Maniac Magee Study Guide

Maniac Magee was born in Bridgeport and had a very normal life until the day his parents and sister were coming home from the city on a trolley. The driver was drunk, and was speeding, causing the trolley to crash into the Schuylkill River. At the age of three, Jeffery Lionel Magee was an orphan. Magee went to live with his Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan who hated each other, but because they were Catholics, would not get a divorce. The couple avoided each other all the time, living two separate lives. One night Magee had a school musical, and his aunt and uncle sat far away from each other. During the song Talk to the Animals, Magee starts screaming, "Talk! Talk!" Even after the song is over, he continues to scream. Then he starts running out the door never to return to his aunt and uncle's house, or school. (read more)