Maniac Magee

By Jerry Spinelli

(Lexile = 820)

• Teaching with Books: Maniac Magee This site from Scholastic has a writing prompt, discussion guide, extension activity, and vocabulary builder. Click on the links at left.

• Jerry Spinelli's Biography Read about this author and find out if he does research for his books. "Interview transcript" has questions students asked this author.

• Carol Hurst's Literature Site This site contains a book review, items to discuss, and various activities to go along with this book.

• Newbery Award: Terms and Criteria Find out what it took for "Maniac Magee" to be a Newbery Award winner.

• Author Bios: Jerry Spinelli Learn about this author's life and his work.

• Mania Magee Teaching Guide This site has six pdf pages with activities and discussion topics to go along with "Maniac Magee" and "Wringer."

• Novel Guide: Maniac Magee This site from McDougal Littell has cross-curricular activities and research ideas for this book.

• Nonfiction Connection: Read facts and myths about bullying

• Nonfiction Connection: General information and advice for dealing with bullies

• Nonfiction Connection: Read about cyberbullying

• Nonfiction Connection: Read 54 Ways You Can Help the Homeless, an online book on the topic

• Read the legend of the Gordian Knot

• Nonfiction Connection: Check out this list of cool nicknames for real-life sports heroes and the stories behind the nicknames. How do the nicknames in novel compare? Can you give any of the characters better nicknames?

• Nonfiction Connection: This novel starts with a jump rope rhyme about the main character. Read what one group of students and their teacher discovered when they researched jump rope rhymes.

• Nonfiction Connection: Read theories about how we learn prejudice here. Why do you think the Beales treated Maniac differently than the other East end residents? Do you think they were prejudiced? Why or why not?

• Poetry Connections: Read "Merry Go Round" by Langston Hughes and view the video. Would the ideas expressed in the poem make sense to the residents of Two Mills? Does the poem have relevance today? Why or why not?

• Watch this video version of the novel and compare it to Spinelli's written version.

• Practice analyzing plot with this SMART activity

• Need help with inferencing? Use this Voice Thread activity: http://katyisd.ed.voicethread.com/share/828288/  (Teachers: you'll need these instructions in order to transfer the activity to your own account and moderate comments.)