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
Is Maniac Magee a true story?
The story is not true, making it fictional, but it could be true, which makes it realistic. The story could theme in various way. In the book Maniac Magee, the themes are about homelessness and family, racism, friendship, and the importance of school and literacy based on the point of view of different characters of the story.
Why was Maniac Magee considered a legend?
Jeffery Lionel Magee earns the nickname Maniac Magee because of his unconventional, reckless lifestyle and memorable accomplishments, which have become legendary in the racially divided town of Two... How did Jeffrey save Arnold Jones in Maniac Magee?
What is the moral of Maniac Magee?
What is the moral of the story in 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.
What makes Maniac Magee a legend in the story?
Maniac Magee is a wandering orphan who is notorious for completing nearly impossible feats which leave a lasting legacy and make him a legend throughout the town. Maniac Magee proceeds to enter the horrifying Finsterwald’s backyard to save a helpless boy named Arnold Jones.
How is Maniac Magee classified as a genre?
Fiction writing is about subjects and events that are made-up or imaginary (events that have not actually happened in real life). You have read a lof of fiction books in school. Some examples of fiction books are: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, or The Giver by Lois Lowry.
Is Maniac Magee a boy?
Maniac Magee is a 1990 novel by Jerry Spinelli. Winner of the 1991 Newberry Medal, the novel introduces the character of Lionel "Maniac" Magee, a twelve-year-old boy who runs away from an unloving household. After running for a year, he ends up in the town of Two Mills.
Is Maniac Magee black or white?
By 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.
Is Maniac Magee a true story?
Maniac Magee is not a true story. It is a novel, and novels are fictional.
Is Maniac Magee allergic to pizza?
When they took Maniac to the doctor they discovered that Maniac had never had pizza before and that is why he did not know he had the allergy. “And that's how they found out that Maniac Magee was allergic to pizza.” This means that every time Maniac has pizza he will get red blotches all over his skin.
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.
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.
What is Maniac Magee 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.
Is there a Maniac Magee 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.
Is Jerry Spinelli still alive?
He now lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Eileen Spinelli, who is also an author of children's books.
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 time period is Maniac Magee set in?
“It's about a girl who grows up in prison because her father is the warden of the county prison and their living quarters are in the prison. It takes place during the summer preceding her 13th birthday in 1959 and then comes up to date.”
Why do they call him Maniac Magee?
Jeffrey longs for a home with people who care about each other and him, and he eventually runs away. He ends up in the town of Two Mills, where he earns the nickname 'Maniac' for his amazing athletic and brave acts.
What is Maniac Magee 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.
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 age is Maniac Magee?
It's perfect for 5th-6th graders. Maniac Magee was published 25 years ago, but it is as relevant today as it was when first written. The narrative is different from most books for middle school children.
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.
