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They died in a crash of a P&W high-speed trolley. Jeffrey was three.
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Jeffrey goes to live with his Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan.
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After living with Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan for eight years, Jeffrey finally runs away at age eleven.
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Jeffrey arrives in a town near Bridgeport, near where he was born. This is after he has run for 200 miles over the "Lost Year".
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Amanda spills her books, and he helps her with them. She lends him the story of the Children's Crusade.
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Jeffrey intercepts a pass, runs with it, then perfectly punts it back to the high school boys, all with one hand. This was because he was holding Amanda's book in his other hand.
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Kids in Two Mills are scared of Finsterwald and his house, but Jeffrey is not afraid. He sits on the front steps of Finsterwald's house and reads his book.
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John McNab is the best pitcher in Little League baseball in town. He keeps pitching to Jeffrey, who hits home runs every time. He even pitches a frog to Jeffrey, who hits another homer.
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Mars Bar offers Maniac, which was what Jeffrey was called in Two Mills, a bit of his candy bar. he is surprised when Maniac takes a bite because Maniac is white and he is black. Mars Bar takes Amanda's book and rips it, but Amanda comes and yells at him.
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Jeffrey goes over Amanda's house, and when they find out that he doesn't have a home, he is invited to stay. Amanda's family is her mom, dad, and two little siblings, Hester and Lester.
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At first, they don't like Maniac because he is white, and the West End of Two Mills is black.
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Mania participates actively in church, play football like the high schoolers, runs the streets, and is allergic to pizza. He loves his new life, and everyone starts to notice him.
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Some people tell Maniac he's not welcome, and later on the Beales' house, somebody writes "Fishbelly Go Home".
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Cobble's Knot is a huge knot that has never been untied. Whoever unties the knot wins a free pizza every week for a year from Cobble's Corner. Maniac unties it, then ends up being chased out of town by John McNab's gang, the Cobras.
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Maniac has been living in the buffalo pen at the zoo in Elmwood Park. An old man named Grayson finds him on the ground, takes him to a baseball equipment room and buys Maniac food.
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Grayson lives with Maniac in the bandshell shed, where he tells Maniac baseball stories, Maniac teaches Grayson to read, and they have Christmas together.
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There is barely any funeral, and Maniac starts running again.
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Two young McNabs, Piper and Russel, find Maniac when they are trying to run away. Maniac brings them home to the McNabs, and he stays as well, living with them in the West End (the white side of Two Mills). He bribes the kids to go to school using th pizzas he won at Cobble's, then "amazing feats" that keep them interested.
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After Piper and Russel dare Maniac to go over to the East End, Maniac runs into Mars Bar, who challenges him to a race. Maniac accepts, and wins the race running backwards. Mars Bar accuses Maniac of cheating, and Maniac returns to the West End.
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Maniac brings Mars Bar, who is uncomfortable there, and everyone at the party is uncomfortable, too. When John McNab tries to pick a fight with Mars Bar, Maniac has to drag Mars Bar out.
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Maniac can't stand living with the McNab family anymore, and he runs back to the buffalo pen.
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Maniac is found by Mars Bar and Amanda. The Beales invite him back to live with them, and he agrees, knowing that they are his true family.
