Freak the Mighty

Freak the Mighty Freak the Mighty / Rodman Philbrick New York/The Blue Sky Press--Scholastic/1993 ISBN 0-590-47412-X Genre: Realistic Fiction ththGrade Range: 5-8 (Characters are in 7 and 8 grades.) Cross-curricular Connections: health (birth defects, friendship), Middle Ages Book Brief: Philbrick's novel of two handicapped and troubled young men, one smaller than a yardstick and the other outgrowing size thirteen shoes, is about the strength of friendship, family, intelligence, and life. The poignant story is told from the perspective of Max, who through the life and death of his friend Kevin, learns to respect his own in-telligence and endure his own frightening heritage. Pennsylvania Eligible Content Applications SKILLS/FICTION R8.A.1.1.1 Multiple-meaning: ―Freak‖ – as in oddity, malformed, but also intelligent beyond the norm; ―Max‖ – refers to height but also to Max’s increased ability to deal with difficult relationships when he teams with Kevin. R8.A.1.1.2 Synonyms and antonyms R8.A.1.2.1 Affixes R8.A.1.2.2 Context clues in explanatory sentences: p. 16 postulate p. 17 quest R8.A.1.3.1 Inferences/conclusion: pp. 3, 4—Max’s father was or is dangerous p. 27—Max is relieved. R8.A.1.3.2 Cite evidence/generalizations: p. 27—Max is crying and happy. R8.A.1.4.1 Main ideas and supporting details: What is the main idea in chapter 5, Spitting Image? (Max finds acceptance with Freak and Gwen.) Provide three details that support the main idea. R8.A.1.5.1 Summarize: Use the main idea and three supporting details to write a summary of chapter 5. R8.A.1.6.1 Author’s intended purpose: entertain and inform R8.A.1.6.2 Support author’s purpose APPLICATION/FICTION AND NONFICTION R8.B.1.1.1 Character: Maxwell "Max" Kane is the main character and narrator of the story. He is described to be very big and have a striking resemblance to his father, Kenneth (Killer) Kevin "Freak" Avery is a crippled, blonde haired boy with whom Max becomes best friends. Kevin has Morquio syndrome, where the outside of his body is unable to grow. He walks on crutches and wears a leg brace. He is a genius for his age and size and carries a dictionary with him. Grim is Maxwell's grandfather. He is usually pretty grim, thus explaining why Maxwell gave him the nickname, although in reality he is a pretty friendly person. He dislikes Max's father because of what he did to Grim's daughter, Annie. Gram is Maxwell's grandmother. Like her husband, she also dislikes Kenneth and misses her daughter, Annie. Gram is really kind and polite, careful not to hurt anyone's feelings. Gwen "Fair Gwen" Avery is Kevin's beautiful and kind mother. Kenneth "Kenny" David Kane (also known as Killer Kane) is Maxwell's father. He was sent to jail for strangling his wife to death. Loretta Lee is a thin, red-haired lady whose stolen purse is recovered by Freak and Max. She is married to the leader of motorcycle gang The Panheads, Iggy. Loretta is an alcoholic and a smoker and lives in the "poor" part of the town, the Testaments. p. 126—Loretta helps Max. Is that a surprise? Why? p. 133—How does the author show us that Iggy Lee has been very worried? pp. 136, 137—Find evidence from the text to show how Gwen is feeling after Kevin is rescued. Make a list of adjectives that describe Max, Freak, Gwen, Loretta. Do some adjectives apply earlier or later, as characters change? R8.B.1.1.1 Plot: p. 89—Why is it important to the plot that the author tells us that Kevin is ―growing faster on the inside‖? (It foreshadows the sudden downturn in Kevin’s health.) p. 99—Killer Kane says, ―I came back.‖ Another example of foreshadowing is in chapter 22: ―Remembering is just an invention of the mind.‖ After Kevin’s death, the words are echoed on p. 160 as Max relates that he is ―okay about remembering things.‖ R8.B.1.1.1 Setting: In chapter 16, how does the setting contribute to Max’s fright when he is kidnapped? R8.B.1.1.1Theme: How does the author reveal the book’s theme (the power of friendship)? Ex: Max and Kevin are taller, more powerful together; they give each other thoughtful gifts. Other themes include: the difference between myth and reality, recognizing the worth in all humans, the importance of positive self concept, and dealing with death." R8.B.1.2.1 Connections between texts: Gwen (referred to as "The Fair Gwen", "The Fair Guinevere" or "The Fair Gwen of Air" after King Arthur's wife) R8.B.2.1.1 Personification R8.B.2.1.2 Similes: p. 21 ―float like a cloud‖ p. 69 ―whole place is like...‖ R8.B.2.1.3 Alliteration R8.B.2.1.4 Metaphors: p. 19 ―right after trimming my nails with a lawn mower....‖ p. 21 ―you are a cloud,‖ p. 102 ―The stars clicked off.‖ R8.B.2.2.1 Point of view: first person R8.B.2.2.2 Effectiveness of point of view: At the end of chapter 5, Freak relates that he is ―crying like a baby,‖ yet is ―happy.‖ Explain why it is more effective for Freak to tell his story than have the story told in third person by a narrator. Additional Notes: Onomatopoeia p. 2 ―rrrrr‖ p. 32 ―womp-womp-womp‖ p. 44 ―wonka-wonka-wonka‖ Special feature—Freak’s 9 page dictionary at the end of the book—very useful for practical word study