Marco Olivero

English lll period 8

9/8/19
What Makes a text worth reading?

Every reader and/or student has had a time in their life when they find themselves a book
they have an interest in and are willing to read it. But once they have finished reading the
entirety of the book, the reader(s) then realize what he/she got themselves into. Once they
are done reading, they are left with confusion and disappointment. Most of the time this is
due to the fact that the story failed to meet expectations, was not understandable, lacked
the requirements of being a good story, and was just not worth reading. A majority of the
books that I have read in my life have been chapter books from school. The teacher had us
read it to complete any given assignments, like a paper full of questions or an essay. This
happened a lot during my years at elementary school, and to me the context of the story
were sort've corny, unrealistic, or just kept saying nonsense throughout the story. I've been
into comic books because of the characters,story and visuals. One story however, changed
my entire outlook on books. The name of this book was maniac magee, written by Jerry
spinelli and published in 1990. The story is about a young boy who loses his parents and
runs away from his orphanage and later finds himself in a fictional pennsylvania that is
segregated and carries a theme of racism and homelessness. One aspect of the story is how
the people living in the town are divided, One side of the town is where all of the black
people lived and the other was where the white people lived. There is one street in
between each side of the town that keeps them separated or that makes a border of some
sorts. The main characters name is jeffery lionel also known as maniac magee, Amanda
Beale, Mars Bar Thompson, Mrs.Beal, and John McNab. Now when i first heard the title of
the book, I honestly thought it was horror book, or a horror book mixed with comedy. Sure,
I was still interested but not to the point where I was jumping up in excitement, I felt the
same way for any other book I have read before that. That all changed when i read maniac
magee. The aspects that this book contains are humor, heart, and drama. At least those are
the aspects that I can remember. So during the story the beginning we ́re not only
introduced to the main character jeffrey lionel (maniac magee)and his character but the
setting, where it takes place, the people living their, and how it will affect the rest of the
story going forward. Most of the time spent is taken place on the black cultural side of the
town, I really enjoyed the chemistry between all of the black characters and jeffery. I like
how the other characters react to how jeffery reacts around them, they're absolutely blown
away by his kind heartedness and that fact that he is not a racist. The family that he grows a
strong connection with, ends up letting him live with them and jeffery was pleased and
excited. One of the main characters in the story who I think has the most character
development is the character Mars Bar Thompson. When we first meet, he is shown to be a
big bully or even the antagonist of the story. Mars Bar Thompson quickly grows a grudge
against jeffrey because he was white and had been living in a black neighborhood. One of
my favorite scenes in the entire book was when Mars bar was criticising or making fun of
jeffery. He then pulls out a candy bar and before he ̈offers ̈ jeffery a piece, he takes a large
bite out of it. Jeffery (without hesitating) takes a bite right after, and Mars Bar Thompson
was completely blown away. He had believed that an average wjite person would never
touch anything that a black person would touch. The character Mars Bar then goes through
character change throughout the rest of the story. The characters in the story are well
established and they are what drive the story forward, and in my opinion is how any other
story should be. By the end of the story , we get to see all of the characters from each part of
the town, including the white people unite with the black. The end of the story is a huge pay
off, it is also understandable, and its happy ending really makes remember these characters
and what they've been through. Which leads to my conclusion, what makes a text worth
reading is the intriguing story and plot, the important and relatable characters, and the
emotional and satisfying pay off at the end of the story that makes the reader remember
the story and to tell them that they made the right choice in reading it.