Freak the Mighty

Rodman Philbrick

Average Rating 9/10 (2 Reviews)

Extraordinarily powerful, uplifting and memorable, the story of Freak the Mighty explores an unlikely friendship, and finds optimism and humour in a story of great poignancy. Bring your tissues. Maxwell Kane is feared and bullied because of his mental slowness and enormous size. But this is not the only cross he has to bear; Maxwell's father is in jail for murdering his mother. Kevin is smart, quirky and funny with insatiable curiosity and zest for life but he suffers from a rare genetic condition, which inhibits the growth of his body. Yet the combination of Kevin and Maxwell is formidable, when together they become Freak the Mighty.

Key Stage: KS3 E; Age 10+

'As funny as it is touching and convincing.'

'A small classic, funny-sad, page-turning and memorable... Suspenseful, touching and swiftly persuasive about its most unusual central characters, this remarkable book takes you through dark territory, but it is written with humour and simplicity.'

Review by Hannah (300916) Rating (9/10)
Review by Jessica (310511) Rating (8/10)

Review by Hannah
Book Source: Not Known
Rating: 9/10
The book is great. It is one of my favourites. I love how one moment you’re crying, one moment you’re laughing and another moment you’re suspicious. This is a great book for teens. It does have bad language. Though the message is really good.
Hannah (30th September 2016)

Review by Jessica
Book Source: Publisher
Rating: 8/10
Since the age of sixteen, Rodman Philbrick has been a keen writer. Having written his first novel in his teenage years, his imagination has always pushed him on. He published more then a dozen novels for adults before publishing his first book for younger readers, Freak the Mighty. Currently Rod and his wife divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys.

Freak the Mighty is a truly moving tale about two special friends, brought together one day by an ornithopter, or to put it more simply a mechanical bird, which had got stuck up a tree. Offering a helping hand, Maxwell, returns the toy to the little boy, Kevin. From that day onwards an unbreakable friendship is formed and together the duo become Freak the Mighty on account of their sizes. Together they take on the world, laughing joking and discussing Freak’s many wonderful words taken from his trusty dictionary. It is apparent to Max that Kevin is certainly a very clever boy. However, Kevin later tells Max one day he’ll have to get a new body made for him at the hospital, since he is so small. Max never guesses it may be all a big fantasy made up by Kevin to hide the touching truth.

Included in this book is a rather funny dictionary made up by the character Kevin. It includes words such as Gadzooks and Intergalactic to which the boy puts on his own quirky angle. There’s also an interview with Rodman Philbrick the author who was inspired to write Freak the Mighty about a character he knew in his younger days.

An absolute page-turner, even if you’re not a teenager yourself. I enjoyed the tale of this stirring friendship and the ending touched my heart.
Jessica (31st May 2011)