Using this 86-Page Reading Companion, students delve into Jerry Spinelli's "Maniac Magee", a wonderful book about a boy who cannot see the implication of labels. He doesn’t see why the community he comes to know and love is divided by race. He doesn’t understand the differences, and the superficial reasons why people dislike each other in the community.
Reading the high interest story, students investigate weighty matters. This book lends itself well to classroom discussion about plot lines, b