Maniac Magee

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade; adventure
• Originally Published: 1990
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 820L; grades 4-8
• Structure/Length: 3 parts; 46 chapters; approx. 184 pages
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: After running away from his guardians (an aunt and uncle who never communicate), 11-year-old Jeffrey Lionel Magee ends up in the racially divided town of Two Mills. Jeffrey, a white boy, finds a home with a Black family, but racial tension and threats send him on the run again. By accepting a host of challenges with courage and open-mindedness, Jeffrey’s actions inspire others toward inclusivity and acceptance.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racial conflict; racial slurs; prejudice; death of parents and parent figure; child without a home; alcohol addiction

Jerry Spinelli, Author

• Bio: Born in 1941 in Norristown, Pennsylvania; attended Gettysburg College and edited the campus literary magazine; worked on his first novel while working for a department store publication; married children’s picture book writer Eileen Spinelli; became a writer of over 30 middle-grade and young adult books
• Other Works: Space Station Seventh Grade (1982); Crash (1996); Wringer (1997); Stargirl (2000); Jake and Lily (2012); The Warden’s Daughter (2017); Dead Wednesday (2021)
• Awards: Newbery Medal (1991); ALA Notable Children's Books Award (1991); Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award (1992)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide: