The protagonist of maniac magee is a most unusual character living a very different kind of life than most boys his age. Nobody was at his funeral, so maniac runs away again. Maniac magee is considered as an important literary work. Maniac magee is a novel written by american author jerry spinelli and published in 1990.
The relationship of kids to racial identity in maniac magee has been used as a topic in a number of studies. As we read maniac magee, you are required to answer questions over the chapters. Read maniac magee by jerry spinelli available from rakuten kobo. The setting, which is where and when a story takes place, in maniac magee is the recent past in the state of pennsylvania. Jeffery lionel magee maniac magee genre of the story. Although the book is a bit difficult to get into, the persistent reader will be well rewarded.
Make sure you use the book to help you answer the questions. Well explore the major events and problems in the book, and discuss its conclusion. Maniac magee book summary maniac magee is about jeffrey lionel magee s search for home and the racial prejudice in the town of two mills. In maniac magee, jerry spinelli writes a young adult novel in which the. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli chapters 1 4 before you read the chapters. Exposing his readers to the issues of homelessness, racial prejudice and discrimination, and the importance of literacy, spinelli attempts to instill hope and enthusiasm for a society of more tolerant and. He is an 11 year old whose parents died on a trestle.
Maniac magee book summary maniac magee is about jeffrey lionel magees search for home and the racial prejudice in the town of two mills. He ran away from his aunt and uncles house because they were not getting along. Maniac magee ebook by jerry spinelli 9780316333504. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of maniac magee by jerry spinelli. This humorous yet poignant story tells of a superathletic teenager who bridges his small towns racial gap. Parents need to know that jerry spinellis maniac magee is an exciting, moving, and sometimes funny story, brilliantly told, about an orphan boy who runs away from his feuding aunt and uncle at age 8 and makes a name and legend for himself in a racially divided town.
Novel comparison this 2page organizer will help your students compare the novel to the movie. Hes so cool that he has his very own jumprope rhyme. What is the setting of the story man of the house answers. Jeffrey gets the nickname maniac after performing athletic feats of mythic proportions and appearing fearless in the face of bullies and other terrifying situations. Jeffrey lionel maniac magee is an orphan searching for a loving home when he finds himself in a small, segregated town in pennsylvania. It is about a boys parents died in a trolley accident.
The settings where maniac magee takes place and where jerry grew up are similar and different an several different ways. The first half of maniac magee made me wonder why the books been popular for a quarter century. Maniac magee is a young boy, who takes an interest in people. After learning this, mars started to help maniac and become a good friend. How could we not, when maniac magee finally ends with maniac simply content that finally, truly, at long last, someone was calling him home 46. Maniac tries to find a home, soothes tensions between rival factions on the tough side of town, and becomes a true hero. Before the storychapter 4, 59, 1014, 1519, 2024, 2529, 3034, 3539, 4044, 4546. Then he and maniac buy a stack of picture books, like mike mulligans steam shovel and the little engine that could. The setting of the story takes place in a place called greenwich village, which is in new york. Teacher asks students to recall what setting is time and place of a story. The setting at the start of the book is in bridgeport. This lesson will give a summary of the popular book maniac magee, a novel written by jerry spinelli.
After the miles and miles maniacs seenbetterdays sneakers chewed up, the book ends with him heading home to the place hes been looking for this whole time. After the miles and miles maniac s seenbetterdays sneakers chewed up, the book ends with him heading home to the place hes been looking for this whole time. Amanda says she was just about ready to let him read her encyclopedia a but since hes leaving, he cannot. He was born in a house, a pretty ordinary house, right across the river from here, in bridgeport. Find out, as you watch jeffrey maniac magee run in and out of the lives of people who will be forever changed because they met him. I like this book because he likes to run and i like to run too. This is a novel study for maniac magee by jerry spinelli. Maniac magee by spinelli, jerry and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Maniac magee part 1 chapters 18 summary and analysis. A reason why they are both similar is because they both lived near philadelphia and their towns were both split into the west and east ends. Maniac teaches grayson to read while grayson teaches maniac baseball skills. Major themes cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. Jeffrey lionel maniac magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadnt made him an orphan.
Then maniac magee ends up in holidaysburg, then ended up in twin mills. This opens up a bunch of fun and criticalthinking co. About maniac magee maniac magee summary character list glossary themes quotes and analysis part 1 chapters 18 part 1 chapters 921 part 2 chapters 2227 part 2 chapters 2832 part 3 chapters 3345 symbols, allegory and motifs metaphors and similes irony imagery segregation and racism in the 20thcentury united states literary. Jeffrey lionel maniac magee might have lived a normal life if a f. They have a conflict when maniac magee wants to move out of the beales house and back into the deer pen. Jeffrey gets the nickname maniac after performing athletic feats of mythic proportions and appearing fearless in the. 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. The writing is excellent throughout, but initially i wasnt interested in maniac or the other characters. Think back on some of your favorite characters from past. More specifically, it is located in the racially divided town of two mills. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli is the story of an exceptional boy named jeffrey lionel magee, but nearly everyone calls him maniac. When he was in the east end one day he met a girl named amanda. For christmas, grayson gives maniac a baseball mitt and a brand new baseball maniac gave him a book about grayson.
Hes sent to live with his aunt dot and uncle dan, and, despite dots sporty name, its not a fun household. Jeffrey lionel magee is living a normal life until his parents are killed in a tragic trolley accident when hes three. It won the 1991 newbery medal and remains a vital, relevant classic. The protagonist in most novels features the main character or good guy.
What is the setting of the book maniac magee answers. This study guide consists of approximately 30 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of maniac magee. Spinelli has written the novel in third person he said, as opposed to i said, which is called first person, using an objective viewpoint in which the thoughts and feelings of the characters are not. The story reminded me of paul bunyan and other legendary folks who had mindboggling abilities. A newbery medal winning modern classic about a racially divided small town and a boy who runs. Reading practice, literacy skills, vocabulary practice. Maniac says he will just get a library card and amanda says he cant. Maniac magee time line timeline timetoast timelines. Maniac magee was born in a dump, his heart is a cereal box, he has an eightinch pet cockroach on a leash. This novel study divides maniac magee into ten sections for study. It is really in only one place in this short story, and it is inside sue and johnsys house. The perfect companion to jerry spinellis, maniac magee, this study guide contains a chapter by chapter analysis of the book, a summary of the plot, and a guide to major characters and themes.
Little, brown and company takes great pleasure and pride in announcing that, effective immediately, we will be the sole publisher of the paperback edition of jerry spinellis classic newbery medal winner, maniac magee. After reading maniac magee, students will view the film and analyze the differences. The students in elementary school also read it as a part of the curricula. He becomes a local legend for feats of athleticism and helpfulness, and his ignorance of sharp racial boundaries in the town. Maniac learnss that grayson was an illiterate minor league player. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Maniac magee, lived with his parents until he was 3 years old. Chapters 15 please read the following questions and circle the correct answer.