Maniac Magee by the numbers
Jerry Spinelli · first published 1990 · dataset 2026-10-24
Who it is not for: readers below 3rd grade: no school list in our data assigns it earlier.
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Length and reading time
| Pages (dataset edition) | 184 |
|---|---|
| Estimated words | 51,000 |
| Reading time, 300 wpm (fast) | 2 h 49 min |
| Reading time, 250 wpm (average adult) | 3 h 22 min |
| Reading time, 200 wpm (careful / younger reader) | 4 h 13 min |
| Days at 20 minutes a day | 11 |
| Lexile measure | 820L |
At 184 pages, Maniac Magee is longer than 48.9% of the 2,330 books on the reading lists we track whose page count we know (2,809 books are tracked in all). It is shorter than the median book listed for grades 6-8 (212 pages).
Maniac Magee is 184 pages; the median book listed for grades 6-8 is 212 pages and the median of all 2,330 listed books with a page count is 187.
Source: Page counts of 2,330 books on U.S. school reading lists, bookstatistics.com · Dataset snapshot 2026-10-24
Show the numbers
| Book | Pages |
|---|---|
| Maniac Magee | 184 pages |
| Median book listed for grades 6-8 | 212 pages |
| Median of all listed books | 187 pages |
Word counts and reading times are estimates: pages × 275 words, divided by the reading speed. Your edition's page count and your own pace will differ.
Where Maniac Magee is on school reading lists
100 appearances (0.5% of all 20,804 listings in the dataset), drawn from 24 published lists, in grades 3rd–8th. 100 of the 100 carry a link to the published source document.
States (22): Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
| Grade | Listings |
|---|---|
| 3rd | 2 |
| 4th | 23 |
| 5th | 24 |
| 6th | 26 |
| 7th | 23 |
| 8th | 2 |
Sources
- Rhode Island Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS) — Rhode Island Children's Book Award winners and nominees 1991-2025 — 1992 winner · checked 2026-09-24
- Virginia Readers' Choice past winners, 1992-1993 winner (Middle) · checked 2026-09-24
- Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA past winners list, 1991-1992 winner (6-8) · checked 2026-09-24
- Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) — Young Reader's Choice Award (est. 1940, the oldest children's-choice book award in the US): students in WA, OR, ID, MT & AK read the annual nominees and vote. Winner list 1940-2025. · checked 2026-07-07
- Vermont Dept. of Libraries — Golden Dome Book Award (formerly the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, est. 1957): Vermont's statewide grades 4-8 children's-choice program (students read the nominees and vote). Winner list 1957-2020. · checked 2026-07-07
- William Allen White Children's Book Award (Emporia State University) — Kansas's statewide children's-choice program (est. 1952; students read the annual nominees and vote). Winner list 1953-2025 per the William Allen White Award record. · checked 2026-07-07
Questions
How many pages is Maniac Magee?
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli is 184 pages in the edition recorded in our dataset. Page counts vary by edition and format; at about 275 words per page that is roughly 51,000 words.
How long does it take to read Maniac Magee?
About 3 h 22 min at an average adult pace of 250 words per minute (2 h 49 min at 300 wpm, 4 h 13 min at 200 wpm). At 20 minutes a day that is about 11 days.
Is Maniac Magee on school reading lists?
Yes. It appears 100 times on the U.S. school reading lists, award lists and curricula in our dataset, in 22 states plus 14 national-curriculum listings, most often in grades 6-8. That ranks it #6 of 2,809 listed books.
Related
- Maniac Magee: reading level, grades and similar booksOn ReadingList, our sister site for school reading lists.
- More by Jerry SpinelliFourth Grade Rats · Crash · Loser
- Books of about the same lengthCharlotte's Web (184 pp.) · Ralph S. Mouse (181 pp.) · The Great Gatsby (180 pp.) · The Giver (179 pp.)
- The most assigned books, rankedAll 2,809 listed books start here.
- Book length statisticsHow long assigned books are, by grade.
Cite this page
<a href="https://bookstatistics.com/books/maniac-magee/">Maniac Magee statistics</a>. Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site. [Maniac Magee statistics](https://bookstatistics.com/books/maniac-magee/). Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site. [url=https://bookstatistics.com/books/maniac-magee/]Maniac Magee statistics[/url]. Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site.