Maniac Magee

by Jerry Spinelli, S. Epatha Merkerson (Reader)

He 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. Even today kids talk about how fast he could run; about how he hit an inside-the-park “frog” homer; how no knot, no matter how snarled, would stay that way once he began to untie it. 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.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, School, Classics

4 pages, Audio CD

First published April 2, 1990

About the author

When Jerry Spinelli was a kid, he wanted to grow up to be either a cowboy or a baseball player. Lucky for us he became a writer instead.

He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and went to college at Gettysburg College and Johns Hopkins University. He has published more than 25 books and has six children and 16 grandchildren.
Jerry Spinelli began writing when he was 16 — not much older than the hero of his book Maniac Magee. After his high school football team won a big game, his classmates ran cheering through the streets — all except Spinelli, who went home and wrote a poem about the victory. When his poem was published in the local paper, Spinelli decided to become a writer instead of a major-league shortstop.

In most of his books, Spinelli writes about events and feelings from his own childhood. He also gets a lot of material from his seven adventurous kids! Spinelli and his wife, Eileen, also a children's book author, live in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

He 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. Maniac Magee took to the streets.

And Maniac Magee became a legend.

Even today kids talk about how fast he could run; about how he hit an inside-the-park "frog" homer; how no knot, no matter how snarled, would stay that way once he began to untie it. Little girls jumping rope chant:
"Ma-niac, Ma-niac
He's so cool
Ma-niac, Ma-niac
Don't go to school
Runs all night
Runs all right
Ma-niac, Ma-niac
Kissed a bull!"

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.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't enjoy this book. I feel like the story didn't really go anywhere. Spinelli tried to touch on issues of racial prejudice and poverty, and let the exsistance of those issues carry his story. It didn't work. However because there are touchy issues, it becomes a story that isn't easy to complain about. However I'll be brave enough to say, "I didn't like it!".

As a personal note, I do not find this novel appropriate for children still in gradeschool.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really neat book. Excellent! Definitely deserving of its Newbery Award. I think I have to give it a 5! I find myself asking, "Why didn't I ever read this before?" I've certainly heard of it for years. My fourth grade daughter just read it at school and loved it. I really enjoyed the narrative voice and style. It starts out almost like a tall tale, but what Maniac really accomplished is better than a legend. So it's a meaningful story that teaches an important lesson without being preachy. The quick pace of the story matches the speedy main character. He is very appealing. I liked his courage, kindness, humility, joy in life and desire to help others. I was impressed that he was the way he was despite his history. It was amazing how he turned enemies to friends and brought out the best in people just by being himself, just by his example. Some of my favorite parts were when he befriended the old maintenance man at the zoo. I also appreciated the happy ending. I've heard other Spinelli books recommended, too--I'll have to read more.

[Jeffrey Mohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of my favorite books to use when I work with students. It approaches the concept of “race” and “racism” through the eyes of someone that just wants to make friends and doesn't understand why people would treat others differently just because of their looks. It also treats the main character as a whole person and shows the turmoil he goes through while dealing with the loss of loved ones and the sadness and depression that can result from that. Students need to see books that don't gloss over the dark side of life but show how a character can go through the darkness and come out the other side by making friends and building relationships. It also introduces the idea that a family doesn't just have to be those you are related to but can be those people who want you to come home and are genuinely interested and delighted in having you in their life.

In summary, this book can be used to broach a lot of different subjects with students from racism to dealing with death. I have personally recommended this book to help a boy I worked with deal with his dad's passing and it helped him a lot since he could see how someone went through the same emotions as him and how that character found the light again after. This book is great for upper elementary school and even into middle school when used properly.

[the bard · Rating 1 out of 5]

i just remembered that i read this for school in 4th grade and now my day is ruined

[Sasha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I HATED IT.

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. He is not very happy. :o He meets an old guy who used to play baseball. He dies. Maniac lives with animals again! etc...

DON'T READ IT.

[Bookishrealm]

Unfortunately, I think this is one that is going to leave unrated. I read it for my Newberry reading project and there were quite a few aspects of this book that didn’t age well. Though I think that the intentions were well meaning, reading this from a 2025 lens makes it impossible to overlook the poor characterization of Black characters and the permitting of a White main character to serve as a White savior. If you’re interested in knowing more about my thoughts and feelings while reading this title, be sure to check out my reading vlog: https://youtu.be/bymv_QL_Qlk?si=nmq4d...

[Colleen AF]

Last week I came across a pile of free books on the ground...all copies of MANIAC MAGEE. I took one, knowing it was supposed to be good, but knowing nothing of the plot. It made me cry three times—twice because of the actual story of a homeless boy who brings together the white and black sides of a small town—but I cried the hardest because it felt so poignant given the sad craziness in the country right now. I don't talk politics online, mostly because my own personal believe system is simply "don't be a jerk" and "if you are nice to people it'll spread", but if you know a kid, or really anyone who is sad and confused by what happened in Ferguson/Staten Island this book is a great place to start the conversation. Thank you to whatever stranger left it out for me. My copy will return to the streets, just like Magee himself, and hopefully find the hands of someone else in need of a little hope.

[Karina Escajeda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Welp, I had heard about this book for so long that I wanted to like it more, but I found myself caught up in 'wait this was written in 1990?' confusion. It just doesn't ring true on issues of race and class in the US, a white guy is trying to write about black issues, for a white audience that become voyeurs. Also, it's super sexist, with traditional 'mom' roles throughout. And Mainiac somehow managed to become a white savior at age 12. It's just awful.

[Shanu · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Maniac loved the colors of the East End, the people colors.
For the life of him, he couldn't figure why these East Enders called themselves black. He kept looking and looking, and the colors he found were gingersnap and light fudge and dark fudge and acorn and butter rum and cinnamon and burnt orange. But never licorice, which, to him, was real black."

Oh, you precious little freak.

I don't really follow the thought that if people stopped talking about color of skin, then racism would disappear- and that' what Spinelli promotes through Maniac's sweet innocent voice.
"Maniac kept trying, but he still couldn't see it, this color business. He didn't figure he was white any more than the East Enders were black."

-2,5 stars because you just gotta love jeffrey
-Good message, poor execution
-short and easy to read
-funny and weird and sad

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read in prep for teaching it to my younger group of kids this year. The structure of the book lends itself very well to teaching it in chunks and to illustrate its points clearly, which isn't why it's a classic of early middle school, I assume. Extra star for that- looking forward to discussions that arise from it.

[Rodolfo A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because is telling me the time
when black people and white people were seperted.

This book is realistic fiction because there and
made up characters but,this happend real that black people
and white people were seperted.

Maniac parents died from a trolly crash.Maniac didn't have any
were to live so,he is an orphan.He met a girl name Amanda.Maniac
wentto amanda's house and lived with her.Later he met a boy name
mar bars.Some people from the west side and east side haet him so,
he went to the middle of the line.A person name Grason he helped
maniac and took him to his home.

My questions are,Why Mar Bars was bad to maniac?
Why Maniac went to amanda's house?

I remember when Martin Later King was fighting the world
to gange the law.

I would recomember this book to my teacher becuase it tll us
the time when black people and white people were seperted.

[Aj Sterkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This actually isn’t the first time I’ve listened to Maniac Magee. A teacher read it to our class when I was 9 or 10 years old. All I remembered about it was that the main character could run really fast. Yeah. My nine-year-old self completely missed the point of most literature, but I remember enjoying the story.

Maniac Magee stars a homeless kid (who can run really fast). He finds himself in a racially segregated town and impresses both the black kids and the white kids with his extraordinary athletic abilities. They nickname him “Maniac Magee.” This is a character-driven novel that follows Maniac’s quest to find a home and to bring his two groups of friends together. (One of his challenges works out better than the other.)

I can see why I liked this book as a child: It sucks the reader in right away. The story is told with hindsight. Maniac has become a legend in the town, and I immediately wanted to know what he’d done to earn the respect of so many children. Maniac is an endearing character. He badly wants a family, but he feels like he’s a burden to people because he attracts trouble wherever he goes.

The characters are where this novel shines. They’re unique, and they really bring the town to life. The audiobook narrator, S. Epatha Merkerson, does an excellent job of injecting personality into the dialogue.

“[T]he history of a kid is one part fact, two parts legend, and three parts snowball. And if you want to know what it was like back when Maniac Magee roamed these parts, well, just run your hand under your movie seat and be very, very careful not to let the facts get mixed up with the truth.” – Maniac Magee

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I do have a few quibbles with it. First, the adults seem supremely unconcerned that there’s a homeless, parentless child in their town. For a while, Maniac lives in the buffalo enclosure at the zoo. Everybody just shrugs about it. Buffalos are dangerous! The adult characters feed Maniac and let him stay at their houses, but they don’t alert Child Protective Services or try to find out where he came from. They also don’t seem very concerned when he runs away and doesn’t come back. As a child reader, I probably overlooked the irresponsible behavior of the adult characters, but as an adult, it freaked me out. You don’t let a child sleep with the buffalos! What is wrong with you, people?

I also rolled my eyes at Maniac’s cluelessness about race. He lives in a town that’s on the brink of a race war, but he can’t tell what makes a person black or white? I’m not buying it. However, I did buy the reactions of the characters to Maniac’s friendships. When he attempts to bring his black friends and his white friends together, things don’t go well. Maniac becomes the target of abuse from both sides when he (a white kid) moves in with a black family. I like that Maniac is unable to solve the town’s problems. Racism is a bigger issue than one child can fix.

I’ve felt “meh” about a lot of Newbery winners, but I really liked this one. It’s well-written, and the audiobook narrator makes it a fun listening experience.



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[Nelson B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry spinelli is one of the best witers ever. Maniac Magee is a realistic fictionbook because maniac is invented but it could happen in real life.The perents of Maniac Magee died in a trolley crash.Maniac Magee was an orphan so his aunt and uncle adoped him.Maniac did"t like their house because they cant share.One day Maniac ran away because the hated in his aunt and uncle house.When he left he went to Two mills.In TWO MILLS it is white V.S black.I have schema with this book because maniac put a lean on a wall so he can sleep so when I went to Mexico me and uncle went to swim and one day it was going to rain so we were swiming so we did a lean on the wall.I also have schema when Maniac was hungry so he kept sayingcan we get some butter scoch krimpets because one day I did not eat for a daysowe were hungry so keptm telling my dad gom buy kintuky fried chicken.My question is why does nobody know that blak and white are the same?I remember when the old man told maniac to to the white side of town.this happened when maniac ,Hester and Lester were swiming.I recommed this book to teachers so they can teach their kids that blak and white are the same.

[Maddie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is quite possibly one of the most poorly written works of fiction I have ever had the misfortune to stumble upon. I personally am not a fan of Jerry Spinelli (with the exception of Stargirl), and thought I would give him one last shot. Not only was the writing itself unbearable and slow, the topic is overused and cliché. The emotions are few and far between. Throw in there a sad, pathetic kid whose life does not improve whatsoever and some other worthless surface characters and you have the trainwreck that is Maniac Magee. Never again shall I waste time with one of his books. It might just be me, but almost all of Jerry Spinelli's protagonists have tragic, horrible lives (which I get, I totally understand the appeal), but the lives of these characters never turn positive--Loser, Milkweed, even Stargirl! Maniac Magee is no exception. None of his stories really have tangible plots. This book made me feel absolutely nothing--except joy that I have FINALLY found a book horrible enough to douse in kerosene and throw in the fireplace. Isn't the point of reading to feel some sort of happiness?

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, the writing is peppy and the kids are fun- I'd like to try another Spinelli book. This one isn't a recommended read for modern children though because of the inadequate way that race is handled. If you loved this book, you may want to skip the rest of my review below.

Problematic. This book is supposedly about a kid name Maniac Magee but is really just a cringefest of race relations in a segregated town. I wasn't able to catch on to whether or not this book actually takes place during segregation or if it was just one of those towns that is still mostly segregated on the old lines despite the decades that have passed.

This could have been an alright book except for a couple of things. First of all, kids absolutely do see color. Give me a break. Prejudice is a natural human tendency that you ward off in your kids by actually taking the time to teach them not to be bigots. I'm sure there's some naturally outgoing kids who see differences a bit less, but, everybody sees it. Another issue I had with the book was that this kid Maniac Magee is just naturally good at everything despite his poor upbringing in a dysfunctional household. Seriously? So despite a poor home life and poor nutrition he is just automatically the best at everything, even sports he hasn't played before? This is where the book gets a serious 'white savior' complex. Guess what? I've worked around kids that have been raised in households that are dysfunctional, you know that they can't do? Untie a knot that no one else could untie. I promise you, those kids can barely tie their own shoelaces or use scissors to cut out more than basic shapes; they aren't untangling a knot no one else could do.
Can a kid who has grown up like Maniac Magee have a special talent? Sure, what would have been believable is if he was just fast, winning races and stuff. That makes sense, kid's been a runaway for a year with nothing to do but runaround town. That checks out. How would he hit a fastball no one on the team could hit having never touched a baseball bat before? That doesn't make sense.

So, who do I recommend this book to? I could see rereading this if it was a favorite childhood book. I have enjoyed some really cringe-y books in my younger days, I get that. You could read it because you are reading all of the Newbery winners; that's why I read it. Other than that, I don't see too much point in picking this one up. Spinelli's writing style is interesting, but, I think I'll stick to books where he hasn't tried to tackle race.

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maniac Magee is a book that stuck with me long after I read it in fifth grade for the first time. It stuck with me more than in just a life-long love of Butterscotch Krumpets, but also in the sweetness of the main character and the good that he finds in - well, everyone. Everyone wants to belong in some way, and often all it takes is a listening ear and sincerity to find the way to that person's heart. This book shows that in a way that is accessible to a kid, touching to an adult, and just... soulful. Little is as pure and wonderful as this book.

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. He proves himself on the streets, but with honor - never stealing, never cheating. He's a good kid, and he's cool. The best part is - this never comes off as preachy, never comes off as forced or insincere. This is a compelling book, with all the gasped excitement of gossip on a schoolyard. Jerry Spinelli is a wonderful writer, and he gets what makes kids tick.

This book lived up to my expectations, and even surpassed them. I loved every second of it, an am glad to hear it's still on school's reading lists. This is a fun book to read, and I'm sure kids are liking it now as much as my class did when I read it. Who wouldn't love Maniac, Mars Bar, Amanda, and Earl? I don't know how anyone could actively dislike this book.

[Shaimaa شيماء · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصص الناشئة الدافئة

مانياك ماجي طفل صغير يتوفى والداه فيتربى في بيت اقارب له، يكره الزوجان بعضهما البعض ولكنهما لا ينفصلان لأنهما كاثولكيان متزمتان، لا يتحمل الطفل هذه الحياة الكريهة فيهرب عائدا إلى المكان الذي ولد فيه، يجري الطفل بحثا عن بيته المفقود، ويظل يتنقل من مكان لآخر، طفل طيب، يحب الناس ويساعدهم، شجاع وصبور ويتحمل المصاعب.

يعيش مع السود والبيض، ينال الحب والعطف ويتعرض للعنصرية والكره، يلتقى بعجوز مسكين فيعيش معه فترة قصيرة ممتلئة بكثير من المشاعر الجياشة، يتعجب للمفاهيم الخاطئة التي يعتقدها السود والبيض عن بعضهم البعض ويحاول أن يقرب بين هؤلاء الأشخاص الذين يفصل بينهم شارع واحد ولكن في الحقيقة تفصل بينهم مئات الأميال، يستمر في بحثه عن بيته المفقود حتى يعثر عليه في النهاية.

"البيض لا يذهبون أبدا إلى داخل منازل السود. والأقل من ذلك بكثير إنهم لا يذهبون إلى داخل أفكارهم وعقولهم. والسود مثلهم تماما جاهلون بالبيض. وكلما قل ما يعرفون عن بعضهم، زاد ما يخترعون ويلفقون".

[*JEN the booknerd* · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this eleven year old library patron was telling me about this book that he just read, and he talked about it with such enthusiasm and detail that I had to immediately check it out

[bettiek · Rating 4 out of 5]

'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. However, he didn't like his life there. One day, when Magee was already 11, he finally decided to leave the house. He ran a long long way from Hollidaysburg all the way to Two Mills and started his new life there. Magee would live in the zoo and sleep with the animals, but one day he met this girl named Amanda Beale. He was welcomed into the Beale's house and lived there for a while. Then he lived with a man named Grayson, and when he died, he lived with Giant John and his family. Everyone calls him Maniac Magee…

[Eleni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m very conflicted about reviewing this book. Ever since childhood, I had always wanted to read it, but I never got around to it. Now that I have, I’m not sure what I would have thought of it then, and I wonder if I would have interpreted it differently than I do as an adult.

Maniac Magee tells the story of how Jeffrey Magee becomes a legend in his small town after his parents die in a freak accident. What follows is a series of episodic feats that border on myth about a boy who changes the lives of his racially divided town.

The voice of this story is distinct and you can’t help but be pulled into the story with the first line “They say Maniac Magee was born in a dump.” The reader is immediately cued to consider the difference between truth and myth as Maniac’s story is not told by him, but by the collective other. It’s effective and shapes the story’s manic tone. The story feels disjointed at times with details missing in places that the general public would not have access to. In my opinion, the opening chapter and voice are the best parts of the book.

Now the problem I have with the story is the handling of race. Maniac Magee is a white boy born on the West End, who understandably suffers when his parents die from a freak accident. As the story progresses and Maniac begins to make waves in his town when he begins living on the East End with a black family, it is portrayed as Maniac is the only who suffers most directly from intolerance while the implications of intolerance against his black friends are much more oblique. I’m sure this probably wasn’t the intention of the author, and I had to remind myself that this book was published in 1990 and that I was reading it in 2018, but it did make me think the book was dated and partial.

The other complaint I had with this book was the ending. I was expecting an epic moment of poignancy of the effect Maniac had on his community, but I was surprised with the simpleness of it. It made me reconsider the whole story as what Maniac wanted most was not clear throughout the narrative until the last sentence. It was disorienting as there was not enough insight in Maniac’s emotional struggles to have that ending pay off.

Overall, I’m glad I read this book and finally ended the mystery that is the legend of Maniac Magee.

[Victor The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly witty and emotional story about a boy who becomes someone special in a segregated town. Jeffrey Lionel Magee, before he becomes “Maniac”, loses his parents in a tragic accident and is sent to live with his uncle and aunt who have a far from happy marriage. Unable to put up with it, he abruptly runs away and keeps running for miles and miles and finds himself in the town of Two Mills, which is divided by Eastenders and Westenders. He starts to become part of many people’s lives and how it will impact both sides. For a short novel, it’s one that humorous most of the time while also being emotional and serious at times. It manages to be a near-perfect novel that kinda leaves you with questions about this lovable “maniac”. A- (91%/Excellent)

[C C · Rating 2 out of 5]

The opening pages of this book are good. The writing is alive, and, well, "maniacal," and then it sort of melts into a gooey pile of pabulum. Lots of weird racial stuff takes place. I mean, if you wanted to use the book as case evidence of white guilt, it would work, 'cuz there's something fishy about this super-fast, orphaned white-kid who ends up living with a black family. Wishful thinking, Spinelli. It's too late. You're a honky.

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still can't find the words to express what this book means to me. When I was in fifth grade reading this book, I felt like Magee. This book is as deep and soulful as any book that has ever been written for adults. I hope it remains on elementary school reading lists for years to come.

[Joshie Nicole readwithjoshie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uh this book is super racist. Would not recommend. At all. I encourage you to read Allie Jane Bruce’s critique of the book which can be found on the readingwhilewhite website.

[Patti Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Maniac Magee has to be one of the best middle grade novels I have ever read. The storyline is fascinating, but the mixture of reality, conjecture and legend is what kept me turning pages. I loved the hero, and I especially love the family from the “other side of town” that takes him in. They way they pour love into his lost little soul is amazing and very believable. I also really liked the way the author removed him from that home and gave him the ability to love the old man. Had he gone there first, I don’t think his ability to give and receive love would have been nearly as developed. The final place he stops for a while is the classic idea of someone trying to do for the two little boys what no one had done for Maniac when he was a young child. The reader senses his frustration and genuine fear for their safety and well-being. The theme of the bitterness of racism prevails throughout the story, but Maniac’s ability to be colorblind and love unconditionally no matter where he finds himself is a unique and fresh approach. Jerry Spinelli does more than just tell Maniac’s story, he weaves the very fabric of his life until he finally comes home for the last time.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming. Expressive. Idealistic. Told with the simplicity of a child's viewpoint.

I liked seeing a portrayal of racism coming from several places, many sides. It's not an isolated problem. Not just from a single person. Not just white to black.

The book feels like it was written for young boys, but I think tomboy girls would enjoy it too. It feels like it's from another time. Back when young kids roamed about towns unsupervised.

The audiobook narrator is fantastic.

Winner of the Newbery Medal in 1991.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my goodness. Even better than I remembered or expected. The writing is gorgeous, the themes are explored with heart, the characters are archetypes worthy of the legend this purports to document. I don't have the words. Just, please read it. Spinelli's lighter works are excellent, the literary ones like Milkweed and Hokey Pokey are amazing, but this, well, this is both enjoyable and important, to adults and to children. Thank you, Newbery Committee, for awarding this the medal and thus ensuring it is still in libraries.

(Almost five stars, but there are people I know who would not appreciate it, so I can't 'recommend it to everyone' which is what I prefer to say about books that I do give five stars to.)

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another children's classic that, having never read in my childhood (darn you, Sweet Valley High and Babysitters Club-ha!), I finally got around to with my 9-year-old son.

We loved the themes Spinelli tackles in this one, everything from homelessness and racial prejudice to literacy and the idea of "found" families. And gosh if the "frog ball" scene wasn't the hardest we've laughed at anything we've read together. An easy 5-star read for both of us. Now, on to the next Newbery winner ....

[Mrs. Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my ultime favorite book! I love the determination and survival techniques that Maniac Magee displays and the positive evolution of the character. This novel will warm your heart and you will read that everyone can and should be loved. Your eyes will play magic tricks on you as you read and can visualize the line of racial tension start to fade away.