Maniac magee book summary maniac magee is about jeffrey lionel magee s search for home and the racial prejudice in the town of two mills. Remember when you were ten or so, and a mouth full of braces and moms special haircut were. English 6 maniac magee test types of characters and conflict. Maniac magee is a heartwarming book first published 25 years ago. In jerry spinellis novel maniac magee, the main characters name is jeffrey lionel magee, but hes better known by the nickname. The books protagonist, jeffery or maniac magee, is orphaned at a young age and runs away to two mills in search of a home. Spinelli has written the novel in third person he said, as opposed to i said, which is called first person, using an objective viewpoint in which the thoughts and feelings of the characters are not. Keeping track of maniac magee characters storyboard that. Maniac magee, written by jerry spinelli in 1990 and winner of the newbery medal in 1991, follows an orphaned boy named jeffery lionel magee colloquially maniac magee as he seeks out a home and confronts the racism of the 1980s1990s in the fictional city of two mills, pennsylvania. Access thousands of highquality, free k12 articles, and create online assignments with them for your students. Amanda says she was just about ready to let him read her encyclopedia a but since hes leaving, he cannot. Hes so cool that he has his very own jumprope rhyme.
Maniac loves butterscotch krimpets maniac friendly,young, white, boy, very talented, orphan. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Hester and lester twins, both black, hesters a boy lesters a girl, hate baths, and amandas little siblings. Need help on characters in jerry spinellis maniac magee. In jerry spinellis novel maniac magee, the main characters name is jeffrey lionel magee, but hes better known by the nickname maniac. Maniac loves butterscotch krimpets maniac friendly,young, white, boy, very talented, orphan, can untie knots, and loves butterscotch krimpets. He is an orphan whose parents died when he was around 8. He has brown hair with brown eyes and is sort of blind because he does not. The book follows the main character, maniac, as he travels the town of two mills, meeting and growing close to people like amanda. Another way the author used characterization in the novel is by creating relationships between the. The book follows the main character, maniac, as he travels the town of two mills.
Jeffrey gets the nickname maniac after performing athletic feats of mythic proportions and appearing fearless in the. After the miles and miles maniacs seenbetterdays sneakers chewed up, the book ends with him heading home to the place hes been looking for this whole time. Maniac magee characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli is a young adult novel published in 1990. Maniac magee by spinelli, jerry and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. There are many traits that describe jeffrey, including orphaned, legendary, oblivious, accepting, and smart. They have many internal and external traits in the book. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of maniac magee by jerry spinelli.
He becomes a legand for doing tons of heroic feats. He presents maniac as a legendary figure, and leaves it to the reader to decide what is true and what is myth. Plot summary jeffrey lionel magee loses his parents in a trolley accident in bridgeport, pennsylvania, when he is 3. English 6 maniac magee test types of characters and. Maniac magee chapters 10 to 15 by valentina sierra on prezi. Little, brown and company takes great pleasure and pride in announcing that, effective immediately, we will be the sole publisher of the paperback edition of jerry spinellis classic newbery medal winner, maniac magee. It stuck with me more than in just a lifelong love of butterscotch krumpets, but also in the sweetness of the main character and the good that he finds in well, everyone. When we first meet grayson, frankly, hes a little depressing. Jerry spinelli is the author of over fifteen immensely popular books for young readers, including eggs, stargirl, space station seventh grade, newbery honor winner wringer, and maniac magee, winner of more than fifteen state childrens book awards in addition to the newbery medal.
Jerry spinelli, the author of this newbery medal winner, is also the author of other childrens classics like wringer, stargirl, and milkweed. Maniac magee is a television film made for the nickelodeon network, based on the novel of the same name by jerry spinelli. It won the 1991 newbery medal and remains a vital, relevant classic. The book starts by relating the legends which built up about maniac magee and its fun to go back to those first two pages when youve finished reading to see how far from the truth the legend has grown. Maniacs first stop is the east end, where he meets amanda beale and her suitcase of books. When maniac arrives in two mills, he performs extraordinary feats that amaze everyone, making him cool times ten. Another way the author used characterization in the novel is by creating. He is an 11 year old whose parents died on a trestle. 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. He came into this world named jeffrey lionel magee, but when his parents died and his life changed, so did his name. Jerry spinellis maniac magee is a fastpaced novel in three parts, each part subdivided into short chapters. The story of jeffrey lionel magee, aka maniac, has become a school standard since its publication in 1990. Maniac tries to find a home, soothes tensions between rival factions on the tough side of town, and becomes a true hero.
It deals with racism and its effects on a young man who, though white, finds more warmth and kindness on the black side of town than on his own side. In maniac magee, jerry spinelli writes a young adult novel in which the. Maniac magee is the story of jeffery lionel magee, a homeless drifter who finds his way to the racially divided community of two mills, pennsylvania. Jeffrey magee is twice homelessonce involuntarily, at age three, when his parents plunge with a highspeed trolley off a bridge. He becomes a local legend for feats of athleticism and helpfulness, and his ignorance of sharp racial boundaries in the town. Maniac magee chapters 10 to 15 chapter 11 chapter 10 the author of over fifteen immensely popular books for young readers, including eggs, stargirl, space station seventh grade, newbery honor winner wringer, and maniac magee, winner of more than fifteen state childrens book awards in addition to the newbery medal. Start studying english 6 maniac magee test types of characters and conflict. The characters and scenes are both appropriate for the books characters. The first half of maniac magee made me wonder why the book s been popular for a quarter century. You might make lists of 10 to 15 words to assign as refrigerator studies. At the age of three, jeffrey magee loses both of his parents in a tragic accident. Although the book is a bit difficult to get into, the persistent reader will be well rewarded. The author created certain characters to play different roles in maniac s the main character life.
Maniac magee maniac s real name is jeffrey lionel magee. Just as greyson had helped jeffery, jeffery returned the favour. He does not understand the dividing line on hecter street that divides the backs fro the whites. Maniac magee is a novel written by american author jerry spinelli and published in 1990. This humorous yet poignant story tells of a superathletic teenager who bridges his small towns racial gap. He is an accepting person who does not allow a persons race to influence his opinion of. Then instruct them to tape or use a magnet to post the list on. Jeffrey lionel maniac magee is an orphan searching for a loving home when he finds himself in a small, segregated town in pennsylvania.
Vocabulary builder for maniac magee by jerry spinelli. In maniac magee, spinelli has created a legendary character. Maniac magee maniacs real name is jeffrey lionel magee. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli is full of interesting characters. The main character in maniac magee is jeffrey magee. The characters are compelling, realistic, and will challenge whatever tendency you may have towards clustering with your own. Major characters jeffrey lionel maniac magee is an orphan and finds himself in two mills, where he becomes a local legend while trying to find a home. He has astonishing athletic abilities, runs everywhere he goes, can untie any knot, is allergic to pizza, and crosses the barrier between the east end and west end as if blind to racial distinction. It has been eight years since maniac magee won both the prestigious boston globehorn book award and the newbery. The novel received critical acclaim upon release and in 1991 won the prestigious newbery medal. Maniac goes back and forth between the east and west end, making a few friends, but mostly enemies, and for some reason never really noticing that the west end is entirely white and the east end is entirely black.
Theres even a jump rope rhyme about magee that the kids can jump to and make up other verses for. He ran away from his aunt and uncles house because they were not getting along. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. After the miles and miles maniac s seenbetterdays sneakers chewed up, the book ends with him heading home to the place hes been looking for this whole time. Maniac magee is a book that stuck with me long after i read it in fifth grade for the first time. The writing is excellent throughout, but initially i wasnt interested in maniac or the other characters. Parents need to know that jerry spinellis maniac magee is an exciting, moving, and sometimes funny story, brilliantly told, about an orphan boy who runs away from his feuding aunt and uncle at age 8 and makes a name and legend for himself in a racially divided town. Improve your students reading comprehension with readworks. Beale, hester beale, and lester beale mars bar thompson. Reading practice, literacy skills, vocabulary practice. The author of maniac magee used characterization in the book in a couple different ways. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli paperback book the parent store. First have students look up the words and add their meanings to the list. The author created certain characters to play different roles in maniacs the main character life.
One way the author of maniac magee used characterization in the novel is by creating specific characters. How could we not, when maniac magee finally ends with maniac simply content that finally, truly, at long last, someone was calling him home 46. Jexceptional book, recommended for junior high school students. They have a conflict when maniac magee wants to move out of the beales house and back into the deer pen. Maniac jeffery lionel magee maniac magee is a young eleven year old homeless orphan. The three parts describe three pivotal periods in the life and growth of the main. An occasionally longwinded, but always affecting, parablelike story about racism and ignorance. Maniac magee jeffery lionel magee the books protagonist, jeffery or maniac magee, is orphaned at a young age and runs away to two mills in. Use a character map to keep track of maniac magee characters. In maniac magee, jerry spinelli writes a young adult novel in which the main character. Maniac says he will just get a library card and amanda says he cant. Maniac magee was born in a dump, his heart is a cereal box, he has an eightinch pet cockroach on a leash. Jeffery maniac magee is the main character of the novel. The story follows twelveyearold jeffrey lionel maniac magee, an orphaned runaway with many extraordinary and athletic talents, who.
The 10 events of maniac magee that changed the book and the characters in the story. These are characters who choose to simply never talk to one another. With a book in one hand, he catches a football and punts it perfectly. There are many legends and myths about maniac magee but only some of them are true. Russell and piper both white, both boys, want to run away to mexico, crazy, and john mcnabs little siblings. He borrows a book from amanda beale, buys books from the library, teaches grayson to read, and performs amazing feats to bribe russell and piper to go to. Read, highlight, and take notes, across web, tablet, and phone. Maniac magee by jerry spinelli paperback book the parent.
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