Freak the Mighty

Embarrassed by his slow cognitive abilities and his huge size, Max resigns himself to a life as a misfit until he meets Freak, a tiny person with a genius I.Q., who teams up with Max to form a special bond. Reprint. SLJ. AB. K.

"I started writing when I was about 12," Rodman Philbrick recalls. Now he is an award-winning author of more than 20 books for both adult and young adult readers. His widely acclaimed young adult novel, Freak the Mighty, was made into a movie, The Mighty. Before finding success as a writer, Philbrick, who is from Boston, worked as a carpenter, boat builder, and longshoreman. "I kept writing because that was the only thing I really wanted to do," he says. He and his wife, Lynn Harnett - with whom he has collaborated on a number of novels for young readers - divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys. For more information about Rodman Philbrick, visit: scholastic.com/tradebooks and rodmanphilbrick.com