Maniac Magee Free Book Online to Read
Maniac Magee
past Jerry Spinelli
The Book Social club Novel Guide outlines a complete theme-based unit with Volume Order lesson plans focusing on Maniac Magee.
Beneath you will find a synopsis, further reading materials, discussion topics, and reviews that you might detect useful during your teaching of Maniac Magee.
A Synopsis
Eleven-year-old orphan Jeffrey Magee runs away from the home of his aunt and uncle, a feuding couple who exercise not talk to each other. A year after, Jeffrey turns upwards in the town of Ii Mills. He amazes people with his ability to run, spring, spin, dance, and outthink everybody he meets. For all of his astounding feats, he earns the nickname "Maniac."
At that place are two things Maniac Magee can't practise: notice a permanent address and empathize why white people stay on the West End and black people stay on the East End. In fact, he doesn't even meet how people tin can call themselves black or white when they are obviously many different colors. When someone vandalizes the home of the blackness family unit he'due south been living with, Maniac realizes that he has made enemies in both communities and that he must leave the closest matter to a home he'south found.
Maniac moves on and befriends an sometime man who works in a local zoo. When his friend dies and no i just Maniac turns up at the funeral, he runs abroad again. Later a period of wandering, Maniac moves in with a racist white family in the West End. Events accomplish a crisis when one of the boys in this family wanders out onto the bridge where Maniac's parents were killed. Maniac can't rescue the boy, only one of the boy's "enemies" from the E End does. Maniac is then called dwelling by the black family he loves. The now-complete legend of Bedlamite Magee brings readers full circumvolve to the start scene in the book, in which East End and West End children jump rope together.
Further Reading and Links
The post-obit sites tin exist used to support and enrich the Volume Club unit for Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.
About the Author and the Book
- Jerry Spinelli — The author'southward official website includes a biography, information almost his books, and a question-and-answer page that explores his writing fashion and sources of inspiration.
- Book Scan — This page provides another biography of Spinelli, an interview, and a list of his books.
- Scholastic: Jerry Spinelli — The author'southward publisher provides this page with an autobiographical essay by Spinelli and data about his books, including reading levels.
- Common Sense Media — This review of Maniac Magee gives it 5 out of 5 stars. Run across also user reviews and details about the book.
Learn More than About the Setting of the Novel
- Valley Forge National Historical Park — The National Park Service shares data about the park, including its history, buildings, monuments, and geographical layout, besides as a muster coil of soldiers who served at the famous encampment.
- History at Valley Forge — A wealth of data about the events and of import people of the Revolutionary War period is presented in a way that is both factual and interesting. The many topics covered are all easily accessed and enjoyed by students.
- The Schuylkill River'southward Industrial Legacy — This page from the Schuylkill River Heritage Middle traces the history of the river's apply with an interactive map.
- Schuylkill River Trail — This site offers photographs of the river and descriptions of the trail that allows visitors to relish it. Nonetheless under construction, the trail volition somewhen stretch 130 miles.
Find Out More About Events in the Characters' Lives
- P & Westward High-Speed Line — This site focuses on various Philadelphia and Western trolley cars. Brief, informative text is accompanied by photographs of the various cars, including 1 positioned on a truss bridge over the Schuylkill River.
- Pocket-size League Baseball — The various leagues and their classifications are given, as well equally the teams belonging to each league. Other information, such as press releases, schedules, and news articles, can exist found on this official site of Small League Baseball.
- Children'due south Crusade — This Encyclopedia Britannica article gives an overview of the Children's Crusade of 1212.
- Animated Knots — This site shows how to tie many unlike kinds of knots for diverse purposes. Internet Knots is another site with instructions for tying a wide variety of knots.
Read Theme-Related Literature
- "The Death of the Hired Man" by Robert Frost — This poem explores the concept of home, inviting intertextual connections with Maniac Magee.
- "Meditation XVII" by John Donne — This meditation on the interconnectedness of all people has resonance with the themes of family unit and community. "No man is an island . . . therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; information technology tolls for thee."
Big Theme Questions
Why does contesting prejudice crave heroism?
How does prejudice take a ripple result on society?
What makes a business firm a home and a group of people a family unit?
How do legends and heroes influence your life? Explain.
Outline of Lesson Program | Discussion Topics | Writing Prompts
The post-obit section can be used to get discussions started in your classroom. Information technology is based on the Lesson Programme within the Book Society Novel Guide for Maniac Magee. The Lesson Plan includes blackline masters for students that support the writing prompts. The writing prompts provided are meant as suggestions only. As students get more comfy with the Book Lodge format, they will certainly have ideas and questions that go beyond the prompts. Consider giving students "gratuitous choice" as a log option. Volume Club Reading Logs help students respond to literature and organize ideas equally they participate in Volume Social club.
Chapters 1–6 | Language Conventions: Introduction to Book Society
- Depict some of the legendary feats of Maniac Magee.
- Practise y'all know anyone personally whom yous would call a legend? What makes this person a fable?
- What do you think Maniac did during the yr he traveled the 200 miles from Hollidaysburg to Two Mills?
Chapters 7–xi | Literary Elements: Betoken of View and Perspective
- How would this story differ if it were told from Bedlamite's point of view? From the point of view of a child from Two Mills? Retell a paragraph or passage from one of these points of view.
- Identify some of the things that influence Mars Bar's and Maniac'south perspectives. Describe their perspectives on each other.
- Choose a striking image from the text and draw a picture of the mental prototype you formed from the clarification. Explain briefly why you chose the paradigm and which elements in the text made you lot visualize it the manner you lot did.
Chapters 12–xvi | Comprehension: Story Elements
- Identify i internal and i external conflict Jeffrey faces in these chapters.
- Draw the mood of these chapters. What kinds of literary techniques does the author utilise to create this mood?
- Write a graphic symbol sketch of ane of the main characters in the story. You lot might choose Jeffrey, Mars Bar, Amanda, Mrs. Beale, or another graphic symbol.
Chapters 17–21 | Literary Elements: Characterization
- Is Maniac an empathetic grapheme? Why or why not? What elements does the author include to show his empathy?
- What universal feelings does Maniac experience? When have you felt the same way before?
- How does discrimination touch Bedlamite and the Beales? Exercise you retrieve Bedlamite made the right option in leaving?
Chapters 22–24 | Language Conventions: Qualities of a Good Volume Club Discussion
- Has Maniac forgotten the Beales? How do you think he feels about them? How do you lot know?
- How does Grayson view people from the East End? Why do you think this is so?
- Brand a prediction about the relationship betwixt Grayson and Maniac. Be sure to use clues from the story to support your prediction.
Chapters 25–29 | Literary Elements: Theme and Plot
- Write a brief response to i of the big theme questions. Use ideas and examples from the text to assistance y'all respond the question.
- Write an evaluation of the plot of the novel. Are the conflicts and events interesting? Are you lot enjoying the story? Are you eager to notice out what will happen adjacent?
Chapters 30–32 | Comprehension: Sequencing
- Make a sequence chart showing how the relationship between Bedlamite and Grayson changed over time.
- Have you e'er lost someone you were very shut to? Can you lot chronicle to how Maniac feels?
- Predict what will happen to Maniac now that Grayson is gone.
Capacity 33–35 | Literary Elements: Setting
- How practice sure settings in the book inform the reader near characters?
- Which major theme of the book is stressed in Chapters 33–35?
- Make predictions about events to come based on the clues in this department.
Capacity 36–38 | Composition: Examining a Grapheme'south Motivation
- What motivates Maniac to perform the feats described in these chapters? What motivates most of Bedlamite's behavior on a deeper level throughout the book?
Chapters 39–42 | Comprehension: Intertextual Connections
- Place shared themes and compare and dissimilarity how they are presented in Maniac Magee and Bud, Not Buddy, "The Death of the Hired Human," or another literary piece of work.
- Compare and contrast Maniac's and Bud'southward searches for home.
- How are the influences of legends different and similar in Maniac Magee and Bud, Not Buddy?
- How does prejudice affect the main characters and the people they encounter in Bedlamite Magee and Bud, Not Buddy?
- Choose a novel or verse form that you take recently read and make connections to Maniac Magee. You might talk over themes, characters, plots, settings, or any other important aspects of the works.
Chapters 43–46 | Response to Literature: Analyzing the Story'due south Ending
- Draw a picture show of a scene from today's reading. What words does the author employ to help y'all visualize this scene?
- Why does Maniac walk away at the terminate of Chapter 44? How do you call up y'all would have reacted in the same situation?
- Why does Bedlamite tell Mars Bar that he can't visit his firm?
- What do yous think of the way Amanda treats Maniac when she comes to get him? How does it brand him feel?
- How do you lot feel about the way the author resolved the story'southward conflicts? Would you have ended the book differently in any way?
- Freewrite near your reaction to the book as a whole.
Planet Book Club'southward Review
We would like to introduce Planet Book Club's student volume reviewers: Carmen and Charles.
Annotation to Our Readers: Yous volition notice that the volume gets two reviewers. Why? Because nosotros believe two opinions are more often than not more helpful than ane opinion. Call back that people have completely unique sets of experiences that shape how they retrieve and feel most things. Something else to keep in mind: Fifty-fifty perfectly pleasant human being beings tin have cranky days, lazy days, and confused days. Let'due south face up it—nosotros tin't exist thoughtful, clear-headed, and fair every moment of our lives. Our reviewers, though friendly and occasionally brilliant, are only human. So, to be fair to y'all and to each book, we e'er give two points of view. That way, if one reviewer is having a bad day and seems completely out to lunch, you tin can perhaps connect with the other reviewer. Got it? Skilful.
Knowing something about the reviewers might assist you empathize their opinions. So, allow's get to know them:
Hey—this is Charles. I similar to write poetry, play football, play drums, and cook. I'm really adept at making spaghetti sauce. My goal is to be a famous author and chef someday and get invited to give talks and speeches all over the land. I would actually like to read one of my poems at a presidential inauguration. I would also like to write a book that combines recipes, poetry, and short stories. Here's what I have to say about Bedlamite Magee...
Charles: I will write my review of this novel in a poem/folk song of my own. I know you tin't hear it, simply I am strumming my female parent's guitar:
Ode to Maniac Magee
by Charles
They call him Bedlamite Magee
Oh yeah—he has a gift to see
What is sort of cool and special
in folks similar you and me.
He plays his sports just similar a pro
And people he meets, he gets to know.
Nothing seems to affright him.
It seems the world is his own show.
But troubles he has—they are many, not few.
He runs from some homes and lives in a zoo.
He learns about racism, loneliness, and death
And must have the forcefulness of not i kid but two.
Merely living life every bit an outsider
makes him merely a bit wiser.
He sees bad things for what they are,
and helps some folks exist warmer and kinder.
They phone call him Maniac Magee
Oh yes—he has a gift to see
What is sort of cool and special
in folks similar you lot and me.
The Stop
Copyright © 2001 by Charles the Poet
Hello, my name is Carmen. I'm president of my own online guild—Time to come Physicists of America. My other interests include collecting magnets, playing badminton, training my pet mice, and swing dancing. I admit—I'chiliad difficult to please. I hate ataxia and I want everything to make sense. If it tin't be explained by a graph or spread sheet, it probably won't interest me. Well that's me in a nutshell. So permit'south get to the task at hand—here is what I recall virtually the volume...
Carmen: Do you lot know what a fable is? In English grade we read most the legend of Paul Bunyon, a behemothic lumberjack with superhuman force. People would sit down around campfires telling stories almost Paul, who might have been based on ane man or several men. With each story, Paul would abound in size and his feats would go more astounding. In Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, twelve-yr-onetime Jeffrey Magee becomes something of a fable in his ain time. Some stories about Jeffrey have a flake of truth, while other stories about him are outrageously false. Spinelli's novel gives the real story behind this special kid. He may not completely live up to his fable, but he is unforgettable in his own way.
So why is Jeffrey, nicknamed "Bedlamite," so special? Why does he get such a reputation in 2 Mills, the town he begins to call home? For i thing, Jeffrey is unlike from other children. And we all know people dear to gossip about those who are dissimilar! He'south lived an unusually contained babyhood—after losing his parents he drifts from place to place, occasionally getting help from people merely mostly taking intendance of himself. This leads me to the second reason why Jeffrey is different. Because he is often on the outside looking in, he can see things for what they are. For example, he is confused by the racism that divides the town of Two Mills. He as well sees special qualities in people that others do not come across. Being in a separate world ways he is both innocent and wise when it comes to dealing with people. You volition enjoy reading about the adventures of Jeffrey, aka Bedlamite, who is both fun and heroic. You will likewise learn lessons about man nature right along with him.
Source: http://www.smplanet.com/planetbookclub/novels/magee
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