Maniac Magee
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Maniac Magee
by Authors:
Jerry Spinelli
Released: 01 November, 1999
ISBN: 0316809063
Paperback
Sales Rank: 6604
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List price:
$6.99
Our price:
$6.29
(You save: $0.7)
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| Book > Maniac Magee > Customer Reviews: |
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Average Customer Rating: 
Maniac Magee >
Customer Review #1:
 The Boy of Many Feats
Running short of books to read? Youre looking for a good to read? Well look no further because Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli, is waiting for you. Jeffrey Lionel Magee, AKA Maniac, is just a twelve year old, scruffy, orphaned boy but as soon as he sets foot in Two Mills, Pennsylvania a legend is born. Hes as fast as sound: bunting a frog for a homerun, scoring 49 touchdowns in one day, and beating a kid running backwards and the kid was running forwards. Unfortunutly, Two Mills is split into two ends, with Whites on the West End and Blacks on the East End but does Maniac know about the difference between skin colors? No he doesnt.
There are many events that take place in the story to move along. First, Maniacs (then Jeffrey) parents die in a famous trolley crash. Then, he goes to live with his Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan who hate each other. After that he runs away at a chorus recital and isnt seen for a year. Next, he wanders into Two Mills and makes 4 appearances that day, also getting the nickname Maniac. Next, he starts to live at the Beales. Then he leaves the Beales and runs away to the zoo. Then, he is found by an old man,Grayson, who lets Maniac stay with him. After that, Grayson died. Maniac runs away to Valley Forge waiting for death. Then he meets Russell and Piper McNab, who invite him to their run-down house which will later be turned into a pillbox. After that, he provoaks Russell and Piper to stay in school by doing "heoric" feats. After that, Maniac doesnt stay in one set place and starts goes all over. Finally, Maniac stays with the Beales forever. Those are some important events in Maniac Magee.
Many people have different opinions about Maniac Magee. I believe this is an excellant book, everything clearly stated. I would recommend it to kids who are in thier seventh month of fourth grade through their fifth grade. I liked everything about this book except one thing which is the way the McNabs house is described with roaches and things like that. This book truly deserves its five stars.
Maniac Magee >
Customer Review #2:
Maniac Magee
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli is a wonderfully written novel that explores several delicate topics in a lighthearted manner. The main character, Jeffrey Lionel Magee, must deal with not only the loss of his parents, but also feeling unwanted by his relatives. Due to feeling unwanted by his Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan, Maniac runs away and finds himself in a variety of sticky situations. The situations range from gangs to racial prejudice. The way that Maniac befriends Amanda Beale and the how he becomes friends with Mars Bar helps students learn how to overcome racial prejusdice. He teaches an old man how to read and even rescues two young boys and convinces them not to run away from their home. Maniac tries to unite the East End (Whites) and the West End (Blacks) by getting them to see past the color of a persons skin and see a person.
This book is a wonderful tool to open up discussions. My students loved discussing the "Finsterwallies" and envisioning the "frogball". Young teens are excited to read this book simply to find out what is going to happen to Maniac next. He gets himself into some hilarious situations and some sad situations. The short, fast moving chapters help to keep the reader motivated. Everyday when we would stop reading, my students would beg for more time to read. I think that Jerry Spinelli did a fabulous job writing this novel and my students and I absolutely loved it!
Maniac Magee >
Customer Review #3:
 Uh...no...
Right...well, I suppose you could say I didnt fully understand the point of this book. A little boys parents die, he has to live with his feuding Aunt and Uncle and then he runs away one day. When he finds a place to live he runs away. The book is about a boy running for no reason....right...as I said I didnt fully understand the point.
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Maniac Magee >
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