Freak the Mighty

A read aloud with emotional heft. Max is a giant of a kid, a misfit in school and in life because of his size, and with a learning disability that makes him feel slow and stupid. Max also carries very heavy baggage: his father is in prison for killing his mother, he lives with his grandparents, and bears the burden of an uncanny resemblance to the man known as Killer Kane. Max's world changes when Kevin moves in next door with his mother, the Fair Gwen. Max remembers Kevin from preschool as a tiny genius, a kid with a rare form of dwarfism who grows on the inside but not the outside. The two become inseparable friends, with wildly inventive play and heroic quests: together they are Freak the Mighty. My girls laughed and cried throughout show more the book, wincing at the brutalities and injustices of real life, and repeating after nearly every chapter:" I'm so glad they found each other!"

Curriculum: a terrific book for a read aloud or for literature circles, with discussion potential for empathy, and the realities of individuals with disabilities.

Philbrick, W. (1993). Freak the Mighty. New York, N.Y: Scholastic Inc. show less

“I never had a brain until Freak came along.”

Max, along with the rest of his town, has always considered himself brainless and worthless. He lives in the basement of Grim and Gram, his maternal grandparents and only remaining family after his father was sent to jail for the murder of his mother when he was young. Max is larger than most grown men, and has been placed in learning disabled classes. He has no friends.

Things change the summer before eighth grade when Kevin moves next door. Kevin is the same age as Max, but the size of a small two-year old due to a birth defect that causes his inner organs to grow but not his frame. Kevin is a brilliant go-getter with a lust for life who does not settle for anything less than what he show more wants and has a keen interest in books, especially the dictionary.

Together, Kevin and Max form an unlikely and inseparable pair, and have many adventures as Freak the Mighty, the moniker they chose for themselves. Kevin is the brains while Max is the legs, and together they go on quests as often as they take on bullies. Shining like a lamp through all their adventures is the truth which Max finally learns, that he can overcome any obstacle in his path as long as he remains true to himself. His learning disability, his loneliness, and even his low self esteem all dissolve as Max grows toward greater maturity.

Told through Max’s eloquent phrasing, which time and time again disproves his insistence on his inability to write, this book is a must read for anyone eleven and up. Make sure you have a box of tissues saved for the end of the book – you’ll need them. show less

While this review indicates a 2019 read date, I have read it every year since then.

I read this over and over in middle school. Freak and I had so much in common! Not the same condition, though. I was a sick kid who is now a sick adult, but thanks to Disability Twitter and Disability YouTube, I have a community. I didn't before, so I lived vicariously through Freak, or tried. When I read this again today as an adult, I thought I'd pick up on things differently. Not really. The book is accessible to both kids and adults, which feels kind of rare. I admire the author for this. The movie adaptation is really faithful and it was so great to see the book come to life. The author's fine with it, even. I watched some of his videos on YouTube. show more The book warmed my heart, made me laugh, gave me hope, made me nervous and scared, then broke my heart. I remembered everything that happened but oh, I was still so sad. As an adult, I realized something I hadn't as a kid: Freak knew. He knew the whole time, and he made up an elaborate story to cope. I have so many feelings. I'm so glad this book was written, that I read it as a kid, and now. show less

This novel was an engaging read from beginning to end. I absolutely loved the story crafted by Philbrick to explore the friendship between to characters that felt as though they were on the “outside”. I found it interesting that the author chose such dynamic social issues to explore in this novel, like incarcerated parents and death, but it ended up working out in their favor because it was written in such a way that you could almost feel as though you were the age of Max and saw things from a younger perspective.
One of the main reasons that I loved this book was because of the way that Max actually thought about his friend Kevin. Although Kevin had visible differences from other students his age, Max did not see him as any thing show more besides his “genius” friend. In one particular instance in the novel, Max’s grandfather says “poor Kevin”. Max, without missing a beat, replied, basically, that there was no “poor” about Kevin. He was extremely smart and talented. I found this development of Max’s character to be insightful into the nature of his character, rather than just focusing on his outer appearance. Secondly, I really enjoyed how the book ended. Although Kevin had passed, Max had been changed for the better. After opening up to Kevin, it seemed as if the world had opened up to him. We eventually found out that Max had “written” this story in the journal that Kevin gave him; “And now that I have written a book who knows, I might even read a few. No big deal,” (p. 160). From starting off Max’s character as being described as someone intimidating and “dumb” to having him go through al of these trials and writing his story down, I was simply amazed.
The main message that I gathered from this story was that you can not judge a book by its cover. Although Max was enormous in size and appeared “slow”, he really was a character that had many layers to him. People in the story judged him by what they knew of his past and how he looked, when in all actuality, it only took one friend to help others understand that there was much more that needed to be said about Max. Because of the friendship between Kevin and Max, I think that all of the people in that town became less judgmental and more understanding. show less

Max describes himself as just a butthead before Kevin moved down the street. He lives with his grandparents in a room in a basement, or the "Down Under," keeps growing like crazy, and goes to LD classes. Then Kevin moves in. Max remembers him as "Freak" from daycare, a brilliant boy who's crippled by a body which grows on the inside, and not out. When these two boys begin a friendship, they become "Freak the Mighty."

When the audiobook I was listening to stopped working in my car CD player, I needed to find a fast replacement for my daily commute. This book had been on my radar since it was on the school summer reading lists, so I nabbed it at work. Elden Henson narrates; his name might sound familiar either from the Mighty Ducks movies show more or from the movie based on this book, "The Mighty." Max's voice will always sound like his in my head now. It took a little getting used to, but the narration was pitch-perfect for Max and his point of view. I enjoyed the characters, Max and Kevin (I can't help but think of him as "Freak" because that's how Max refers to him), as the two very different boys grow to be friends and go on "quests." Though the book is nearly 20 years old, it ages well with few references to outdated technology. I have a hard time explaining what the story is about without giving anything away, but it touches on friendship and family, truth and remembrance. It's not a story to give to kids impatient for stories to start off with a bang, but if they don't mind one that unfolds a bit slower, it's hugely rewarding. show less

Overall, I really enjoyed this story even though the ending wasn’t the happiest. The first thing I enjoyed about the story was the characters. I really enjoyed how the author develops Max and Kevin throughout the story. You see the bond between the two develop over the story through their adventures. They really do become “Freak the Mighty.” Throughout the story, the reader begins to have a real connection with these characters and it was very upsetting when Kevin passed away and the impact that has on Max. The second thing I enjoyed about this story was the ending. Now as a reader, I personally was upset when Kevin passed away, but I think it is important for young readers to understand that now all stories will have a happy show more ending. No matter how hard we try to protect children, unfortunately bad things will happen. The third thing I enjoyed about this story is the plot. The author creates this story about how circumstances make two boys feel like outcast. I feel this helps young readers think about children they know who might feel left out due to circumstances out of their control. Overall, I felt the message was to enjoy whatever time you have with your friends/family because you never know when it will be taken away. show less

While reading this story, I was struck by its powerful message and the incredible use of point of view to connect with the reader. This tale focuses on the personal changes seen in one of the title characters: Maxwell, also known as Mad Max and ‘The Mighty’. The story is narrated by Max, and written in Max’s vernacular. The author wrote at Max’s educational level- that of an eighth grade boy, and used many terms unique to Max like ‘the underground’ for his bedroom and “The Fair Gwen” for the name of a neighbor. This was a powerful choice on the authors part, it allowed the reader to quickly connect with the main character because they felt like they were truly in his head.
Throughout this course, I have come to show more appreciate the importance of reading books with difficult or complicated endings. The ending of this story was not an easy one to swallow: the death of Max’s best friend was a surprise to Max, and because he was the narrator it was a surprise to the reader as well. At first, I was frustrated with the death because I chalked it up to a writers’ choice to add shock value to the tale. However, as I continued reading I was struck by how the death affected Max. He acknowledged the pain of the death, and then worked to continue his path of educational and affective growth despite the loss of his friend. For example he decided to write a novel when previously he had only expressed frustration with his perceived inability to write. This perseverance was a strong lesson for readers, one that I appreciated after finishing the book.
The message of this story is: little changes occur every day and add up to create large growth. show less