The narrative point of view of Maniac Magee is the third person perspective. The story is being told from the perspective of an outside observer, and that observer really does try to only talk about things that happen. Readers do not get much insight into how Maniac is feeling or what he is thinking. This makes the narrative perspective feel a bit like the perspective of a reporter.

That works perfectly for this story because Maniac is a legend. We don't want him telling his own story because it would come across as bragging or conceited. By experiencing this story from the third person perspective, we get to experience Maniac and his actions the way that everybody else does. We get to be witnesses of amazing feats without really knowing what goes on in Maniac's head.