Comparison
Maniac Magee vs Shiloh
How Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli and Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor compare on reading level, grade placement, curriculum overlap, and shared themes — derived from primary-source citations on each book’s ReadingList page.
Maniac Magee
Jerry Spinelli
- Lexile
- 820L
- Grades
- 4–7
- Published
- 1990
- Pages
- 184
- Genre
- Middle Grade Fiction
Shiloh
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Lexile
- 890L
- Grades
- 3–6
- Published
- 1991
- Pages
- 160
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
At a glance
- Lexile differential
- 70L (Maniac Magee: 820L · Shiloh: 890L)
- Grade-range overlap
- Grades 4–6
- Year-of-publication gap
- 1 year (1990 vs 1991)
- Page-count gap
- 24 pages (184 vs 160)
- Shared curricula
- 84 of 131
- Shared themes
- 1 of 9
Reading-level difference
The 70-point Lexile gap puts Shiloh roughly a notch above Maniac Magee. Lexile differences below 50L typically reflect equivalent decoding load (sentence length + word frequency); differences above 200L cross developmental reading-band boundaries. More on how Lexile measures work →
Curriculum overlap
Both books appear in 84 shared curriculum frameworks:
Themes
Shared
family
Only Maniac Magee
race · homelessness · legend and reality · prejudice
Only Shiloh
animal welfare · morality · rural life · courage
Get these books
Maniac Magee
Jerry Spinelli
Where to find this book
Audible: new members only · many assigned titles are included · a free trial for eligible new members starts listening right away, with no wait for delivery.
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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Shiloh
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Where to find this book
Audible: new members only · many assigned titles are included · a free trial for eligible new members starts listening right away, with no wait for delivery.
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you. Pricing, Prime, and trial terms shown on Amazon.