I especially love the Beale family and how welcoming they were (it just made my heart happy!). I also really love the people he befriends along the way and the different things he learns from all of them. He went through so much and lost so much, but he never gave up hope of finding a family. I really enjoyed the main character, Jeffrey “Maniac” Magee. People aren’t always who they seem.Ĭharacter Development: I would say the character development is the strongest part of this novel. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run–and not just run away, but run. Jeffrey Lionel “Maniac” Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn’t made him an orphan. Genre: Realistic Fiction (Middle-Grade).If you’re wanting to avoid any spoilers, you are welcome to jump to the TL DR summary at the bottom of the page if you’d prefer! There are better middle grade novels out there that explore the same themes, but considering when this book was written I’d say it was a step in the right direction!īelow you will find a more thorough review containing my thoughts about the book. Overall, this book was good, but not great. However, I did really enjoy the characters! Especially Maniac Magee he was charming and intriguing and kept my attention the whole way through. I also felt that the themes in this book regarding racism were a little too contrived, simplistic, and outdated. While segregation is definitely still happening today, the way it was presented in the novel seemed too exaggerated. However, after doing some searching it seems that it is realistic fiction that is not meant to be set in any specific moment in history. At first I thought it was set during the Civil Rights Movement due to how explicitly segregated things were, which would make it historical fiction. The time period in which this novel is set is ambiguous, which I found frustrating. The East and West sides of this town are racially segregated, unbeknownst to Maniac Magee when he first arrives in town after running away from home. Spoiler-Free Review: “Maniac Magee” is a middle grade novel that explores themes of poverty, racism, and inequality and is set in the fictional town of Two Mills. I will be keeping this one in my classroom library, but probably won’t be using it for any lessons or activities. Overall, I liked it! However, it wasn’t my favorite and I did have some issues with it. I have conflicting feelings about this book, and it took me a while to decide how to rate and review it.
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