Maniac Magee

Title: Maniac Magee
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Genre: Realistic Fiction (chapter book)

Jeffrey Lionel Magee (better known as "Maniac Magee") was orphaned at the age of three after his parents were in a trolley accident. Jeffrey earned the nickname "Maniac" because of his wild ways, outlandish thinking, and daredevil attitude. Jeffrey is sent to live with his Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan, who refuse to speak to each other. This unsatisfactory home life leads Jeffrey to rebel and run away from his life as he knows it. Maniac decides to try to live with other families in lieu of his own. Maniac first lives with the Beales family, a warm and hospitable African American family. Maniac loves living with the Beales but quickly realizes that his presence as a white youngster in their house is causing them trouble in the neighborhood. So Maniac decides to move on to live with an old man named Grayson. Grayson and Maniac get along famously and share a passion for baseball. Maniac teaches Grayson about his views on racial equality, and their bond strengthens. Sadly though Grayson's old age eventually overtakes him and he passes away, forcing Maniac to move on once again. The next family that takes Maniac in is the McNab family. They are very strict, yet dysfunctional as a family unit. The McNabs have many racial tendencies, and eventually kick Maniac out after he tries to introduce one of his homeless African American friends, nicknamed Mars Bar, into their family. Mars Bar and Maniac continue their friendship, and eventually move together back into the Beales home with the communities blessing.

Maniac Magee was one of my favorite books as I approached the end of my elementary school age. It is also the recipient of numerous awards including the Newbery Medal. This book is an engaging and heartfelt book that illustrates racial issues in a way like no other. This book does not tiptoe on the line of political correctness, but rather earnestly and honestly delves into divisive issues such as racial tension. The message that is drawn after reading Maniac Magee is one that conveys the sense of humanity in every person despite race, creed, or socioeconomic status. Though Maniac Magee addresses important social issues as its main claim to fame, it also contains a vast variety of intricate vocabulary words. A technology based lesson that one could use in the classroom could consist of the creation of an online vocabulary quiz or test as a pre- or post assessment of a student's knowledge of vocabulary words included in the text. I used a free test creation website and included ten words from the book as an interactive way to acquire a sense of student's knowledge of vocabulary.

http://mytest.vocabtest.com/user_test.php?tid=46570