Book: Rodman Philbrick. Freak the Mighty. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1993.
Awards:
Summary: In this novel, Max is dumb, slow, and huge. Kevin, also known as Freak, was just that: a freak. He has a tiny body with a huge brain. Max was used to being alone; until Kevin came along. The two boys had an immediate bond that turned into a great friendship. Max and Kevin became Freak the Mighty. They were unstoppable together because Kevin had the brains and Max had the brawn. Everything was going well until Kevin had some major health complications and suddenly passed away. Max was forced to learn how to cope with the loss and become an independent person.
Audience: I would use this book with 4th through 8th grades.
Themes: One major theme in this book is bullying. I think it is a great book to do some lessons on social skills with. Throughout the novel, Max and Kevin are both bullied. Max talked about it a lot in the beginning of the book. He was called numerous hurtful names and had a very low self-esteem because of it. I would also talk about the language in this book. Some of the language can be somewhat offensive so I would talk about better words to use. Another major theme is friendship. Max and Kevin discover friendship throughout this novel. For many kids, they have not had a "best friend" like Freak the Mighty was. This is a great theme to discuss in class and could also be used to talk about social skills again. We could discuss how to be a good friend and what it means to be unfriendly.
Evidence:
“You don't need a time machine if you know how to remember.”
This is a great quote from this book. Memory is somewhat a new concept to Max. Kevin uses his memory as an imaginative concept. He shows Max how to use his imagination and they really build their friendship this way.
“His heart was simply to big for his body.”
I chose this quote because it is a wonderful representation of Kevin. He was the most caring, kind, and smart little boy. Although Max was crushed when Kevin passed away, he taught Kevin many very important lessons about himself and about life. Kevin was a great friend for Max.
Connections: There are many ways I would use this in my classroom. It is a great book to read if there are bullying issues going on in the classroom; especially if it is in regards to students with disabilities. This would also be a great book if a student is going through the loss of a loved one. It goes through the grief process and how Max moved on from it but still became a better person. Lastly, it is a great book if I have a student with an "nontraditional" home situation.
Reactions: Personally, I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was a very light, easy read but still a very likable book. I think students would have a similar opinion. I sometimes felt that the language was a bit offensive and would need to be discussed so students wouldn't use words that are now inappropriate. Other than that, it was an inspirational pick-me-up type of book. I would recommend it to my students.
Reception:
"Who are the parents who think it's "good" for their child to be exposed to a father who murdered his wife in cold blood by strangling her to death in front of their 4-year old son? The son recounts the events of that horrible night shortly after a woman frees him from the chair where his father has bound him hand and foot and gagged him, only to have the father return unexpectedly and begin strangling yet another woman, graphically choking the life out of her. Once the boy, our main character, reveals that he witnessed his father murder his mother, good ol' dad begins to strangle HIM, too, and the children who are the target audience get to read from a young man's perspective what it's like to be strangled nearly to death. Unbelievably raw portrayals of blind rage and a murderous father who willingly kills first the mom and then attempts to strangle the son. Who thought this was a good idea for children???" -Parent of a 6 and 8 year old
"I absolutely loved this story. It has great messages for readers of all ages. It deals with a lot of issues, such as friendship, myth and reality, death, and disabilities." -13 year old
Hyperlinks:
Book Reviews
Author Website
Scholastic
Awards:
- Judy Lopez Honor Book
- ALA Best Books for Young Adults
- ALA Recommended Books for Reluctant Readers
- California Young Readers Medal Winner
- Arizona Young Readers Medal Winner
- Maryland Middle School Book Award
- Nebraska Golden Sower Award
- New York 'Charlotte's Web' Award.
- Wyoming 'Soaring Eagle Book Award
Summary: In this novel, Max is dumb, slow, and huge. Kevin, also known as Freak, was just that: a freak. He has a tiny body with a huge brain. Max was used to being alone; until Kevin came along. The two boys had an immediate bond that turned into a great friendship. Max and Kevin became Freak the Mighty. They were unstoppable together because Kevin had the brains and Max had the brawn. Everything was going well until Kevin had some major health complications and suddenly passed away. Max was forced to learn how to cope with the loss and become an independent person.
Audience: I would use this book with 4th through 8th grades.
Themes: One major theme in this book is bullying. I think it is a great book to do some lessons on social skills with. Throughout the novel, Max and Kevin are both bullied. Max talked about it a lot in the beginning of the book. He was called numerous hurtful names and had a very low self-esteem because of it. I would also talk about the language in this book. Some of the language can be somewhat offensive so I would talk about better words to use. Another major theme is friendship. Max and Kevin discover friendship throughout this novel. For many kids, they have not had a "best friend" like Freak the Mighty was. This is a great theme to discuss in class and could also be used to talk about social skills again. We could discuss how to be a good friend and what it means to be unfriendly.
Evidence:
“You don't need a time machine if you know how to remember.”
This is a great quote from this book. Memory is somewhat a new concept to Max. Kevin uses his memory as an imaginative concept. He shows Max how to use his imagination and they really build their friendship this way.
“His heart was simply to big for his body.”
I chose this quote because it is a wonderful representation of Kevin. He was the most caring, kind, and smart little boy. Although Max was crushed when Kevin passed away, he taught Kevin many very important lessons about himself and about life. Kevin was a great friend for Max.
Connections: There are many ways I would use this in my classroom. It is a great book to read if there are bullying issues going on in the classroom; especially if it is in regards to students with disabilities. This would also be a great book if a student is going through the loss of a loved one. It goes through the grief process and how Max moved on from it but still became a better person. Lastly, it is a great book if I have a student with an "nontraditional" home situation.
Reactions: Personally, I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was a very light, easy read but still a very likable book. I think students would have a similar opinion. I sometimes felt that the language was a bit offensive and would need to be discussed so students wouldn't use words that are now inappropriate. Other than that, it was an inspirational pick-me-up type of book. I would recommend it to my students.
Reception:
"Who are the parents who think it's "good" for their child to be exposed to a father who murdered his wife in cold blood by strangling her to death in front of their 4-year old son? The son recounts the events of that horrible night shortly after a woman frees him from the chair where his father has bound him hand and foot and gagged him, only to have the father return unexpectedly and begin strangling yet another woman, graphically choking the life out of her. Once the boy, our main character, reveals that he witnessed his father murder his mother, good ol' dad begins to strangle HIM, too, and the children who are the target audience get to read from a young man's perspective what it's like to be strangled nearly to death. Unbelievably raw portrayals of blind rage and a murderous father who willingly kills first the mom and then attempts to strangle the son. Who thought this was a good idea for children???" -Parent of a 6 and 8 year old
"I absolutely loved this story. It has great messages for readers of all ages. It deals with a lot of issues, such as friendship, myth and reality, death, and disabilities." -13 year old
Hyperlinks:
Book Reviews
Author Website
Scholastic