What Parents Should Know
Kids will enjoy the funny writing, quirky and likable
characters, high imagination, and suspense. The main characters
often discuss the meanings of words, reading and writing, and
how to use imagination. Includes a humorous dictionary.
Common Sense Media Review
Funny, scary, suspenseful, and wise, this book can help
young readers accept kids who seem different from them. When
you don't fit in, and you're a kid, what do you do? Max just
suffers alone, compressing his emotions inside his massive
body. Kevin fights back by letting his intelligence and his
imagination soar beyond his deformed body.
Even if he can't save himself, Kevin can save Max. He teaches Max how to use his imagination to create exciting adventures: Houses become castles, swimming pools become moats, and a hardboiled motorcycle mama becomes a damsel in distress. And he teaches readers compassion and that everyone is valuable and has something to contribute. Kevin uses his vocabulary as a weapon and teaches Max how to use the dictionary, his favorite book. Max says that Kevin "pulls it out like Arnold Schwarzenegger pulling out a machine gun or something." Thus the character instills in real kids the power of words.
Through Kevin's courage in the face of his illness, readers learn the importance of not giving up when faced with difficulty, and they witness how Kevin inspires Max's progress. The sequel is Max the Mighty. The fine movie adaptation is called The Mighty.
From the Book:
Freak is still holding tight to my shoulders and when
they ask him for his name, he says, "We're Freak the Mighty,
that's who we are. We're nine feet tall, in case you haven't
noticed."
That's how it started, really, how we got to be Freak the Mighty, slaying dragons and fools and walking high above the world.
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