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Maniac Magee (1990) 
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Genre: Newberry Award Winner
Point of View: 3rd person
Age Recommendations: 8 and up
Main Characters: Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee, Amanda Beale, Mars Bar, Earl Grayson, and John McNab
Plot: Jeffrey's parents died in a cable car crash when he was young, and after hearing endless fights between his Aunt and Uncle, he runs away. A year later he winds up in a town called Two Mills. There he meets Amanda Beale, an African-American girl whom he borrows a book from. Throughout the week he achieves incredible feats and is nicknamed "Maniac". Those feats include: outdoing a gang of bullies, sitting on the doorstep of a mysterious, reclusive, and notoriously ill-tempered neighbor called Finsterwald, untying Cobbles' Knot, and standing up honestly to a black boy nicknamed Mars Bar, who covers up his own fears by frightening all other children. Later, Jeffrey is startled into the realization of his own difference from the African-Americans with whom he lives with. As a result, he flees the town and hides in the buffalo enclosure of the local zoo. An old zookeeper named Earl Grayson befriends him and takes him in. Jeffrey grows to love Grayson as they talk about life and mostly baseball. One day, after Christmas, Grayson dies and Jeffrey is heartbroken. He leaves Two Mills and heads to Valley Forge while waiting to die. He meets two young runaway boys and decides to trick them into going home. He stays with the McNab family and meets their older brother John. Seeing how racist the McNabs are he brings a friend from the east side of town "Mars Bar" Thompson to the two boys birthday party. After the party ends in disaster, Jeffrey leaves the McNabs and roams all over the town, sleeping where he might and running at his own great pace through the streets in the early morning. Soon, he is joined by Mars Bar. They ran everywhere together. During the course of their running, they come upon the younger McNabs. Russell is in danger of being crushed by a trolley on the very same line on which Jeffrey's parents died. Jeffrey walks away without rescuing Russell, and Mars Bar rescues him instead. Because Russell will not let go of him, Mars Bar takes both children to his own house, where his mother cares for them. Later, Jeffrey again hides in the buffalo enclosure. Mars Bar finds him there and tells him what has happened. He also asks why Jeffrey did not venture out to rescue Russell. He then invites Jeffrey to visit his family, but Jeffrey refuses. On hearing of this refusal, Amanda Beale (who looks on Jeffrey's welfare as her own responsibility) storms into the zoo and retrieves her friend. She insists that Jeffrey become a permanent resident in her house, and Jeffrey accepts
Theme: The color of your skin does not define you who are.
Impressions: In Maniac Magee, the lessons primarily deal with racial and other prejudices and the importance of friends and family. The lessons are easy for children to understand and apply, making a larger impact in young minds. The theme is timeless and universal. Spinelli writes as if he is telling of a legend that everyone is familiar and this style of writing draws the reader into the story which leaves the reader personally invested in the outcome. Because of the universal message that is portrayed, this novel will stay in your heart forever.