Review: Freak the Mighty

Title: Freak the Mighty
Author: Rodman Philbrick
Author's Website: www.rodmanphilbrick.com
My Age Recommendation: 9+
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd.
Publication Date: 30 March 2007
Pages: 192
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Jon

Synopsis
Max is used to being called stupid. And he is used to everyone being scared of him. On account of his size and looking like his dad. Kevin is used to being called Dwarf. And he is used to everyone laughing at him. On account of his size and being some cripple kid. But greatness comes in all sizes, and together Max and Kevin become Freak the Mighty and walk high above the world.

Jon's Review
Freak the Mighty is a story of two boys who become unlikely friends. Max is a boy who is much taller and bigger than other kids his age, and he has learning difficulties which result in him being called a retard by his classmates and considered stupid by everyone who knows him. Kevin is a boy of the same age who suffers from a rare condition which means his organs grow at the normal rate but his body does not. Added to this, Kevin is highly intelligent; he carries a dictionary around with him and he has memorised large swathes of it.

At first, this reminded me quite strongly of a book I read and reviewed recently (The Pasta Detectives) and I suppose this is because the big, strong and stupid kid being best friends with the small, weak and brainy kid formula is a bit of a cliché. Nonetheless, the author's take on the concept is unique and rather clever. As the book cover depicts, Kevin (known as Freak throughout the book on account of him being called that by his schoolmates due to his illness), rides atop Max's broad shoulders and together they become one new person who they call Freak the Mighty. This is so cool, and it works brilliantly.

With Freak's intellect and Max's powerful body, each boy gains that which he is missing, that which he wants more than anything. Together, as one, they go on imaginary quests in a dull city (downtown New York, I think) which comes to life as an exciting world through Freak's powerful imagination: slaying dragons and rescuing damsels in distress. During these adventures, the two boys run in to a number of situations which are not quite what they expected and at times are pretty scary.

The entire story is told from Max's perspective, and so his own story is gradually unravelled with more emphasis on his life than Freak's. However, we do get more of an insight into Freak's life through the way he describes his illness to Max. Each boy's story is hilarious, yet tragic. I found myself laughing out loud at parts of the story, particularly Freak's smart comments and Max's unwavering bluntness. But there were also some tear-jerking moments which ironically makes this not just a good book, but a great book.

A nice little bonus is Freak's hand-written dictionary at the back of the book in which he lists his favourite words together with an amusing definition for each.

Although this book is written with young adults in mind, it's an excellent read for adults too. I was captivated by it throughout and I will be reading it again over the coming week, this time to my 9 year old son (at bedtimes) because I feel it's a story that every young adult should experience. There is one short but beautifully crafted sentence towards the end of the book that summed up the whole story for me. I'm sure if you read this book you'll know exactly which sentence I mean, because clearly the author has mastered the art of touching the reader's heart with his words.

Be aware that there is a dark and pretty scary scene in the book but this is within context and does not dominate the story.

My only complaint is that the way Max speaks at times in the early chapters is a bit annoying. It's rather like the author is trying to appeal to young adults by using terminology he thinks they will be able to relate to (like ending sentences with "right?" or "huh?"). The trouble is, young adults can see right through that and it just comes across as corny. Bizarrely, Max stops using this language by the end of chapter two, so I don't know why it's used at all. I understand the author is American, and the story is based in America, so perhaps that's why I don't get it. Whichever way, this doesn't change the fact that this is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.