Responses to Literature

9. What parts of the book seem most believable or unbelievable? Why?

Maniac Magee Project.egg on Aviary.

Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee. Boston: Little, Brown Young Readers, 1999. Print.
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Character Post III

Jefferey Lionel Magee is the main character in the story. After his parents died, he just kept running, running and running. People gave him the nickname Maniac Magee because he must have been a Maniac since he could run so fast and catch a football with one hand. When Jefferey came to stay at the Beale house on the East End, he was a very helpful person. He took the dog for walks, gave baths to Hester and Lester, did the dishes, and a lot of other things. People were very racist and Jefferey didn't understand. It didn't make sense to him that skin color was a big deal. To him they weren't black and he wasn't white. They were all different shades of colors. Grayson, in the West End, didn't know about how black people were just regular people like them. Maniac was changing the community and he didn't know it.

Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee. Boston: Little, Brown Young Readers, 1999. Print.

Bonus: Maniac Magee Part 1

Theme Post II

Another theme in Maniac Magee is kindness. Many people in this story were kind to Maniac. Amanda was kind to him. She let Maniac Magee borrow a book even though she didn't know him. She even let him come home with her. The Beales were very kind to him. When they found out that he didn't have a home they let him stay with them. Mrs. Beale was like a mom to him. Another person that was kind to Maniac was Grayson. Grayson found Maniac in the buffalo pen at the zoo where he worked. Grayson bought Maniac a lot of food. He also bought new clothes for him. Grayson treated Maniac like he was a son. He would tell Maniac stories of when he was a kid playing baseball. He taught him things he learned in baseball. He turned the baseball equipment room into Maniac's room, and he bought him drawers to put his clothes in. Grayson was another perfect example of a kind person.

works cited:Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee. Boston: Little, Brown, 1990. Print.

Character Post II

Grayson is a nice, old man who helps Maniac Magee. He finds Magee at the zoo lying outside the buffalo pen. Grayson picked him up and took him to the baseball equipment room. He laid him down and covered Maniac Magee up with his winter jacket. Grayson showed kindness to Maniac Magee by feeding him. He made a cup of chicken noodle soup, and then he got him a zep. After he ate he wanted Grayson to take him to get Butterscotch Krimpets. He was kind enough to go get the Krimpets even though he didn't know who Maniac Magee was. Grayson even took Maniac to his home, the YMCA, and he took him to buy new clothes. His old clothes smelled like the Buffalo pen (Spinelli 79-85). Grayson demonstrated true kindness toward Maniac Magee.

Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee. Boston: Little, Brown Young Readers, 1999. Print.

Theme Post 1

I think the theme for Maniac Magee is rascism. Maniac Magee lives in a town where the blacks live on one side and the whites live on the other side. Maniac Magee doesn't realize this. The blacks live on the East end. He doesn't understand why they are called black because they aren't the color of liccorice. He also doesn't understand why he is called white. To him he is several different shades of colors.

Character Post 1

According to Jerry Spinelli, Amanda Beale lived on the East End. She was the first person to actually stop and talk to Maniac Magee. She carried around a suitcase full of books because she didn't want her brother and sister to draw on them, and so that the dog wouldn't chew them up. Amanda let Maniac borrow one of her books. When they saw each other again, Amanda invited him over to her house. Amanda had one brother and one sister. Her sister's name was Hester, and her brother's name was Lester. Hester was 4 years old. Lester was 3 years old. Amanda's mom always had to clean up after her brother and sister because they drew on everything. When Maniac came to live with them, he would always help around the house and it made Amanda feel bad. So she started to help dry the dishes. Amanda is a very kind person.

Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee. Boston: Little, Brown Young Readers, 1999. Print.

Author Post

1. He won the Newberry award for Maniac Magee in 1998 (www.carr.org/ ).
2. Was born in Pennsylvania (http://www.carr.org/).
3. He went to Gettysburg college and John Hopskins University (http://www.carr.org/)
4. He wrote a poem in high schoool about the footbal team's win over a tough opponent. It got published in the local newspaper (http://www.jerryspinelli.net/)
5. He started out trying to write books for adults, but the publishers rejected them (http://www.jerry/ Spinelli.net).
6. He started writing Space Station Seventh Grade one night when he saw his children eating fried chicken (http://www.jerrryspinelli.net/)
7. He wrote "Who put that hair in my Toothbrush?" in 1984 (http://www.jerryspinelli.net/)
8. He also wrote Jason and Marceline (www.JerrySpinelli.net)
9. Got married in 1977 to Eileen Mesi and has six children (http://www.jerryspinelli.net/)
10. He was in the United States Navy (http://www.jerryspinelli.net/)

Wordle 1

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