Customer Reviews

Freak the Mighty

5 star:		(346)
4 star:		(138)
3 star:		(47)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Rodman Philbrick's ability to write interesting literature that appeals to young readers (especially teens) comes in handy with "Freak the Mighty." This rather poignant and affecting novel follows the unlikely "Odd Couple"-like friendship between Max--who lives with his grandparents, and is an enourmous eighth grader on the slow side, yet has plenty of common sense, surrounded by his father's reputation as a convicted killer--and Kevin, dubbed "Freak"--a 13 year old genius plagued with a birth defect that keeps him the size of a six year old.
Aside from being physically contradictory, Kevin's book smarts and well-read brilliancy seem the exact opposite of Max's poor grammar and lack of motivation. But almost phenomically, in a karma-like manner, the two become instant companions.
Their "quests" in the "yonder" of the nighborhoods reveal some rather interesting characters. Speaking of which, Philbrick explores the qualities our narrator Max, and his buddy Kevin, without missing a detail.
Being thirteen when I read this book, my thoughts allthroughout reading "Freak the Mighty" were, "How can some old guy know how WE talk, how WE think?" I was shocked at myself for crying when I had finished the final chapter.
Together, Max and Kevin become "Freak the Mighty" with their un-cliched friendship and dependance upon one another.
Philbrick's novel is wonderfully humanistic; there's just something so reassuring in the human race about the thought of the giant Max walking with the enthusiastic three-and-a-half foot Kevin hoisted onto his shoulders.
Young readers will fall in love with "Freak the Mighty" for its realistic portrayal of a teenager, while adults will undoubtedly savor its humane touch.

This book has a wonderful plot.Here are the 2 characters that make the book so good: Maxwell Cane {Kicker},the main character with a heart of gold and Kevin{Freak},a boy whose has the body of a 5 year old but, has the mind of a genius and the insides of a nomal 13 year old {which cause trouble}. They are not the most likely pair but together they are Freak the Mighty with the right combination of brains (Freak) and brawn (Max). The pair go on many exciting adventures including a trip to Loretta and Iggy Lee's house. Iggy is the leader of the panheads, a motorcycle gang feared by everyone. Loretta is Iggy's girlfriend. Iggy and Loretta know the dreadful Kenny Kane who is in jail for strangling Max's mother (which explains why he lives with his grandparents). If I tell you any more I will spoil the book for you. But I will give you one hint. Kenny Kane is back. This is a exquisite book. My teacher read it out loud and my whole six grade class roared at the funny parts and really wanted a different ending. I think Max is someone to relate to and recommend this book highly to all kids who love reading and a great story. Be sure to check out the back of the book for Freak's dictionary.

Thirteen year old Max Kane has a major problem with self-esteem. But who wouldn't, given what he's been through?

His mother is dead, murdered years before by his father, who is now serving time in prison. Max lives with his grandparents in a basement room, rarely emerging from his "down under" world because he thinks he's too huge and too stupid to function.

When Kevin moves next door, though, Max's life begins to change. Kevin, also thirteen, has the body of a young child but the brain of a grownup. The two become friends and allies, combining their strengths and uniting as "Freak the Mighty." Max has the muscle power, while Kevin has the imagination (and teaches Max to unlock his own). The two embark upon various hilarious and suspenseful adventures, culminating in a kidnapping and a daring rescue.

The best part of the book, besides the terrific story of a friendship, is the writing style. Narrated by Max, the story reads like an eighth grade boy's monologue -- conversational, funny, and instantly appealing.

This book is a real treasure.

This book is about a boy who is considered extremely large and dumb. He becomes best friends with a boy who is considered extremely small and smart. The large boy is named Mighty, and the small boy is named Freak.

There are two main problems in this story. The first is that since Freak is so small, he is dying because his internal organs are outgrowing the rest of his body. The other is that Mighty had previously witnessed his father murder his mother, and very soon his father will be getting out of jail.

This is a really groovy book because it is a "page turner." The author gives such a clear, descriptive image of each character that you can almost taste their personalities in your mouth. Freak is so smart, he even writes his own dictionary.

It had a sad ending, but that doesn't change how much I loved the book. I recommend you read this awesome book and if you don't, you're missing out on a good memory.

Who's that big kid? And who is his tag along? This is
what one might think if you first saw the two main
characters in Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick.
Combined, these two become a marvelous team and take
on many challenges. Maxwell, the large boy, and Kevin,
the smaller of the two, are both different from
everyone else and from each other, yet they can
understand each other like no one else can. Freak the
Mighty explores the concept of overcoming
differences and using your imagination to go places
you have never been. The author takes you for a walk
in someone's shoes filled with many emotions, yet
leaves you satisfied with the ending.
The story is set in a small town city where you cannot
hide much from anyone. Maxwell, Freak, is consider
slow by other people's standards until Kevin moves
next door. The author does a nice job of developing
the characters in a way that the reader becomes
attached and is curious to read on. Maxwell helps
freak learn how to do more than what he actually can
do. Kevin is smart and gives Maxwell and the reader
many things to think about. "Remembering is just an
invention of the mind" (Philback 141,) Kevin says to
Maxwell one afternoon.
The plot is filled with many twists and turns. One
day they are taking a calm quest to the hospital where
Kevin goes and the next they are running for their
lives from the bullies. These turns help add to the
emotions and feelings that a reader feels. It is hard

to predict what is going to happen from one section to
the next. There are many different conflicts that
keep it interesting and exciting. The conflict is
often hidden amongst the fun the two boys are having
together, which makes for a less harsh read. At other
points the conflict is illuminated by traumatizing and
scary events. One such time when the conflicted is
illuminated is when they are returning a purse over in
the not so good area of town and it turns ugly.
If you like Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, I
believe that you will like this book as well. In both
of these books, there is an unconditional friendship,
no matter how different the two sets of friends are
from each other. This book is geared to the young
adult age range. It is a book that can be dealt with
at different levels. One person may not get the same
thing out of it as another, but they will still have
something to take from it.
I would recommend this book because of its lessons it

teaches and the way it is presented. The lessons are
brought out through example and help the reader to
understand what is going on. I also enjoyed the
adventure Kevin and Maxwell discovered. I was amazed
at how the two different kinds of people could find a
common ground and almost become one person. They
develop a relationship that is different, yet one to
be envious of.
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick is a book that
you should add to your list. Maybe you will learn

something or maybe you will just admire the book for
what it is worth. Read with an open mind and your mind
might be opened to a new vision of how you look at
people.

Freak the Mighty is an exciting and thrilling book. It involves two characters Max and Freak. Max is learning disabled and Freak has a growing disorder (meaning that he is very short). Together they call themselves, "Freak the Mighty."

Max's mom died when he was very little. Max's dad is in prison for the charge of killing someone. He is known as, "Killer Kane." Now Max lives with his grandparents. Freak (Kevin), lives with his mother Gwen next door to Max. They spend time with each other every day going on adventures and sticking up for each other in bad situations. At school and other places, Freak rides on Max's back. Now that they are the best of friends, the kids don't make fun of Max as much anymore (except for Tony D.).

Since Freak has a growing disorder, he is excited that he is going to get his new bionic body. Max is kind of worried, but Freak is determined that it is going to work.

I won't spoil the rest of the book for you. You have to find out for yourself!

Freak the mighty was touching and I really liked it. this book had a mixure of comedy and sorrow, but overall it is the best book I've read all this year. on a scale from 1-10, I'de give this book an 11 with three thumbs up!

My daughter's English teacher suggested this book for the seventh grade students. I was very curious and as usual tried to peek into my daughter's books claiming that I wanted to help; after reading the first chapter, I was completely hooked.

As marvelous as the messages of this novel was, I was thrilled to see my child engage with the story as much as I did. "Freak the mighty" is a tale of friendship and acceptance between two friends Kevin and Max. The story is very profound but told in a very simple way that will captivate young readers, and pose many questions about the meaning of life, the finality of death, the value of true friendship and survival.

No review will be as good as reading the novel.

My son who is fifteen came home in the beginning of the school year 07 and was wild about a book, but couldn't remember to tell me its proper title. It has been a struggle to get him to read anything other than the covers to the next PS3 gangster/ mafia blue ray game.

I purchased this book on a lark that maybe he might read something about an odd friendship, seeing as he is forever dragging home misfit types to befriend. When the book arrived he saw it and his face lit up,while yelping "this is the book I told you about", my heart sank thinking I had wasted my money, he had already read it.Promptly he took the book upstairs to his room and didn't put it down until it was finished. It has got to be interesting and well written. Best of all it actually proved to be more powerful and captivating to a fifteen year old than a PS3 game.

Now my son has asked me if there are anymore books by the same author, smiling I answered "of course my boy of course"

I never thought i'd become interested in something by readong only a little about it. Rodman Philbrick's Freak The Mighty sparked an interest in a disease that i have never heard about before, Morquio Syndrome. Rodamn Philbrick takes us through a young crippled by's sophisticated mind and his big, not-so-smart friend's life. The story is told by Max, a kid who has been plagued by the criminal past of his father. He is constantly poked fun at for his size and his lack of book smarts, but he takes us through the adventures of Freak The Mighty as if we were there, or at least wishing to be. His friendship with Freak is unforgetable. The two boys never give up on each other and they are constantly looking after one another in whatever way they can.

Freak's amusing, sarcastic comments are what kept me interested in this story. He subtly pokes fun of Max's stupidity throughout the book, but he's not rude about it. Freak does it in a way like two best friends would, wven though Max can never figure out what Freak is saying. The companionship between the two characters is much like real life in the sense that the bigger one takes care of the small one and the smaller one teaches the bigger one. There's a lot more to the story that just a crippled kid and a stupid kid; and the minds on both boys are there to take us through it.

Max lives at home with Gram and Grim, his grandparents. His father is in jail for killing his wife. Max finds it hard to consider his father a killer, but he doesn't attempt to think otherwise. He is constantly trying not to think about that night his mother was killed, a night of which he has only vague memories of. Gram is a sweet, old women who doesn't quite understand Max, but she remains sweet to him. Grim is the typical "grouchy" man. His grouchiness, however, brings a certain humor to the story and helped me to get a better feel for life at Max's house.

Freak, who is Max's next door neighbor, lives only with his mother. He calls her "The Fair Gwen." The Fair Gwen struggles to keep her curious, brilliant, and unfortunately crippled son under control. He tends to want to go out on his own and discover the world, but she can't always be there to assist him along the way. However, Max is there to take Freak wherever he wants to go whenever he wants. THat's where the name "Freak The Mighty" comes from. Freak decided to blend his and Max's best known qualities together to from the greatest realistic hero we've ever known.

In the story there is a bully around town who everyone calls Blade because he went to juvy for stabbing someone. Max is three times his size, yet he's scared to death of him. Freak pushes Max to stand up for himself and they go through some pretty interesting things because of Blade. Blade is a typical everyday bully until Freak The Mighty defeats him. Suddenly he becomes a little jerk who's not so scary after all.

Throughout the course of the book there are several interesting characters, one of which is Max's father. WHen Max's father comes out of prison, he takes Max through a whole different set of adventures. When it is least expected, Freak saves the day. I'll leave it to the reader to find out how.

The most important theme is about loyalty to friends. Max never doubts Freak and never lets him down. Freak never doubts Mac and always has the greatest confidence in his performance. This story sparks great anticipation in the reader, you never know what's next, or how the boys will handle what is presented to them. The two boys are constantly in their own world, learning new things, going new places and doing things they'd never be able to do without each other.

I enjoyed this book very much because it helped me to see things a bit differently in my life. It also helped me to realize that in a fit world, everyone has some unique difference about them. Some of us know what that unique difference is, and others need someone else to help them see that difference. If you want to see what happens to Max, Freak, Blade, Grim, Gram, The Fair Gwen and everyone esle who has a story to tell in Freak The Mighty, you'll have to read the book!