Maniac Magee
Jerry Spinelli
Family may mean different things to different people, but none of us can live without it. “Maniac Magee” by Jerry Spinelli is a story about homelessness and racism that takes place in the fictional Pennsylvanian town of Two Mills. As you may have guessed, there is a reason behind this town’s name, it was divided into two halves, the whites and the blacks. In the novel, Jeffrey Lionel Magee grows up in a loveless, silent house. At age eleven, he earns the nickname Maniac when he takes off running and ends up changing the lives in the small divided town of Two Mills. Eventually after going through countless discouraging situations, Maniac finally discovers what he had been searching for, a family. Maniac Magee is a legendary character, yet he is always so humble and glad to help others. In the text it states that “He carried out the trash, mowed the lawn, took Bow Wow out for runs, washed the dishes, and slept on the floor without a complaint.” (Pg. 45) This took place when he ended up finding a family, the Beale’s, they were happy to take him in after they discovered his…show more content… “Maniac Magee changes the racially divided town with his legendary feats.” (Back cover) One reason I loved this story is because the book has such a strong meaning, everybody in the town pays much attention to race, but Maniac just doesn’t care. Jerry Spinelli is able to send this message through the eyes of a kid, in which most of the readers will probably find more amusing. Another reason I found this book interesting was because the book had many themes about family, racism, homelessness, and friendship. Some of the themes like regarding family, racism, and homelessness were more apparent, but other themes were woven into the story. Even though the book was small, he whole time I was reading I would be so captivated and never want to put it down. Maniac Magee is a really great, short