Freak the Mighty / Rodman Philbrick
New York/The Blue Sky Press--Scholastic/1993
ISBN 0-590-47412-X
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Range: 5-8 (Characters are in 7th and 8th grades.)
Cross-curricular Connections: health (birth defects, friendship), Middle Ages
Book Brief: Philbrick's novel of two handicapped and troubled young men, one smaller
than a yardstick and the other outgrowing size thirteen shoes, is about the strength of
friendship, family, intelligence, and life. The poignant story is told from the perspective
of Max, who through the life and death of his friend Kevin, learns to respect his own intelligence and endure his own frightening heritage.
Pennsylvania Eligible Content Applications
SKILLS/FICTION
R8.A.1.1.1 Multiple-meaning:
“Freak” – as in oddity, malformed, but also intelligent beyond the norm; “Max” – refers to
height but also to Max’s increased ability to deal with difficult relationships when he
teams with Kevin.
R8.A.1.1.2 Synonyms and antonyms
R8.A.1.2.1 Affixes
R8.A.1.2.2 Context clues in explanatory sentences:
p. 16 postulate
p. 17 quest
R8.A.1.3.1 Inferences/conclusion:
pp. 3, 4—Max’s father was or is dangerous
p. 27—Max is relieved.
R8.A.1.3.2 Cite evidence/generalizations: p. 27—Max is crying and happy.
R8.A.1.4.1 Main ideas and supporting details: What is the main idea in
chapter 5, Spitting Image? (Max finds acceptance with Freak and Gwen.) Provide
three details that support the main idea.
R8.A.1.5.1 Summarize: Use the main idea and three supporting details to write a
summary of chapter 5.
R8.A.1.6.1 Author’s intended purpose: entertain and inform
R8.A.1.6.2 Support author’s purpose
APPLICATION/FICTION AND NONFICTION
R8.B.1.1.1 Character:
Maxwell "Max" Kane is the main character and narrator of the story. He is
described to be very big and have a striking resemblance to his father, Kenneth
(Killer)
Kevin "Freak" Avery is a crippled, blonde haired boy with whom Max becomes
best friends. Kevin has Morquio syndrome, where the outside of his body is
unable to grow. He walks on crutches and wears a leg brace. He is a genius for
his age and size and carries a dictionary with him.
Grim is Maxwell's grandfather. He is usually pretty grim, thus explaining why
Maxwell gave him the nickname, although in reality he is a pretty friendly person.
He dislikes Max's father because of what he did to Grim's daughter, Annie.
Gram is Maxwell's grandmother. Like her husband, she also dislikes Kenneth
and misses her daughter, Annie. Gram is really kind and polite, careful not to hurt
anyone's feelings.
Gwen "Fair Gwen" Avery is Kevin's beautiful and kind mother.
Kenneth "Kenny" David Kane (also known as Killer Kane) is Maxwell's father.
He was sent to jail for strangling his wife to death.
Loretta Lee is a thin, red-haired lady whose stolen purse is recovered by Freak
and Max. She is married to the leader of motorcycle gang The Panheads, Iggy.
Loretta is an alcoholic and a smoker and lives in the "poor" part of the town, the
Testaments.
p. 126—Loretta helps Max. Is that a surprise? Why?
p. 133—How does the author show us that Iggy Lee has been very worried?
pp. 136, 137—Find evidence from the text to show how Gwen is feeling after
Kevin is rescued.
Make a list of adjectives that describe Max, Freak, Gwen, Loretta. Do some
adjectives apply earlier or later, as characters change?
R8.B.1.1.1 Plot:
p. 89—Why is it important to the plot that the author tells us that Kevin is
“growing faster on the inside”? (It foreshadows the sudden downturn in Kevin’s
health.)
p. 99—Killer Kane says, “I came back.”
Another example of foreshadowing is in chapter 22: “Remembering is just an
invention of the mind.” After Kevin’s death, the words are echoed on p. 160 as
Max relates that he is “okay about remembering things.”
R8.B.1.1.1 Setting: In chapter 16, how does the setting contribute to Max’s fright
when he is kidnapped?
R8.B.1.1.1Theme: How does the author reveal the book’s theme (the power of
friendship)? Ex: Max and Kevin are taller, more powerful together; they give each other
thoughtful gifts. Other themes include: the difference between myth and reality,
recognizing the worth in all humans, the importance of positive self concept, and dealing
with death."
R8.B.1.2.1 Connections between texts:
Gwen (referred to as "The Fair Gwen", "The Fair Guinevere" or "The Fair Gwen of Air"
after King Arthur's wife)
R8.B.2.1.1 Personification
R8.B.2.1.2 Similes:
p. 21 “float like a cloud”
p. 69 “whole place is like...”
R8.B.2.1.3 Alliteration
R8.B.2.1.4 Metaphors:
p. 19 “right after trimming my nails with a lawn mower....”
p. 21 “you are a cloud,”
p. 102 “The stars clicked off.”
R8.B.2.2.1 Point of view: first person
R8.B.2.2.2 Effectiveness of point of view: At the end of chapter 5, Freak
relates that he is “crying like a baby,” yet is “happy.” Explain why it is more effective for
Freak to tell his story than have the story told in third person by a narrator.
Additional Notes:
Onomatopoeia
p. 2 “rrrrr”
p. 32 “womp-womp-womp”
p. 44 “wonka-wonka-wonka”
Special feature—Freak’s 9 page dictionary at the end of the book—very useful for
practical word study