Maxwell is big - very big - and looks like his father, who is in jail for having murdered Maxwell's mother. Max lives with Grim and Gran now, in their basement, and his size and tendency to violence worry everyone. He also has a learning disability (unspecified). Then Max meets Kevin - the freak. A big brain in a tiny body, Kevin has a remarkable vocabulary and a big mouth, but the two of them hit it off instantly. They discover that when Kevin sits on Max's shoulder they make an unbeatable team - Freak the Mighty. Their adventures, fueled by Kevin's imagination and Max's strength, almost get them into huge trouble time after time. But when Max's father is paroled and kidnaps him, it is Kevin who saves the day. When Kevin dies, his heart having grown too big for his small body, Max goes berserk. But Kevin has left him a legacy - a black book in which to write down their adventures. This story is the result. Told in the first person, the novel is funny and sad, hilarious and deeply moving. Two lads, damaged by life in one instance and by his own body in the other, come up trumps as a team. Superb.