Meeting Musings: Maniac Magee

Another great meeting has come and gone.  We had a lot of fun making the headbands.  Here is the link to the instructions if you missed the meeting. 
http://youseriouslymadethat.blogspot.com/2011/02/knotted-headband.html

We had all types of yarn and they turned out really cute.

Our new book is The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer.  It's the first in a series of mystery books about Sherlock Holmes' little sister.  We don't have many copies at our library, so if you have to wait for a copy, check your school library.

The next meeting is on March 28, 2012 at 7:00 pm.  I hope to see you there!


Gloria

Get Talking: Maniac Magee

Here are some discussion questions for the book.  

What did you think of the book?  Did you like it?

Who was your favorite character?  What about your least favorite character?

Why did Maniac start running?

Lots of people in the book have nicknames.  How does Maniac get his?  What would you want your nickname to be?

Maniac lives with all sorts of different people in all sorts of situations.  Of all of them, who would you want to live with?

What is the difference between the East end and the West end of Two Mills?  Is there any sort of division like that where you live?

Maniac is happy living with the Beales, so why does he leave?

Why does Maniac take Mars Bars to the West end?

Why doesn't Maniac help Piper and Russell when they are in trouble?  What happens because of it?

At the end of the book, Maniac is offered a couple of permanent homes.  Why doesn't he want to live with the people who offer to take him in?

In the prologue, it talks about Maniac's legacy.  What was it?

Creative Crafting

For a while now, I've been trying to decide what to write in the blog for the extra week.  Good news, I finally decided!  I'm going to be giving a little taste of the craft or activity we will be doing in the meeting.  

The craft for this upcoming meeting is going to be really fun. We are going to be making these.

I saw these on pinterest and loved them.  I thought "Maniac Magee has a thing for knots.  These have knots.  Perfect!"

We will have a few colors of yarn available for you to choose from, but you can bring your own if you'd like.  It uses a normal yarn that has been crocheted into a chain stitch.  I'll show you how to do this at the meeting if you need me to.

I'll see you Wednesday the 22nd at 7:00pm!

Gloria

Book Blurb: Maniac Magee

"They say Maniac Magee was born in a dump.  They say his stomach was a cereal box and his heart a sofa spring.
They say he kept an eight-inch cockroach on a leash and that rats stood guard over him while he slept.
They say if you knew he was coming and you sprinkled salt on the ground and he ran over it, within two or three blocks he would be as slow as everybody else.
They say."
         ~From Maniac Magee


Jeffery Lionel Magee had a hard life.  Orphaned at age 3, he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle who hated each other.  They wouldn't speak to one another and only shared Jeffery because they couldn't split him in half.  After years of putting up with it, Jeffery couldn't stand it anymore and ran. 


This Newberry Medal winner is about the town of Two Mills as seen through the eyes of twelve year old Jeffery.  He struggles to make a life for himself while dealing with acceptance, family issues, racism, and personal identity.  As he struggles he not only changes himself, but the world around him.





About the author


Here's a link to Jerry Spinelli's webpage.   Go there to learn more about the amazing man who wrote this months book club book. 



http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_008.htm

Gloria