Jerry Spinelli - Maniac Magee: Literature Guide

Pros: Well written, will appeal to reluctant readers
Cons: Maybe one last chapter to bring closure

From the first sentence, Jerry Spinelli has the reader hooked.
"Maniac, Maniac,
He's so cool
Maniac, Maniac
Don't go to school."

The reader can't help but want to go...

Pros: a lesson of the heart, that people are different
Cons: a little sad, black vs white

When my daughter read this book she could not put it down, and when she was done reading it she wanted to read more chapters. This story is a lesson in compassion.

It starts out with a boy who is an orphan who runs around making friends with...

Pros: easy to read
Cons: not a literary hallmark

Spinelli's informal, exaggerative, storyteller style pulls young children immediately into Maniac's story. It's almost as though the audience is a newcomer who listens to town gossip by a town crier. What does the town crier relate? Well, Maniac is a...

Pros: Tugs at the heartstrings
Cons: none

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli was a book my granddaughter read for a book report in about the 5th or 6th grade. From the time she was little we read books to her all the time. Supposedly that will encourage your youngster to want to read themselves. In...

Pros: It teaches acceptance generosity and tolerance of others
Cons: It does have racial tones

As an educator I use various methods and materials in my classroom.
Maniac Magee is one of the tools I use to teach reading with.
I chose to use Maniac Magee for two reasons. The first reason was
because it was written by Jerry...

Pros: Good Details you can imagine it in your head
Cons: some what confusing

I thought that this book was actually really good. The story would probably never actually happen but I still liked it. There were some really sad parts which I personally don't like, but then again there was also really happy parts. If you like fiction...

Pros: teaches tolerance of different people
Cons: none that I see

Without a doubt Maniac Magee pulls at the hearts strings. One outstanding boy brings two very different sides of town together. You will laugh, You will cry. This book takes you into a world that is reality and fantasy. This book teaches you to be...

Pros: easy to read
Cons: boring, juvenile

Without a doubt, this is one of the most pointless books I've ever read. Actually, I knew this book would be bad just by looking at it (yes, I have the rare ability to accurately judge a book by its cover) but it was assigned to me for school. Because...

Pros: either side of town is fine
Cons: living on the street might not be so bad

Maniac Magee is one of the best childrens books I have read in a long time. My son had to do a poster board book report and he chose this book to do it on. I have never read any of the other titles by this author but if I see one in a store I will...

Pros: Expands child's imagination & mind.
Cons: None

My 10 year old loved it!! She said he is a great writer of children's books. What a treat to be able to capture the wondering minds of pre-teens the way Jerry does! He is able to capture your child's attention. In this age bracket, that's hard to do. He...

Pros: For Great Imagination
Cons: Fills heads with nonsense

I believe this book was very well written on the bases it was on. Mainly it is a book about a runaway boy that learns new things, by running to a faraway place where there is conflict between the blacks and whites. I recommend that you read this book....

Pros: funny
Cons: a lot of racism, some swearing

Maniac Magee is a great book to read to kids. Jerry Spinelli writes in a way that is very descriptive and realistic to many children. This book comments on racism, drugs, homes, etc. This fast-paced, realistic story is about a boy that soon earns the...