Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Maniac Magee is a story about Jeffery Lionel Magee, who earns his nickname "Maniac" through all of his adventures. Maniac is an orphan who ran away from his aunt and uncle. He is extremely athletic and always beats all the neighborhood kids at any sports. He ends up in a town that has an "East End" and a "West End," and the different areas are segregated by race. However Maniac, who is white, feels comfortable becoming part of both Ends. He lives with families in both Ends, but he never feels like he is "home." He also deals with the issues of race by trying to bring the Ends together through the neighborhood kids.

In terms of teachability, I highly recommended this book. While it may be a "white book," it does really well at dealing with issues of race, as Maniac is a character that go between the different worlds. There is also a really good section in the beginning that leads itself to a skin poetry activity, as Maniac doesn't understand how people are "white" or "black" since he sees "chocolate," "caramel," or "peach." The text is also at a good reading level for upper middle school students, as it will challenge their reading ability. However, it is not too daunting, and it is certainly engaging that students would want to continue to read. I highly recommended this book to be a part of middle school classrooms.