Questions and Answers for Maniac Magee
Maniac Magee
How was Jeffrey able to eat spaghetti at the Pickwell's house in "Maniac Magee"?
There are ten Pickwell children, and at dinnertime each day, Mrs. Pickwell opens her back screen door and lets out a distinctive whistle which all the children recognize. They come running in to...
Maniac Magee
In Maniac Magee, what is the relationship between Maniac and Grayson?
As the other educator points out, Maniac and Grayson share a father-son relationship. Grayson is also a mentor and a male role model to Maniac. When Maniac discovers that Grayson played in the...
Maniac Magee
Amanda and Maniac had an argument in "Maniac Magee". What was Amanda sorry for?
Amanda and Maniac have an argument when he determines to leave the Beale's house because he feels he is causing them problems. Maniac is white and the Beales are black, and there are some who do...
Maniac Magee
In Maniac Magee, how long did it take Maniac to untie the knot in dhapter 20?
Unfortunately, readers are not given the specific amount of time that it took Maniac Magee to untie the incredible Cobble's Knot. The only thing that you could say for sure is that it took Maniac...
Maniac Magee
In Maniac Magee, at the McNabs' house, Maniac thought that something was raisins. What was it really?
What this rather icky episode demonstrates is the sheer folly of the idea of racial supremacy. The McNabs live in a state of conquerable squalor, in a ramshackle house infested with roaches that...
Maniac Magee
In "Maniac Magee", where does Maniac live at the end of the book?
At the end of the book, Maniac is invited to stay with the Beales, and the reader gets the sense that he will accept the invitation and find some stability there, at least for awhile. Indeed,...
Maniac Magee
Maniac Magee visits the West End and the East End. Think about how the two sides of town are similar and different.
Two Mills is a town that is divided into East End and West End. The dividing line is Hector street, and Hector street has an east side and a west side. It's as if there is an "invisible chalk line"...
Maniac Magee
Why does everyone call Jeffrey "Maniac" in the book Maniac Magee?
Jeffery Lionel Magee earns the nickname Maniac Magee because of his unconventional, reckless lifestyle and memorable accomplishments, which have become legendary in the racially divided town of Two...
Maniac Magee
Why did Maniac bring Mars Bar to the party in Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli? What did he achieve?
When Piper invited Maniac to his birthday party, he agrees on one condition. He has a “zany” idea. He tells them he will come if he can bring someone. The someone he has in mind is Mars Bar....
Maniac Magee
Where did Maniac Magee sleep his first few nights in Two Mills?
Maniac slept in the deer pen at the Elmwood Park Zoo for the first few nights he was in Two Mills. Maniac ran away from home after his parents died and he was sent to live with an aunt and uncle...
Maniac Magee
How did Jeffrey save Arnold Jones in Maniac Magee?
The answer to this question can be found in chapter 5. This is early in the book, and the purpose of this chapter and sequence is to continue building the legend that is Maniac Magee when he first...
Maniac Magee
What are the finsterwallies in "Maniac Magee"?
The answer to this question can be found in chapter 5 of Maniac Magee. This is another chapter that is dedicated to establishing the mythical figure that is Maniac. One of the neighborhood boys,...
Maniac Magee
In Maniac Magee, is Grayson from the West End or the East End?
Grayson is from the West End. After Maniac runs away, he ends up in Two Mills. When Maniac meets Amanda, she asks him where he is from. She assumes he is from the West End, but he explains that...
Maniac Magee
Why would Maniac not go to school?
In chapter 23, Grayson asks Maniac Magee, "What about school?" Magee's reply is quite defensive and macho, telling Grayson that he's not going and that they can't make him go if they can't find...
Maniac Magee
Why does Maniac want Russell and Piper to go to school, even though Maniac doesn't go to school?
Maniac Magee stopped going to school when he ran away from his aunt and uncle's house. He still loved learning even though he did not attend school. Maniac especially loved to read. Grayson...
Maniac Magee
When does the novel take place? (What year or time period)?
I wish that I could give you a definitive, specific date to answer this question; however, that is not possible. Some sources state that the events within the story are taking place in the early...
Maniac Magee
Why does Maniac Magee refuse to go home with Mars Bar in Maniac Magee?
The answer to this question isn't 100% straightforward. The text doesn't explicitly explain why Maniac turns down the offer from Mars Bar. We just see Maniac struggling with the offer and finally...
Maniac Magee
How does Maniac Magee teach Grayson to read and write in Maniac Magee by Jerri Spinelli?
In Chapter 27, Maniac teaches his friend Grayson to read by acting as his own personal dedicated teacher, starting with the alphabet and moving Grayson slowly up until he can read words, then...
Maniac Magee
Why couldn't Maniac go up on the trestle to save Russell?
Readers should look to chapters 1, 44, and 45 for this answer. Maniac is called in to help save Russell in chapter 44, and the chapter ends with Maniac seeing the bridge and walking away. He...
Maniac Magee
Why did Maniac Magee keep Amanda's book in Maniac Magee? (Ch 6-12)
Maniac is fascinated with Amanda’s book and keeps it to reread. Amanda keeps her whole library in a suitcase. Maniac is very impressed when he sees all of the books. He asks Amanda to borrow a...
Maniac Magee
What are the differences between Maniac Magee and Grayson in Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee?
The biggest difference between Maniac and Grayson is that Manic is a kid and Grayson is an old man. Despite this, the two become good friends. Grayson also does not know how to read, something...
Maniac Magee
In the book Maniac Magee, what does Maniac eat?
Because he is essentially homeless, Maniac Magee pretty much eats whatever he can get his hands on. His most favorite food is Tastykake butterscotch Krimpets, and, oddly, he is allergic to pizza....
Maniac Magee
Why does maniac invite mars bars to the birthday party and what happened?
Maniac invites Mars Bar to the birthday party in order to teach him about white people. He also wants to educate white people about black people because he realizes that discrimination is rampant...
Maniac Magee
In Maniac Magee, why did the pillbox bother Maniac so much?
The "pillbox" makes its appearance in chapter 39. Maniac discovers that the McNabs are building something that they call the "pillbox" in their house. It's a fortress or bunker of sorts. The plan...
Maniac Magee
What are some examples of hyperbole in Chapters 22-32 of Maniac Magee?
The whole novel has a legendary, mythical tone to it: the narrator describes Maniac's actions as though the boy were a figure from tall tales, like Paul Bunyan. So, we can find hyperbole featuring...
Maniac Magee
What feeling is Maniac Magee blind to?
Manic is blind to racism and seeing color. Race is very significant in Two Mills. If you are white, you live on the West End and you generally stay on the West End with your own kind. If you are...
Maniac Magee
What was the deal Maniac made with Russell and Piper in "Maniac Magee"?
Maniac actually makes a series of deals with Russell and Piper in order to get them to attend school. He begins by "promising to show them the shortcut to Mexico on Saturday" if they go...
Maniac Magee
What is maniac magee's physical description?
There is not a lot of text devoted to the specifics about Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee's physical appearance. Here are about the only two descriptions of Maniac Magee. The first one is when he arrives...
Maniac Magee
What are four things Jeffrey loved about living in the East End?
Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee loves many things about his new life with the Beale family in the East End. 1. He loves that Mrs. Beale gets him a new pair of sneakers. Maniac loves to run, and his old...
Maniac Magee
What did Maniac call Grayson's place in Maniac Magee?
Technically, Grayson lives in a dormitory-style room at the YMCA, but the important place associated with him and Maniac in the story is a baseball equipment room. At first, Maniac does what...
Maniac Magee
In the book Maniac Magee, in chapter 25, how does Jeffrey make Grayson feel special and important?
Chapter 25 is not exactly a happy chapter in this book. Most of the chapter is taken up with Grayson telling Maniac Magee stories from his earlier days as a minor league pitcher. Some of the...
Maniac Magee
What happened to Amanda's Encyclopedia A in Maniac Magee?
The encyclopedia is ripped to shreds to send a message to the Beales and Maniac. Amanda’s library is her most prized possession, and the encyclopedia’s volume A is the crown jewel. She wants to...
Maniac Magee
Explain three reasons why some kids didn't like Maniac.
While Maniac Magee is a relatively easy-going, kind adolescent, his decision to live with the Beales on the East End creates tension in the black community. The town of Two Mills is racially...
Maniac Magee
Why does Maniac paint out the number on the band shell door and decide not to live there any longer?
After an old man named Grayson discovers Maniac living in a buffalo pen, he invites Maniac to live with him on the third floor of the YMCA and in the band shell, which is the baseball equipment...
Maniac Magee
How is the Pickwell family like the Beale family in "Maniac Magee"?
Both the Pickwells and the Beales are large, intact family units. The Pickwells include the parents, ten children, a baby, paternal grandparents and one great-grandparent, while the Beale...
Maniac Magee
Why doesn't Maniac Magee want to go to school in the book Maniac Magee?
Right from the start of the story, readers are told that Maniac Magee doesn't go to school. It's a well known enough fact that grade school girls have a chant about it. Ma-niac, Ma-niac He's so...
Maniac Magee
In Maniac Magee, what was the first book Grayson read cover to cover?
The first book that Grayson read cover to cover was The Little Engine That Could. Accordingly, Maniac Magee didn't help Grayson at all. We are told that the latter made an almost superhuman effort...
Maniac Magee
What evidence is there that Maniac Magee has become a legend in Maniac Magee?
Jeffrey Lionel Magee, who is affectionately referred to as Maniac Magee, is a legend throughout the racially divided town of Two Mills, Pennsylvania. Maniac Magee is a wandering orphan who is...
Maniac Magee
In Maniac Magee how does Maniac humiliate Mars Bar?
Maniac Magee humiliates Mars Bar by taking a bite of his candy bar and then winning a race where he is running backwards. Maniac Magee and Mars Bar had a rocky start to their relationship. Mars...
Maniac Magee
In Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, what is Maniac Magee's address when he is staying with old man Grayson?
Maniac’s address with Grayson is 101 Band Shell Boulevard. Maniac is obsessed with having an address. Ever since his parents died and he ran away from his aunt and uncle, he has wanted a real...
Maniac Magee
What happened to Maniac's parents?
Lionel Magee (aka Maniac) lost his parents when they died in a traffic accident in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania. The trolley they were on ran into the Schulkill River. Everyone on board drowned. He...
Maniac Magee
Why does Maniac pretend Giant John McNab pitched him the "stopball" in Maniac Magee?
Maniac pretends that Giant John McNab once pitched him the "stopball" because he doesn't want John to be disgraced in front of his little brothers. Giant John had been known as "the fearsome...
Maniac Magee
What are two major events in Maniac Magee?
Two major events are the race with Mars Bar and Amanda’s book being destroyed. Maniac Magee is very episodic, meaning that the book is really a series of loosely connected events. Two that can be...
Maniac Magee
How did Maniac create more trouble when he raced Mars Bar in the book Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli?
Maniac won his race with Mars Bar running backwards, which was insulting to his opponent. Maniac just did not understand what he was getting into when he met Mars Bar. He didn’t realize that the...
Maniac Magee
In Maniac Magee, why doesn't Maniac feel he can go to Mars Bar's house?
Maniac doesn’t want to go to Mars Bar’s house because he has been moving from home to home, but he realizes he belongs with the Beales. Maniac Magee has been homeless since he ran away from his...
Maniac Magee
Why does Maniac decide to not live in the band shell any longer?
Maniac is always moving around from place to place. It's no wonder that one of his greatest desires is to find a place that he can call home. After losing not one but two families, Maniac winds up...
Maniac Magee
In Maniac Magee, what did Amanda discover about the confetti, and what did Maniac do about it?
Shortly after Maniac Magee conquers the infamous Cobble's Knot, the surrounding crowd begins to cheer him on, and confetti is thrown into the air in celebration of his achievement. As Mr. Cobble...
Maniac Magee
In chapter 7, what was so unusual about the baseball game?
The first unusual thing about the baseball game in chapter 7 is the pitcher, John McNab. McNab, a twelve-year-old "giant," strikes out sixteen batters in a row "to set a new Two Mills L. L....
Maniac Magee
Why does Amanda finally give Maniac a book in the book Maniac Magee?
Readers should look to chapter 3 for evidence on this question. Chapter 3 begins with Maniac coming across Amanda Beale. Maniac sees Amanda walking down the street, and he assumes that she is...
Maniac Magee
Why did Maniac bring Mars Bar to the West End and was his plan successful in Maniac Magee?
Maniac wants Mars Bar to see that blacks and whites are the same, and the plan is successful because Mars Bar has a good time. Maniac’s idea to bring Mars Bar to Piper’s birthday party is to show...
Showing 1-50 of 273