This is MJ, I'm an author, I'm an artist, I'm an analyzer.
Find all my work at MJMunoz.com
Prepare yourself for some off the cuff book talk as I tackle another middle grade book chapter by chapter.
This is MJ bringing you my chapter 5 review for Maniac Melee.
This is, I'm going chapter by chapter through this book talking about the good, the bad, the ugly, and what I think of it overall.
So, here's the review for chapter 5. I didn't like it. See you next time.
No, I didn't like it and I really do think I've identified the issue, which is that Jerry Spinelli does this mythic storytelling where he removes characterization.
And, sure, I'm trying to be as nice as possible because I don't want to be mean and it was never my intention to be mean or cruel or snarky or anything like that with these.
I just want to be honest about it. This doesn't work for me. Why? Because there's not enough character involvement, character interaction going on.
But what are you talking about MJ? There were three bullies who threw a kid whose name was made up on the spot over a fence.
And then, McGee went in there to this yard of this cranky old man who everybody's afraid of and he's got a ball and frisbee and whatever else boomerang, you know, graveyard in his backyard.
You know, McGee went in there and picked up the kid who passed out with the wallies or whatever they called it and he carried him out of there.
He put him on the front stoop, the kid woke up, he ran away and McGee sat down and sat on the stoop where nobody ever sits.
Here's the thing. That's what happened.
Those high school kids were shown to be jerks. Their conflict showed them, showed their character that they're not good people.
They're bullies. They're picking on a kid younger than them who they can throw over a fence. Not cool at all.
I don't care about them. I doubt we're ever going to see them again. We didn't get their names.
And anyway, we didn't get their names. I'm glad I held back and you should be too.
Anyway, so we didn't get their names and we're never going to see them again. I doubt or I'm sure. I'm sure we're never going to see them again.
So beyond that, they are just props in the story and so is Alex Jones.
Is that really his name? Alex Jones? Alfred Jones? Albert Jones? I don't know. I've got to look back.
But if it's Alex Jones, that's unintentionally hilarious.
But anyway, so and that's not spineleseful. It's just how things go.
Anyway, so besides that, you know, McGee goes in there. McGee doesn't know anything about the yard.
I don't even know who he knew the kid was there unless he was watching them throw him in there, which is possible.
He doesn't know anything about the house. He doesn't know anything about the stoop that all kids are afraid of the house.
All kids are afraid of the yard. All kids are afraid of the stoop.
So he's not acting with bravery, although from the perspective of the three bullies of West End or in West End,
if they don't know that he doesn't know, they think he does know.
And therefore it's impressive to them what he does.
However, the audience knows that he doesn't know.
And therefore it removes some of the wonder and awe from what he did.
He didn't accomplish a feat of going into somewhere where he knew it had a bad reputation.
It was super scary. He went into some random yard and pulled a kid out of there.
And then he sat down on the stoop of that yard and read his book.
And there's not really anything impressive about that.
If Spinelli is trying to frame this and like it's all about your perspective and it's all about what you know and what you don't know,
it's about how informed you are, how ignorant you are, and that's why you're racist or whatever,
I guess I could be seeing his point a little bit here because I've just kind of walked through these different perspectives,
you know, actual perspectives and how they would affect your perception of the story and what's going on.
And there were a few literary flourishes I liked, like the kid in the backyard looking like a mouse in front of a snake
that's gaping law open, ready to strike. That was pretty cool.
And then there was one other thing he said a little bit after that that I thought was really good, really effective, a great turn of phrase.
But yeah, I don't know what it was now.
Probably the best thing about this chapter is I'm going to make this up on the spot.
I know this is true, that this chapter of this book inspired the movie The Sandlot.
You hear that? Maniac Be, Chapter 5, inspired the movie The Sandlot.
And for that, it deserves a place of honor because that's a great movie.
At least it was when I was a kid. I watched everything so much at school.
We all watched it. Yeah, somehow at school we watched it and we watched it over and over and we watched it forever.
And anyway, I'm eternally grateful to Jerry Smalley for giving us The Sandlot
because I'm confident that that's exactly where that movie came from, this chapter of this book.
So thank you, Jerry Smalley. I owe you one. I owe you one.
Anyway, if you want more analysis of this book, check out the playlist I have going.
Whether I finish the book or not, the playlist will still exist and I will put on the show notes,
or I'll put a special post on the episode, sorry, on the website saying,
I will put a special episode or a post on the website called Maniac McGee, you know, chapter by chapter, you know, whatever, complete, incomplete.
And it'll be there and you can check that out as you wish.
I hope you enjoyed that. Please remember to like, share, subscribe.
I invite you to comment, ask questions, and share your thoughts with me.
It's always more fun when you're part of the conversation.
Until next time, keep reading, be well, and do good things.
Visit MJMunoz.com for more of my work and help me build up the fortress fiction.