Maniac Magee

What's truth, what's myth? Did Maniac Magee really do all those amazing feats and deeds, or is it just story? Orphaned at 3 and raised by hateful relatives, Jeffrey Lionel Magee finally runs away--and lands in Two Mills, Pennsylvania, and the stories begin. Winner of the 1991 Newbery Medal, MANIAC MAGEE is a touching story about a boy who makes a difference because he doesn't allow pre-conceived notions, prejudice, and others' expectations to interfere with his behaviors and his life. S. Epatha Merkerson does a masterful job as Amanda, Mars Bar, Maniac, and the narrator, as well as the other characters who inhabit the story. Her tone, diction, and accent clearly differentiate those from the East Side and the West. She gives her characters strength, individuality, and attitude, while the narrator remains neutral yet amused by the stories and the legend of this unflappable boy. A superb rendering of an exceptional book! W.L.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2003 ALA Notable Recording (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

March 31, 1990
In this modern-day tall tale, Spinelli ( Dump Days ; Jason and Marceline ) presents a humorous yet poignant look at the issue of race relations, a rare topic for a work aimed at middle readers. Orphaned as an infant, Jerry Magee is reared by his feuding aunt and uncle until he runs away at age eight. He finds his way to Two Mills, Pa., where the legend of ''Maniac'' Magee begins after he scores major upsets against Brian Denehy, the star high school football player, and Little League tough guy, John McNab. In racially divided Two Mills, the Beales, a black family, take Maniac in, but despite his local fame, community pressure forces him out and he returns to living at the zoo. Park groundskeeper Grayson next cares for the boy, but the old man dies and Maniac moves into the squalid home of the McNabs, who are convinced a race war is imminent. After a showdown with his nemesis, Mars Bar, Maniac bridges the gap between the two sides of town and finally finds a home. Full of snappy street-talk cadences, this off-the-wall yarn will give readers of all colors plenty of food for thought. Ages 8-12.