Cover of Maniac Magee

Maniac Magee

by Jerry Spinelli

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Among the most widely assigned — 22 curriculum lists · 22 states

#6 most-assigned book in America — on school reading lists in 20 states (2026-07-13 study of 13,258 assignments).

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

On reading-award lists:Rhode Island Children's Book AwardNewbery MedalPacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice AwardVermont Golden Dome Book Award+17 more

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli is assigned in US schools at grades 4–7, with a Lexile measure of 820L. It appears across 22 curriculum references and 22 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where Maniac Magee is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Lexile
820L
Grade range
Grades 4–7
Difficulty for grade
Within the grade 4–5 band (740–1010L)
Age range
Ages 9–13
Pages
184
Reading time
about 3h 20m (est.)
First published
1990
Genre
Middle Grade Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316809061

Reading difficulty: At 820L, Maniac Magee falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.

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New to these terms? What is a Lexile level? · Reading levels by grade · What is the Newbery Medal?

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee, a legendary orphan runner, crosses the racial divide of a fictional Pennsylvania town. Spinelli's Newbery Medal novel is widely assigned in 5th-7th grade for its approachable take on race relations and homelessness.

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Maniac Magee→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Why widely assigned

This Middle Grade Fiction title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 4–7. Written in the 1990s; pairs with curriculum units on race and homelessness; cited across 22 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

race · homelessness · family · legend and reality · prejudice

Content notes

racial tension · homelessness · death of parents

Common Sense Media recommends age 10+.

Where this book is assigned

Show 16 more awards & assignments

Maniac Magee by the numbers: pages, reading time and where it is listed, on Book Statistics.

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Common questions

What grade level is Maniac Magee?
Maniac Magee is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–7, with a Lexile measure of 820L. It appears on 22 school reading lists across 22 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
What is the Lexile level of Maniac Magee?
Maniac Magee has a Lexile measure of 820L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
How long does it take to read Maniac Magee?
It takes about 3h 20m to read Maniac Magee (184 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 200 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
Is Maniac Magee hard to read for 4th grade?
At 820L, Maniac Magee falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
What curricula assign Maniac Magee?
Maniac Magee appears on reading lists for Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award, Charlotte Award, and 19 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
820L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
Grade band
Grades 4–7 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 22 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 22 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
Documented as challenged or removed in 1 state per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans — see the full banned & challenged books list.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner, book-club, read-aloud.

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