There’s nothing more magical than having a first best friend, and Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick glorifies that, to the point where I was truly pulled into the dynamic companionship of Kevin and Max. They have a thoughtful, funny, and sentimental story about friendship, loss, and as Freak touches up on so many times throughout the book, imagination and knowledge. I plucked Freak the Mighty out of my classroom library in fifth grade. I had never read anything like it, noticing even at ten years old the heavy themes and unique voice.
Max is nearly seven feet tall, slow (mentally and physically), and lonely. Most of his days are spent holed up the ‘down under’ (his grandparents’ basement), until he must retreat back to school where he is made fun of, for his size and his father, “Killer Kane.” Kevin, nicknamed Freak, is nearly three feet tall and diagnosed with Morquio syndrome, a form of dwarfism. Despite these hardships, he is intelligent and imaginative. But like Max, he is also lonely. When Kevin moves in across the street, they form an unlikely friendship. “That’s how it started, really, how we got to be Freak the Mighty, slaying dragons and fools and walking high above the world,” Max remembers.
My best friend and I met when we were two, and we’re still inseparable. I remember how her winding staircase was a colossal mountain, and my backyard was an enchanted forest. We played with beanie babies, dolls, toy horses, and anything else we could get our hands on in order to create our own little world. No matter how old you are, there will always be that one friend who changes you forever, however long they stay.
And that’s what Freak the Mighty is really about. Because looking back on that time we spent together made me realize how much she had to teach me, and what I taught her. This book is about peering back into the past, reliving the moments you spent with that one friend and realizing their significance. And that really is, as Freak would say, “The unvanquished truth.”
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