Freak the Mighty

1. Freak the Mighty Book Talk By Davan Gardner

2. Max and Freak go to the millpond to watch fireworks and they encounter a bully named Tony. • Max and Freak become friends. Timeline • Max carried Freak on his shoulders. This was the beginning of the creation of “Freak the Mighty.” • This all starts when Max helps Freak retrieve his ornithopiter from a tree.

3. Written account • A letter from Max to his dad in prison: • Dear Man Who is NOT My Father, • I just want to tell you that what you did was wrong, kidnapping your own blood from Grim and Gram’s basement. Don’t you think you did enough when you hurt mom? You hurt me then too, but part of me hoped that I was wrong about you. That everyone was wrong about you. You talked about God and how you are some preacher now. Yeah, right! You are a butthead, a creep! I may look like you, but I am not anything like you. And I will never be anything like you. I have mom’s heart and I now I have a brain. And this brain knows what matters. Family. Family matters and sometimes family means friends. You, sir, are not my family. Killer Kenny Kane doesn’t have a kid without a brain. Kenny Kane doesn’t even have a kid. • Goodbye. • Max, the Mighty

4. Map

5. Song • We Go Together by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta • We go togetherLike rama lama lamakadinga da dinga dongRemembered foreverAs shoobopshawaddawaddayippity boom de boomChang changchangittychangshoobopThat's the way it should be, whaoooh, yeahWe're one of a kindLike dip dadipdadipdoowop da doobee dooOur names are signedBoogedyboogedyboogedyboogedyshoobydoowopshebopChang changchangittychangshoobopWe'll always be like one, wawawawahWhen we go out at night and stars are shinin' brightUp in the skies aboveOr at the high school dance where you can find romanceMaybe it might be loveRama lama lamakadinga da dinga dongShoobopshawaddawaddayippity boom de boomChang changchangittychangshoobopDip dadipdadipdoowop da doobee dooBoogedyboogedyboogedyboogedyshoobydoowopshebopShanananananananayippity dip de doom[ From: http://www.elyrics.net ]Rama lama lamakadinga da dinga dongShoobopshawaddawaddayippity boom de boomChang changchangittychangshoobopDip dadipdadipdoowop da doobee dooBoogedyboogedyboogedyboogedyshoobydoowopshebopShanananananananayippity dip de doomWop baba lumop a wap bam boomWe're for each otherLike wop baba lumop a wap bam boomJust like my brotherIs shanananananananayippity dip de doomChang changchangittychangshoobopWe'll always be together whaoooh, yeahWe'll always be togetherWe'll always be togetherWe'll always be together

6. Song • I chose the song, “We Go Together” as the theme song for Freak the Mighty because it is about two people who really fit one another. In the book, Freak sat on Max’s shoulders and they became one, so this song really fits. For instance, when Tony D. and his gang are after Freak and Max, Freak, who is sitting on max’s shoulders, shouts instructions on which direction Max should move in order to avoid their enemy (Philbrick 35). Freak was the brains that Max thought he was missing and Max was the strong healthy body that Freak was missing. Together they make one amazing team.

7. Thematic Question • Thematic question: To what extent does power or the lack of power affect an individual? • In Freak the Mighty, the lack of power affects Freak until he becomes friends with Max. He is a short guy with a physical disability and must rely on crutches to get around. Eventually he becomes friends with Max who places him on his shoulders and carries him around. Max becomes the body that Freak never had. For example, in the book , Max says, “so I just sort of reach down without thinking and pick up Freak and set him on my shoulders” (Philbreck 32). Max’s legs and height give Freak the power to see the world from a whole new perspective and explore it like never before.

8. Book Review • I give the book, Freak the Mighty, five out of five stars. The plot is heartwarming and exciting as these two teenagers become friends and conquer the world together. An example of this is when Max is kidnapped by his criminal father and Freak comes to his rescue by breaking a window to enter the building where Max and his dad are. Max says, “I’m lying there all crumpled up sideways. I can see Freak. He’s rolled down through the cellar window into the pile of coal, and he’s trying to stand up” (Philbrick 131). I don’t know too many people these days that would do that for another human, but Freak does it, despite his disability and shows true bravery. There are many other examples of friendship in this book which made me laugh and cry. Freak the Mighty gave me hope in others and I recommend it to all teenagers.

9. 5 Facts • What is L.D? • LD stands for “learning disability.” It is a disability in which the brain does not correctly receive, process, store or respond to information (ncld.org). • Ten-percent of children in school have a learning disability (ldanatl.org). • Learning disabilities are not curable, but students can learn to adjust and live a normal life (ncld.org). • There are several types of learning disabilities: Dyslexia, AD/HD, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia (ncld.org). • Some symptoms of a learning disability are a short attention span, bad memory, a hard time following directions, a difficult time telling the difference between letters and numbers, being disorganized and low reading and writing skills (ldanatl.org).

10. 5 Pictures