Maniac Magee: Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis

Jeffrey’s adventures on his first day in Two Mills led to his being called “Maniac.” The whole town, both West and East ends, was buzzing about him—his amazing football interception, his rescue of Arnold Jones, and his homerun after bunting a frog. At some point, somebody must have said, “Kid’s gotta be a maniac,” and everybody else agreed. Before long, only Amanda Beale knows him as anything else.

However, Maniac has no address. So he sleeps in the deer shed at the Elmwood Park Zoo, even sharing the deer’s apples, carrots, and stale bread. He reads and re-reads the book he borrowed from Amanda Beale. He spends the rest of his time wandering—which, for Maniac, means running, all the while carrying Amanda’s book and keeping it in perfect condition. Then, one day, his life takes a surprising twist.