Maniac Magee chronicles the life of Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee. This book touches on many social issues that can be difficult to address with tweens. Such issues include racism, homelessness, social acceptance, bullying, socioeconomics, etc. One of the things that really makes this book shine is that the main character, Maniac, is someone I never stopped loving. He approaches all of these difficult social issues in an almost naive way, but his innocent attitude towards the issues transcends the bigotry and prejudice those around him exhibit. I find myself saying, "Maniac Magee is how I want my kids to be". The character development in the book is excellent. Maniac's friends, as well as his enemies, are described and developed in a way that makes them both endearing or annoying respectively. The friendly characters interacting with Maniac aren't just names to fill in the story, but are endearing characters that I grew to love and root for. Each of these characters seems to be positively affected by the interactions they have with Maniac as he is an example of patience, love, acceptance, and stick-to-itiveness. Through the course of the book I get the feeling that all Maniac is really looking for is love and acceptance. The same kind of love and acceptance that he is such a wonderful example of. The best thing about the book is that through Maniac's diligence and honor the book's antagonists all come to respect him for who he is.
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