with his aunt and uncle because his parents died in an accident when the boy was only 3.
Is it any good?
Jerry Spinelli's wonderful novel addresses essential issues of race and child raising, but it's never preachy. Instead, the author tells an engrossing and amusing story that makes kids think about their world, and it serves as a great discussion starter.
Talk to your kids about ..
Families can talk about families in Maniac Magee. Which families are happy? What is the author saying about what makes a loving family?
Tone and Mood
Though the mood may be somber at times due to Jeffery's lack of home and family, there is generally a tone of warmth and excitement.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Jeffery "Maniac" Magee is the protagonist. Antagonists might be Mars Bar Thompson or all of the inhabitants of East End who react negatively to Jeffery, though they come to accept him.
Major Conflict
Jeffery "Maniac" Magee needs to find a home but seeks it out in the black section of Two Mills, Pennsylvania.
Climax
Russel and Piper McNab are playing "Bombs Away" on the trolley trestle when they discover how high they are, which scares Russel so much that he can't get down. Maniac gets too scared to get down, likely because of his parents' deaths, leaving Mars Bar to save them.
Foreshadowing
Spinelli frequently ends chapters with foreshadowing such as "Maniac loved almost everything about his new life. But everything did not love him back" (56). There is also a "Before the Story" chapter at the beginning of the book that foreshadows Jeffery becoming the legend "Maniac Magee" and some of his accomplishments in East End.
Understatement
Grayson first tells Maniac that he wanted to be a baseball player when he grew up, not telling him that he went on to play in the Minor League.
Allusions
A reference to the Samaritans, from Bible verse Luke 10:33, is made to describe someone as good or helpful.
