Freak the Mighty tells the story of two boys—a slow-learning giant and a genius in a disabled body—who become friends, share adventures, and defend themselves against bullies and social rejection. Published in 1993, Freak the Mighty sold two million copies in nine languages, received multiple awards, and was made into a Golden Globe-nominated film, The Mighty, starring Sharon Stone, Kieran Culkin, Gillian Anderson, and Harry Dean Stanton. Max’s adventures continue in a sequel called Max the Mighty. The 2013 e-book edition forms the basis for this study guide.

Plot Summary

Maxwell Kane is very large for a 12-year-old but also very shy. As a small child, he witnessed his father, Kenny “Killer” Kane, murder his mother. Since his father went to prison, Max has lived with his grandparents, Grim and Gram. His room is in the basement, where he spends most of his free time. People think he is dangerous like his dad, and Max fears they are right.

Max meets a new neighbor, a kid his age with a disability that gives him a tiny body and limited mobility. His name is Kevin but everyone calls him Freak. Freak is extremely smart and educated, and he has a commanding personality. Max and Freak strike up a friendship, and before long Max is carrying Freak around town on his shoulders. At first, Freak’s mom, Gwen, is afraid of Max, but soon she realizes he is gentle and a perfect companion for her son. She supports their friendship, and she and Grim and Gram grow closer.

The boys attend a local fireworks show on July 4th, where a street gang threatens them. Freak, riding on Max’s shoulders, guides them through the crowd and away from the gang. Freak, Max, and the gang leader end up stuck in a muddy pond; the police arrive but the gang escapes; the police rescue Max and Freak.

The boys spend much of their summer going on “quests,” Freak’s name for adventures. Freak is fascinated by King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table, their love of quests, and their pledges of duty and loyalty. Freak tells Max that the local hospital will build him a robotic body to replace his frail one.

Freak convinces Max to sneak out late one night on a quest for treasure. They locate a storm drain where Freak saw a gang member throw away a purse. Inside is an ID with the name Loretta Lee. The boys return the purse to Loretta at her tenement apartment, but she and her husband, Iggy, force them inside, where they taunt and torment them.

When school restarts in the fall, Max and Freak are assigned to the same classes so that Max can help Freak get around and Freak can help Max with his studies. One day, Max is called to the principal’s office. The principal, Mrs. Addison, informs him that his father will soon be out on parole. Max has a fit, and Mrs. Addison and the nurse struggle to calm him down. Later that day in the cafeteria, Freak suffers a seizure; Max runs for the nurse, who helps Freak breathe again. An ambulance takes Freak to the hospital, and Max tries to ride along, but the medics won’t let him. Freak recovers.

On Christmas Eve, Freak and Gwen join Max for dinner at Grim and Gram’s. Later that night, Killer Kane sneaks into Max’s room and kidnaps him. Kane forces his son to come with him to the tenements, where Iggy and Loretta help them hide out in an abandoned apartment. Before long, the police are patrolling the area, searching for Max, so Kane moves the boy to a burned-out building, hides him in the basement, and ties him up. Loretta sneaks in and frees Max, but Kane catches them and begins to choke her. Max jumps onto Kane and shouts that he saw him strangling his mother. Kane pushes Max off and starts to choke him, but Freak breaks in through a window and squirts Kane in the face with home-made pepper spray and they escape. The police arrest Kane, Loretta survives, and the boys are reunited with their relatives.

Shortly after school gets out for the summer, Freak celebrates his 13th birthday. At the party, Freak has another seizure and goes to the hospital. Max visits Freak in the Intensive Care unit. Freak gives Max a book made of empty pages; he tells Max to write in it the story of Freak the Mighty. Max returns the next day to the hospital, but he’s told that Freak is dead. Upset, Max rushes through the hospital to the research wing and breaks in, searching for Freak until he’s pulled down by hospital police. Freak’s physician, Dr. Spivak, explains to Max that Freak’s story about getting a new body was a fantasy to give him hope.

Max mourns for many days. Finally, he picks up the empty book from Freak and begins to write in it. Months later, the empty book has become Freak the Mighty.