Description:

Freak the Mighty joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!It has been over twenty years -- and more than two million copies, eight foreign editions, and a popular Miramax feature film -- since the world was introduced to this powerful story of a unique friendship between a troubled, oversized boy and the tiny, physically challenged genius who proves that courage comes in all sizes. This simple yet timeless story explores many themes, including bullying -- an important topic in today's schools. Freak the Mighty is sure to remain fresh, dramatic, and memorable for the next twenty years and beyond!

From Kirkus Reviews

The unvanquished truth'' concerning the extraordinary friendship between Kevin (Freak''), a brilliant 12-year-old whose birth defect prevents growth, and gigantic Max, who recognizes in his new two-foot-tall neighbor the feisty kid with crutches he knew in daycare years ago. Meanwhile, Max has his own troubles; he can barely read, making school an ordeal, and since his dad's in jail for killing his mother, he lives with gentle Gram and the aptly named Grim in a fairly rough neighborhood. As ``Freak the Mighty''--as they call themselves when Freak perches on Max's shoulders, guiding him like a horse and issuing instructions--the two have much to give each other. With Freak's quick wits and Max's long legs, they explore the neighborhood and best a gang of bullies on July 4. Freak, with his vast vocabulary and imagination to match, is uncondescending but uncompromising. He gets Max involved in his elaborate fantasy games and lures him into reading; when school starts, Max (somewhat implausibly) is placed in the gifted class to help his friend. When Max's father gets out on parole at Christmas, a mesmerizingly suspenseful sequence echoing the earlier rout of the bullies ensues. Max's description of their friendship--ostensibly written, after Freak's death, in the blank book Freak had given him--is gritty, unsentimental, sparked with Freak's wry verbal wit and Max's earthier humor, and ultimately poignant. Easily read but compelling: an intriguing and unusual story. (Fiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-A wonderful story of triumph over imperfection, shame, and loss. Large, awkward, learning-disabled Maxwell Kane, whose father is in prison for murdering his mother, and crippled, undersized Kevin are both mocked by their peers; the cruel taunting they endure is all too realistic and believable. The boys establish a friendship-and a partnership. Kevin defends them with his intelligence, while Max is his friend's "legs," affording him a chance to participate in the larger world. Inspired by tales of King Arthur, they become knights fighting for good and true causes. But Kevin's illness progresses, and when he dies, Max is left with the memories of an extraordinary relationship and, perhaps, the insight to think positively about himself and his future. The author writes with empathy, honoring the possibilities of even peripheral characters; Kevin and Max are memorable and luminous. Many YA novels deal with the effects of a friend dying, but this one is somewhat different and very special.
Libby K. White, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Review

-- ". . . riveting and poignant, with solid characters, brisk pacing, and . . . a little humor to carry us along". -- Booklist, boxed review --This text refers to the paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

"Killer Kane, Killer Kane, had a kid who got no brain!"

That's what they used to yell at me, and then they'd run like crazy because I'm the spitting image of my bad old dad. Or so they say. I never gave it a lot of thought because basically --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Author

Newbery Honor author Rodman Philbrick has written more than a dozen novels for young readers. In 1993, he published his first children’s book, Freak the Mighty , which became an instant classic, and was made into a feature film. The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg was a 2010 Newbery Honor Book. Philbrick’s other acclaimed novels include Max the Mighty , The Young Man and the Sea , The Last Book in the Universe , and Zane and the Hurricane. Philbrick divides his time between Maine and the Florida Keys. You can learn more about him on his website: rodmanphilbrick.com. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

MAX. FREAK. BEST FRIENDS. FOREVER.

"I never had a brain until Freak came along. . . ".

That's what Max thought. All his life he'd been called stupid. Dumb. Slow. It didn't help that his body seemed to be growing faster than his mind. It didn't help that people were afraid of him. So Max learned how to be alone At least until Freak came along.

Freak was weird, too. He had a little body -- and a really big brain. Together Max and Freak were unstoppable.

Together, they were Freak the Mighty.

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Rodman Philbrick published more than fifteen adult mystery and suspense novels before writing Freak the Mighty. He and his wife, novelist Lynn Harnett, divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Well, I was a butthead, because like I said, I never had a brain until Freak moved down the street. That summer before eighth grade, right? That's the summer I grew so fast that Grim said we'd best let the boy go barefoot, he's exploding out of his shoes. That barefoot summer when I fell down a lot, and the weirdo robot boy with his white-yellow hair and his weird fierce eyes moved into the duplex down the block with his beautiful brown-haired mom, the Fair Gwen of Air.Only a falling-down goon would think that was her real name, right?Like I said.Are you paying attention here? Because you don't even know yet how we got to be Freak the Mighty. Which was pretty cool, even if I do say so myself. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From AudioFile

Elden Henson, who played protagonist Max in the film version of this book, proves how well he knows the characters and story in this audio rendition. His reading reinvigorates Max's point of view in this extraordinary story of two misfit adolescents who work together to become a force for good. Disabled Kevin rides on the shoulders of oversized Max--literally. Henson's voices changes its timbre when the brilliant Kevin speaks, and Max's growing admiration for him comes through clearly. When Max's jailed father, "Killer Kane," reappears, and holds him hostage, Max must confront his fear that he may one day become as cruel as his father, and lose the relationships Kevin has helped him build. S.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Two eighth-grade misfits-one physically impaired, the other with a learning disability-become fast friends in a story PW found "choked with cliches and stereotypes." Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.