SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

September 4, 2012 by Travis Jonker

Covering the Newbery (#70): Maniac Magee

September 4, 2012 by Travis Jonker   6 comments

I firmly believe a person can only look at so many Flickr search results pages before going insane. I met that threshold this time out and so:

1. I am now insane.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

2. I resorted to something I’ve never done before – I made my own drawing. Here goes…

1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Original Cover:

My Redo:

Side by Side:

Verdict: I wanted Cobble’s Knot, so the knot we have. Although it sort of looks like a multicolored hairball.

Click here for the Covering the Newbery gallery.

Up Next Week: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Filed under: Covering the Newbery, Covers

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
Newbery

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

Winnie-the-Pooh Celebration Week: Day 3 – Statues and Lesser Known Histories

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Recent Graphic Novel Deals, Early January 2026 | News

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Reader’s Poll 2026

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Politics in Practice

From Policy Ask to Public Voice: Five Layers of Writing to Advance School Library Policy

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

A novel approach to depicting polyamory in YA, a guest post by Maria Ingrande Mora

by Amanda MacGregor

The Yarn

Kelly Yang on Storykind

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

12 Excellent Young Readers' Books to Display During Muslim Heritage Month

38 Exceptional Works by Nina LaCour, Kadir Nelson, and More | Starred Reviews, January 2026

28 Nonfiction Gems Celebrating Black History

SLJ Book Reviews Editors’ Favorite Best Books Cover

SLJ Reviews Editors’ Favorite Reads of 2025

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Miss K says

    September 4, 2012 at 7:07 am

    I prefer your cover!

  2. Katherine says

    September 4, 2012 at 7:40 am

    Maniac Magee is one of my all-time favorite books! That being said, I LOVE your cover! 🙂

  3. Jen Bryant says

    September 4, 2012 at 1:24 pm

    Great cover for Maniac. I’m forwarding this to Jerry and his wife, Eileen (my long-time friends and mentors in both life AND writing.) They’ll love to see what you did here, I’m sure. Also–take a look at the July 16th issue of Newsweek, wherein they point out real instances of insanity-by-technology overload. Bring on the pencils & paper!!

  4. Kellie says

    September 4, 2012 at 2:37 pm

    This is a fabulous rendition of the Maniac Magee cover! Cobble’s Knot = brilliant 🙂

  5. Niki says

    September 4, 2012 at 10:36 pm

    I love it! Maniac Magee is one of my all time favorite books! I’m going to miss reading it this year to my 4th graders….since I’m at 2nd now.

Trackbacks

  1. Throwback Thursday: Top 5 Nostalgia-Inducing Books | Surviving College says:
    June 13, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    […] (image via) […]

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books 2024
    • 2024 Stars So Far
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Pearls & Rubys
    • Politics in Practice
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • Reasons to Love Libraries
    • 2025 Youth Media Awards
    • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
    • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Read Free Poster
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2026


    COPYRIGHT © 2026