Freak the Mighty
Rodman Philbrick (1993)
“A boy too big and a boy too small become one hero — and prove that the real quest is learning to see yourself through someone else's eyes.”
Short Summary
Maxwell Kane, an oversized, learning-disabled boy haunted by his father's crime, lives in his grandparents' basement and believes he has no brain. When Kevin Avery — a brilliant, tiny boy with Morquio syndrome who calls himself 'Freak' — moves in next door, they form an unlikely partnership: Max carries Kevin on his shoulders, and Kevin supplies the words, the quests, and the framework for understanding the world. As 'Freak the Mighty,' they navigate bullies, rescue missions, and Arthurian adventures, until Max's father escapes prison and kidnaps him. Kevin rescues Max, but Kevin's body is failing. He dies from his condition, leaving Max a blank book and the legacy of language itself — the dictionary that taught a 'stupid' boy to tell his own story.
Detailed Summary
Maxwell Kane is thirteen, enormous for his age, and convinced he is stupid. He lives in his grandparents' basement in a small New England city, where everyone looks at him and sees his father — Kenny 'Killer' Kane, currently in prison for murdering Max's mother. Max has no friends, no confidence, an...