Mrs. Valerie Pickwell Character Analysis in Maniac Magee

Mrs. Pickwell has 11 children who are called home for dinner by her whistling each night. Besides Mr. Pickwell, her household also includes Grandmother and Grandfather Pickwell, Great-grandfather Pickwell, and whatever down-and-out person the family is helping at the moment. She calls these individuals her “small nation.” Like her husband and kids, Mrs. Pickwell is an unfailingly kind, generous, and hospitable person who symbolizes the best that Two Mills’ West End has to offer.

Mrs. Valerie Pickwell Character Timeline in Maniac Magee

The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. Valerie Pickwell appears in Maniac Magee. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

An hour later, Mrs. Valerie Pickwell whistles from her back door. Mrs. Pickwell has a legendary whistle. It successfully calls home... (full context)

Human Dignity, Connection, and Community Theme Icon

Maniac spends the day running, but that night, he answers Mrs. Pickwell ’s dinner whistle. This time, he’s not a stranger—the Pickwell kids cheer when he arrives,... (full context)

...the zoo, and scrounges food where he can find it. It seems to him that Mrs. Pickwell ’s dinner whistle carries to wherever he happens to be. Maniac loves rising early in... (full context)