Grade 7
Freak the Mighty
G. Kelly
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1 – “The Unvanquished Truth”
Max is a large boy with blonde hair. He tells the readers that his mother is dead, his dad is in
jail and he lives with his grandparents, Gram and Grim. Max remembers his time in daycare
when he was angry at everything and kicked everyone. Max says he likes to hang out in his
bedroom in the basement.
New words
unvanquished
fierce
scowl
resemble
to defeat in any conflict
violent, wild, savage
a gloomy or threatening look
to be like or similar to
Chapter 2 – “Up from the Down Under”
Max gets bored hanging out in the basement. He goes outside and sees a small boy (Kevin /
Freak) with a physical disability and his mom (Gwen / The Fair Gwen) moving into the
neighbourhood. He notices the boy is bossing the delivery men around. Max runs away.
New words
vacant
glimpse
Strut
hunker
empty
to look quickly
to walk with head held high and chest thrown out
to hunch down or slouch
Chapter 3 – “American Flyer”
Max watches Kevin from behind a fence. Kevin is using a wagon to help him reach something
stuck in a tree. Max gets the ornithopter and gives it back to him. Freak goes to Max’s house
for a visit.
New words
flimsy
periodic
ornithopter
weak
not happening all the time
a mechanical bird
Chapter 4 – “What Frightened the Fair Gwen”
Max shows his new friend, Kevin, his bedroom. Max tells him he has a learning disability and
that he is not really good at school. Kevin tells Max the legend of King Arthur. The Fair Gwen
looks for Kevin, sees Max and panics a little. She makes Kevin go home.
New words
sobriquet
demeanor
postulate
quest
invincible
a nickname
body language gives a sense of a person’s character
to ask a question
a search for something
cannot be defeated or destroyed
Chapter 5 – “Spitting Image”
Max is feeling upset because he thinks Gwen is afraid of him. Gram tells Max that Gwen was
friends with his mother when they were younger. Max is invited to Kevin’s house for supper
because Gwen invites him. He nearly chokes during dinner and Kevin saves him. They all laugh
about it after. Max and Kevin become fast friends.
New words
cellar
remarkable
a room underground used to store food
worthy of notice or attention
Chapter 6 – “Close Encounter of the Turd Kind”
Max and Kevin go the July 4th fireworks. Freak ‘mouths off’ to Tony D (“Blade”) and his gang,
assuming Max can beat them up if they get in a fight. They laugh like crazy when Max tells
Freak there is no way he could have taken on Tony D’s gang. Max puts Kevin on his shoulder
during the fireworks so he can see like everyone else. This is when the two boys become Freak
the Mighty.
New words
cretin
turd
humongous
one who suffer from mental deficiency
poop
very, very large
Chapter 7 – “Walking High Above the World”
Max and Freak run into Blade and his gang again. They chase Freak the Mighty and Blade whips
out his knife. Max freezes up and doesn’t know where to run but Freak kicks him on the
shoulder to tell him what direction to run. Freak sends them running into a pond. They all get
stuck. The police rescue them. The police recognize Max as Killer Kane’s son.
New words
weaving
swaggering
bugle call
moving in and out of something
walking like you are very confident and cool
a trumpet call used in battle
Chapter 8 – “Dinosaur Brain”
The police bring Max and Freak home. Grim gives Max coffee and calls him “Max” because he
is proud of him. Freak proposes a quest. He explains to Max what an “archetype” is and makes
him look it up in the dictionary.
New words
confrontation
archetype
psyche
argument
an original that everything is copied from
the human mind, body and soul
Chapter 9 – “Life is Dangerous”
Freak shows Max the “Medical Research Lab”. He makes Max swear to keep his secret before
he tells him. When Max agrees, Freak then tells him about “The Experimental Bionics Unit” and
that he is the first person ever to be fitted for a robot body.
New words
steady
yonder
pending
incision
divulged
firmly placed, stable
over there
awaiting, not made yet
cutting into something
to tell or reveal
Chapter 10 – “Rats or Worse”
Max and Kevin sneak out at 3:00am. They are dressed in all black for their quest. They get a
purse out of a storm drain that Tony D and his gang threw away. The wallet belongs to a
woman named Loretta Lee.
New words
Optimum
Fealty
Devise
Retrieve
Distress
The best possible result, amount, etc
Loyalty
To come up with or to create
To get or bring back
Great pain, anxiety or sorrow
Chapter 11 – “The Damsel of Distress”
Max and Freak go to “The Testaments” to return Loretta Lee’s purse. Loretta and Iggy
recognize Max as Kenny Kane’s son. They also recognize Kevin as Gwen’s son. Loretta and Iggy
are old friends of Killer Kane’s.
New words
Fidget
Scrawny
Hombre
Scuttle
To squirm
Very thin
Man
To move quickly across the floor while dragging your legs
Chapter 12 – “Killer Kane, Killer Kane, Had a Kid Who Got No Brain”
Gram and Max shop for new school clothing. Max is moved from LD class to regular class with
Freak because they are going to be in the same class so they can help each other. Max is made
fun of on the first day of school. Then Kevin explains to the class that they are “Freak the
Mighty” and he gets the entire class pumped up and cheering for them. Mrs. Donelli (their
English teacher) send both Max and Freak are sent to Mrs. Addison’s office (the principal).
New words
jabbed
rubbish
steer
slight
poked
garbage
to turn in a specific direction
small or tiny
Chapter 13 – “American Chop Suey”
It is now October. Freak has been teaching Max to read. Mrs. Addison tells Max his father
wants to see him and he completely panics. Max goes crazy. Kevin chokes on chop suey in the
cafeteria and Max rushes to get him help. The ambulance is called.
New words
dyslexic
parole
chop suey
gruel
a learning disability, confusing letters (bpdq = dqbp)
being released from prison before your sentence is over
a Chinese vegetable stir fry
a thin, light coloured oatmeal that is boiled
Chapter 14 – “Cross My Heart and Hope to Die”
Freak comes home from the hospital. Max learns his dad is out of prison. Grim wants to get a
gun to protect his family in case Killer Kane threatens them. Gram does not want Grim to have
a gun in the house. Later that night, Max and Grim secretly talk about a gun being a good idea.
New words
minor
expression
obligation
ruckus
less or not serious
the look on someone’s face that shows how they feel
a duty
an argument, loud voices
Chapter 15 – “What Came Down the Chimney”
It is Christmas Eve. Max, Gram, Grim, Kevin and Gwen celebrate the holiday together by having
dinner and exchanging presents. Kevin gives Max a book of his favourite words that is wrapped
in a pyramid box. In the middle of the night, Killer Kane breaks into Max’s bedroom.
New words
professor
explosive
device
a university or college teacher
to blow up violently
a mechanical or electrical invention
Chapter 16 – “A Chip off the Old Block”
Killer Kane kidnaps Max. They go to Iggy and Loretta’s house to hide. Kenny bosses Iggy and
Loretta around and always gets what he wants because they are afraid of him
New words
clamps
paralyzed
Bethlehem
manger
to hold tightly or to chomp down
not able to move your body
a town in Israel where Jesus was born
a stable or a barn where animals live
Chapter 17 – “By All That’s Holy”
Kenny tries to convince Max he is really innocent and he even swears on the Bible to make him
trust him. He is very, very physically rough with Max. He ties up his hands and feet.
New words
dysfunctional
fearsome
Bible
does not work properly
very scary
the holy book for Christians
Chapter 18 – “Never Trust a Cripple”
Loretta brings Kenny and Max left over pizza. Police car lights are outside so Kenny pushes Max
to the floor so they can’t be seen. Loretta says the police came to their house with the “cripple
kid” to look for Max. Iggy comes in and tells Kenny about the time Max and the “cripple kid”
returned Loretta’s purse with all the money still inside. Kenny tells Iggy to get him a gun and
some kind of transportation.
New words
precaution
firearm
doing something ‘just in case’
gun
Chapter 19 – “Into the Black Down Under”
Kenny moves Max to a new hideout. It is an old boarded up building that was burned out. Max
is still tied up and Kenny gags him. Kenny then leaves to see about getting a car. Loretta sneaks
into the room and starts untying him while Iggy keeps Kenny distracted. Kenny returns and
finds Loretta untying Max’s feet. He is angry and starts to choke her.
New words
Slick
Bloated
Coal
Ignorant
Slippery
Swollen or puffed up
A black messy lump that is used for heat
Lack of knowledge
Chapter 20 – “Freak the Mighty Strikes Again”
Max begs Kenny not to kill Loretta. He says he remembers Kenny killing his mother. Kenny gets
angrier and goes after max. Freak shows up with a ‘gun’ (squirt gun) filled with sulphuric acid
(currie powder). Freak blasts Kenny in the eyes with the solution, temporarily blinding him.
Max and Freak escape through the cellar and are met by the police and Iggy. Gwen, Grim and
Gram rush to hug the boys.
New words
brainwashed
curry powder
controlling someone’s thoughts by manipulating them
a spice used in Indian food
Chapter 21 – “The Accident of Nature”
Freak tells Max he has been going to the medical research lab to work on his robot body. They
talk about Kenny’s upcoming trial. Kenny ends up pleading guilty. Grim tells Max he is nothing
like Kenny and that he only looks like him, nothing more.
New words
marvel
aberration
testify
to be very amazed or very curious about something
something that is not normal
to tell your story in court
Chapter 22 – “Remembering Is Just an Invention of the Mind”
It is no spring time. Freak tells Max you can remember anything you want to if you imagine it.
Everyone celebrates Freak’s birthday. Gwen gives him a new computer for his birthday
present. That night, Freak has a seizure and ends up in hospital.
New words
prodigy
seizure
a young person who is really, really talented
a sudden attack that makes your body shake and your eyes
roll back in your head.
Chapter 23 – “The Empty Book”
Freak is in the hospital. Max visits him and Dr. Spivak tells him Kevin has been asking for him.
Max notices how sick Freak is because he is hooked up to lots of machines. Max brings Freak
the ornithopter as a surprise. Kevin gives Max an empty book so he can write down their story
of “Freak the Mighty”. Max doesn’t believe he is smart enough to do it but Freak tells him he is
smart enough. Gram comes to the hospital to take Max home for supper. During supper, Max
mentions Freak’s upcoming operation. Then he puts the empty book in the pyramid box Freak
gave him for Christmas.
New words
facilitate
precious
ICU
to organize or head up
very valuable
intensive care unit in a hospital
Chapter 24 – “The Return of Kicker”
The next morning, Max goes back to the hospital to visit Freak. When he gets there, the nurses
tell him Kevin died during the night. Max is very, very upset. He runs to the Medical Research
lab and discovers it is not really a lab. He realizes Freak was never going to get a robotic body.
The police have to jump Max to calm him down. Dr. Spivak explains to Max that Kevin invented
the robot body in his mind so he could have hope that he might live. She says Kevin knew he
was going to die so that’s how he coped with dying.
New words
racket
rigged
remarkable
a loud noise, things banging
fixed on purpose or thrown together
awesome or fantastic
Chapter 25 – “What Loretta Said”
It is now one year later. Max has been depressed without his best friend. Grim tells Max he
should be happy to have had a best friend like Kevin because not everyone experiences that gift
of friendship in their lifetime. Max runs into Loretta Lee on the street one day. She tells Max
that Gwen moved to California and has a boyfriend now. She tells him to be happy by saying,
“Nothing’s a drag, kid”. Max takes her advice and fills out the empty book Kevin gave him in
the hospital. He writes the story of their friendship and this makes him feel better about living
without Freak.
New words
drag
booze
boring
alcohol