Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Freak the Mighty

Rodman Philbrick

Max was a boy without a brain before Kevin came along to lend his. Kevin was lonely and didn’t trust anybody. He has always been laughed at about his disorder so that’s all he sees. Max and Kevin become one. They call their selves Freak the Mighty. They go on adventures slaying dragons (bullies) and getting revenge. Kevin teaches Max to read while Max teaches Kevin to stand up for himself. The overall message is that two minds are better than one.  

Two young boys who had been struggling to find their place in the world make a connection. Kevin is cripple and has no friends, but he manages to keep sane do to education. He loves to read and express himself through art. Kevin is an inventor. Max is tall and uneducated. He does not know how to read at age 13.He doesn’t bother to try. Everyone gangs up and laughs at these two. They are outcasts. Max has a deep past that hunts him day by day. “Killer Kane, Killer Kane had a kid who got no brain” (Philbrick 73). There is a rumor out that his farther murdered his mom. Max struggles to remember what happened that night he was only two years old. Now he has to deal with bullies at school simply because he was not the smartest. How will he face them? Before meeting Kevin Max never had a brain. Kevin is small and can’t walk. Together they team up and become freak the mighty. They go out into the world fighting off the bullies and conquering their fears. With time they open up and learn to trust. They are true friends. All of a sudden Daddy Kane shows up. He has escaped jail and wants to take Max. Kevin refuses to let it happen. They work together and daddy Kane is sent back to jail. Now Max finds out that Kevin has been sick for a very long time. His heart is too big for body. Kevin dies and Max is left alone. Max will not give up on his education. He writes a letter letting out some anger. He ends it with “And now that I’ve written a book who knows, I might even read a few” (philbrick 160).


I would recommend this book because it demonstrates many ways to deal with bullies. Anybody dealing with issues in their life where they feel like they can’t trust can relate to this book. Kevin and Max made great progress letting each other in into their lives and it worked out for the better. Freak the mighty is very entertaining and will leave you in awe. Even though it is a fiction book the messages are realistic. Reading this book is like exploring an unbelievable imaginative museum in your head. 


Book Review by Alicia H.

1 comment:

  1. Freak the Mighty is a great book. It talks about how a boy persevered through his obstacles in life and how he had help along the way. I would love to read this book.

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