Friday's Forgotten Books: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

From the cover:

A Newbery Medal winning modern classic about a racially divided small town and a boy who runs.

Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.

My thoughts:

This book is almost twenty years old, but it feels as current as ever: the racial divisions, the self-imposed limits of a neighborhood and community... I picked this book up because a teacher had recommended it a few years ago, and I was struck by how unique and deep the story is.

Maniac Magee is a bit of an odyssey story, when we follow a kid who has lost his parents in a tragic accident, and becomes a nomad, moving from house, to park bench, to the zoo's bison habitat. The town of Two Mills is divided as so many towns are, by race and class, and Maniac Magee experiences all of it. In his nomad year the story covers, he bridges divides, and encourages everyone around him to look beyond the limits society and they themselves have put upon them.

Also, it's funny. Although the book covers heavy subjects, it does so in a non-judgmental, entertaining and humorous way. It's middle-grade after all: we serve our deep conflict with a dose of fun. I highly recommend this one to readers of all ages.

For more of Friday's Forgotten Books, click on over to Patti Abbott's blog.

Where do you get your book recommendations?

Summers are all about reading for me. I don’t know if it’s the longer days, the heat, or the feeling of being on vacation (even when I’m not) that make me want to read, but I do. So far, I’ve read about a book a week, which is pretty impressive for me.

I’m asked sometimes where I get my book recommendations from, so I thought I’d share…

Goodreads:

Goodreads is like my library online: I can keep track of what I’ve read, post reviews if I want, and see what new releases are out there. If I add an upcoming book to my shelf they’ll even send me an email to let me know it’s available. Pretty nifty. I also like their giveaways; I find out about upcoming titles, and even get a chance to win a book.

Criminal Element:

The perfect place to find upcoming mysteries and author features. They have contests as well.

Shelf Awareness:

I get their newsletter, mostly to keep up with industry news, but they’ll review books too.

Murder by the Book:

This Houston bookstore always has the best recommendations! And they sell signed copies, too…

Friday’s Forgotten Books:

You can find a list of blogger book reviews of older, forgotten titles on Patricia Abbott’s blog. I love to go there if I want to read something I might’ve missed.

Sarah Weinman:

I get my true crime recommendations from her newsletter—a must read for mystery fans.

YA Booknerd and Ms. Yingling Reads: 

I get so many of my middle-grade and YA recommendations from Jennifer's blog, it's awesome... Especially the more girl-friendly titles, for my daughters.

Likewise for Ms. Yingling's blog, for middle-grade and early readers.

I also hear about books from friends, sometimes bestseller lists, or just by walking around the bookstore.

How about you? Where do you find your book recommendations??