** spoiler alert ** 
 GENRE: Fiction, adventure, realistic fiction. 
 SUMMARY: Maxwell Kane's father killed his mother, and he is being raised by Gram and Grim, his grandparents. Though he is very tall and quite large, especially for his age, his brain is a bit slower than his peers. He is friendless, and spends most of his time in his grandparent's basement, his 'bedroom.' His life changes after Kevin, an extraordinarily smart but physically handicapped boy, moves in next door. They quickly bond, going together on quests and adventures that Kevin makes up. One day they discover that with Kevin on Max's shoulders, they are taller than everyone around them. Then Freak the Mighty is born, and they stick together until forcibly separated when Max's father, fresh from prison, comes looking for his son. 
 EVALUATION: Two kids, outcasts for different reasons, turn to each other for friendship. I liked how both Kevin and Max felt they were stronger and better when they combined to become 'Freak the Mighty' than they were alone. Yet they teach each other so much, and help each other to stand alone, despite some truly difficult circumstances. 
 WHY I WOULD INCLUDE IT: I'm a sucker for well-written stories about friendship, loyalty and courageousness, and this book has all three. The characters are nearly tangible, and their triumphs will become your tween reader's achievements. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of Freak's Dictionary at the end, a list of some words and how Freak defined them. 
 READER'S ANNOTATION: When a slow, too-large boy bonds with a smart, handicapped boy, together as Freak the Mighty they can take on anything that life throws at them. 
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 *	Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson. 
 *	Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg. 
 *	The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread by Kate Dicamillo. 
 *	The Givery by Louis Lowry.