Max The Mighty

Freak The Mighty #2

by Rodman Philbrick

This is the dramatic, heartwrenching tale of Max and Worm, two outsiders who turn to each other for survival. Written in a haunting yet uplifting first-person voice, this compelling novel is destined to become a classic.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure, School, Friendship

Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

About the author

Aka William R Dantz, Chris Jordan, W.R. Philbrick.

Rodman Philbrick grew up on the New England coast, where he worked as a longshoreman and boat builder. For many years he wrote mysteries and detective novels. The Private Eye Writers of America nominated two of his T.D.Stash series as best detective novel and then selected Philbrick's 'Brothers & Sinners' as Best Novel in 1993. Writing under the pen name 'William R. Dantz' he has explored the near-future worlds of genetic engineering and hi-tech brain control in books like 'Hunger', 'Pulse', 'The Seventh Sleeper'. And 'Nine Levels Down'.

Inspired by the life of a boy who lived a few blocks away, he wrote 'Freak The Mighty', the award-winning young-adult novel, which has been translated into numerous languages and is now read in schools throughout the world. The book was adapted to the screen in 1998 as 'The Mighty', starring Sharon Stone, Gillian Anderson, James Gandolfini, Kieran Culkin, and Elden Henson.

Philbrick, a screenwriter as well as a novelist, is the author of a number of novels for young readers, including 'The Fire Pony', 'Max the Mighty', 'REM World', 'The Last Book In The Universe', 'The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds' and 'The Young Man And The Sea'. His recent novels for adults include 'Dark Matter', 'Coffins', and 'Taken'. He and his wife divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys.

Reviews

[Larissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max the Mighty the sequel to Freak the mighty revolves around Max and Rachel often referred to as worm, because of her desire to read. Their friendship forms due to Max saving Rachel from her vicious stepfather the undertaker. Max escapes with worm and go on a quest to find her real father. They meet many interesting people on their passage and learn who to trust and who not to. Rachel's internal conflict is where her father lives exactly in Chivalry. Max's internal conflict is that he does not know if he is making the right decision splitting with Rachel due to that having a thousand dollars on his head.
While reading this book I made a text-to-text connection to Freak the mighty. Both stories rotate around making new friends, and going on mysterious adventures. These books both include challenges the characters must face, and ways they confront them.
I would surely give this book 5 stars. It was a heart wrenching tale that will make an impression on all of us. It kept me on the edge of my seat the who time! Young adults will surely love this book.

[Megan Neumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. Yes, it is a "children's" book, but, I think people of any age can learn from it (and cry about it).

[Margarita Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Spoiler Alert*** Help a kid run away from her parents? Terrible decision isn’t it? Well in the novel, Max the Mighty, the sequel to Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick, many crazy things like this happen. The genre of this book is young adult fiction or realistic fiction. I think Max the Mighty was a great book but, I believe that to be able to understand it, you should certainly read Freak the Mighty first.
Max the Mighty takes place in different places, over several days. At first, it starts in Max’s chamber, in his basement. Then, it moves to Max’s school. Then, to a highway. And lastly, to a coal mine. At his school he meets a girl whose name is Rachel and goes by the nickname, Worm. Worm and Max become like best friends. Worm has a conflict with her step dad, causing her to runaway with Max. Worms’ stepdad lies to the police and says Max kidnapped his daughter, Rachel. Max and Worm are headed to Chivalry, Montana where Worm’s dad is located. On their way there they happen to find a retired school teacher, whose name is Dip, willing to take them there. On their way, they find 2 more people and take them along. Before they got to Montana they had to catch another ride. So they got there by train. They ended up at a mine, where Worms’ dad works at. There, they see her dad is dead. Then the police arrives with her stepdad. At the end, the mine tumbles down, getting Worm’s stepdad trapped. There, he confesses the truth and the police arrests him.
I believe the major theme of this novel is trust and self-reliance. Throughout the story, Max and Worm have to trust many people including themselves. Worm trusted Max to take good care of her and to take her to Chivalry, where her dad was. As you can see, they also trusted Dip to take them to Chivalry. Additionally, Max and Worm had to rely on themselves to get to Chivalry. With trust and self reliance, they were able to get to Chivalry safely. Max thinks of himself as worthless and helpless. Until he meets Worm. After having a whole adventure with her, he feels great to be able to help her. At the end, Max feels strong again as he felt with Kevin. Which is what like about Max, that even though he thought of himself as useless, he stayed strong throughout the story.
I really liked this book. It taught me many stuff, like trust, self reliance, staying strong, and believing in yourself. I was angry at some parts like when Worm’s stepdad lied to the police but I was happy that at the end, he got arrested for harming his family and lying. My favorite part was when everything went back to normal and everyone was happy. I can relate to Max because sometimes people can feel sad or useless but never give up. Always stay strong even through most difficult situations. Cause that’s what life’s about, staying strong.
I really do recommend this book to people of all ages. It is a great book but as I said to understand it, you should read Freak the Mighty first. I give this book a 5 out of 5.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm officially a Philbrick fan. I love Maxwell Kane, the giant boy who thinks he's an idiot and doesn't realize how special and smart he really is. He makes mistakes, but he makes the right choices and genuinely cares about people, like Kevin in Freak the Mighty and Rachel in this sequel. He's a good role model and example for young readers because he's human. His thoughts and feelings are realistic.
The plot of this book isn't as interesting to me as Freak the Mighty, though. I like the way the friendship develops between Worm and Max, but it's a little too swift for me, and the ending is too out there. I would have liked something more realistic, especially considering the touching ending of Freak the Mighty. This ending was okay but not really great. I like the wacky cast of characters, though, the Dippy Hippy, Hobo Joe, and Officer Friendly. Philbrick's real skill is first-person narrative. The story moves along quickly with no awkward moments or random word choice. Everything is consistent with Max's character and with the story itself.
I recommend this book to fans of Philbrick and to anybody going through a hard time and needing to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could hardly imagine a sequel even being in the same ballpark as Freak the Mighty, but this book was all that and more.

Rodman Philbrick is a brilliant writer, taking the reader on more twists and turns than I could ever have imagined. The characters in Max the Mighty are as sharply realized as any in all of literature, and the pacing remains consistently of a superior quality throughout the entire book. It mystifies me that Rodman Philbrick has never won a Newbery Medal.

I love this story; not quite as much as Freak the Mighty, but to even be in the discussion means that this book affected me profoundly, and left an indelible and totally original impression in my mind. I would recommend this story of so much depth to anyone.

[Thunderbirdz0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost cried reading this. Thank God Max didn't die and I got the happily ever after ending I always wanted.

[Alma Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Spoiler Alert** If you ever been bullied or teased because of how you look. This story is about losing someone who had a big role in your life. If you've lost someone who who cared about very deeply then this is a book you should read,written by Rodman Philbrick. This is a great novel. In this story you will meet Max which gets teased for being tall and looking like his dad and for not being smart. Max gets bullied for looking like his felon of a father. Max's only friend had died so he was left with no one. One day Max was walking he heard screaming a girl but he wanted to avoid it, but he couldn’t ignore it as easily as he wanted to so he went to see who was screaming and he saw a girl that was being bullied by boys that were going to throw her backpack. Max went and tried to help the girl and the kids left and the girls name was Worm. When Max saw the girl again she was reading and talking to her mom but Worm seems scared to go home because she says there's an “undertaker”, but her mom tells her not to say anything and they leave the park to go home. One day while Max was passing by Worm's house he heard and saw thru the window of Worm's house her mom and stepdad were discussing and the undertaker starts hitting Worm's mother and she's was crying and Worm was just reading with her miners hat. The undertaker opens the door and sees Max but Worm's mother tells Max to take her so he does and they go hide. The undertaker goes to Max's house with the police and acts as if he didn't do anything.Then they went on an adventure to find Worm's father for help. The theme of story is friendship and respect. In the story it shows a lot true friendship and honesty. For example, when the Max goes to save Worm from the undertaker before he does anything to harm her. It shows that Worm's mom trusted in Max even though she doesn't really know him. Also Worm trusted Max with her own safety. While the police were on the hunt for Max and the Worm because the undertaker lied to the police he said Max took away Worm. The novel Max has to go through difficult measures to try to get to Worm's father.My favorite part of the story is when they Max and Worm find where Worm's father passed away because he was a miner and him and other men passed away as well. Another part I think is sad about this book is towards the end was when the miners building the rest of it and it's about to fall then Worm runs in a whole and Max follows her thinking that she's going to let herself fall down but she doesn't Max and Worm pray in that hole. I do think people should read this novel. This is one of the best books I have ever read.

[Alondra Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever been bullied or teased of how you look? Well this story is about have you ever lost someone and now you're left with know one? Well if this is your case then you should read the book called Max the Mighty, written by Rodman Philbrick. This novel is fiction it is a great novel.
In this story you will meet Max which gets teased for being tall and looking like his dad and for not being that smart. Max gets teased because he looks like his dad and his dad is a criminal and is in jail and he doesn't have any friends. Max's only friend he had died so he was left with no one. But one day when Max was walking he heard screaming of a girl but he wanted to avoid to but he couldn’t so he went to see who was screaming and he saw a girl was being bullied by boys that were going threw her bookbag. Max goes and tries to help the girl and the kids go way and the girls name is Worm but max wondered why she had a miners hat with her? When Max sees the girl Worm again she's reading and there talking and Worm’s mom comes but Worm seems scared to go home because she says there's an “undertaker”, but her mom tells her not to say anything and they leave from the park home. One day while Max was going to Worms house he hears and sees thru the window of Worms house that her mom and stepdad were discussing and the undertaker starts hitting Worms mom and she's just crying and Worm is just reading with her miners hat. The undertaker opens the door and sees max but Worms mom tells Max to take her and he does and they go hide. The undertaker goes to Max house with the police and acts like if he didn't do anything so then they go on an adventure to go find Worms dad so he can help the with the undertaker.
The theme of story is friendship and respect. In the story it shows a lot true friendship and honesty. For example, when the Max goes to save Worm how worm mom tells Max to go save her and to take her away from the undertaker before he does something bad to her. It shows that Worms mom trusted Max even tho she doesn't really know her. Also worm trusted Max that he will keep her safe even tho she didn’t really know him she still felt safe. While the police were on the look for Max and the Worm because the undertaker lied about Max taking the girl away when he didn’t they met a few friends! There friends help them and took them too the places they needed to go to find Worms dad. The novel Max have to go threw hard passages to try to get to Worms dad in the story.
My favorite part of the story is when they Max and Worm find where Worms dad died because he was a miner and him and other men died when the building fell. I think it’s sad that Worm tries to communicate with her dad even tho he is somewhere else and I think it’s also sad that the only thing she might have left of her dad is the miner's hat. Another part I think is sad about this book is towards the end was when the miners building the rest of it is about to fall that Worm runs in where this whole is and Max follows her he thinks she's going to let herself fall down but no Max and Worm pray in that hole where her dad and other works might be and after they pray for her dad she lets the hat that she has as a memory from her dad and Max and Worm watch the hat disappear.
I do think people should read this novel. This is one of the best books I have ever read. In some parts of the story are sad so it might lead to tears. I think that anyone could read this book mostly if you're into adventure. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that Max the Mighty, the sequel to Freak the Mighty, was a very good book. The plot was very enthralling and could keep you interested. When I had seen the cover of the book my first thought that the main character from the first book had moved on in life and had a new friend that was in danger. By reading the book I found that they trying to deliver the girl to her father across the country. My final thoughts are that I think that this book is really good and will keep the attention of anyone that is interested in stories about adventure or is a fan of the first book. This book was a great addition to the series and I hope to read more like it.

[Aidan Wycoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max the Mighty did not need to exist. I thought the predecessor, Freak the Mighty, ended the story pretty well. While I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this book, I just don’t think it needed to exist. It does develop Max’s character after the events of FTM, but overall, this just feels like a side story about Max and another kid who goes on some crazy adventure. Also, the first half of this book is kind of a drag, but it’s the second half when it starts getting good. This book, while having higher stakes and having a riskier misadventure that the characters go on, just doesn’t live up to it’s predecessor.

[Crystal M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sequel to freak the mighty where max meets a girl he nicknames worm. They go on a cross country adventure together running from her abusive step father.

[Roberto Aguilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max the Mighty


This is a great book to read when you have nothing to do. A fantastic book like this one, has a journey throughout the whole book. This is a short book but full of mysteries. It feels like if you are there in the book throughout their journey. Every chapter the author would leave you hanging to keep on reading the book, that’s why I love reading it. They also have a friendship in the book that didn’t start off like that which is most of my friendships now. This book is great to read when your bored and when you feel like reading a journey.
This book is based on a journey with a new friend that Max didn’t like in the beginning. The girl that is called Worm in the book, doesn’t get along with her dad as much, or at all. Max, the main character, knows what’s happening at home with Worms parents and one day Worms dad flips out and abuses the mom and almost the little girl. Max saves the girl and escapes to find Worms real dad. What Max doesn’t know is that he is accused of kidnapping a little girl and tries to hide.

[joy can read · Rating 3 out of 5]

The adventure of Max and Rachel will make your heart warm because you will realize that there are still people out there who are genuinely ready to help. Also, Grim and Gram is so precious, they stick to the fact that Max did not do anything wrong and their grandson just made sure that Rachel is safe to the antagonist. It's just annoying how the characters are so impulsive but i guess that's the essence of their adventure? I think the impulsiveness is really should be with the characters because they're like 14 and 11 year olds. The last 5 chapters made me, "🥺" many times. I enjoyed their adventure very much! It's more than a road trip, I must say.

The novel is just short but I liked it.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the book is great it was full of action

[Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max the mighty by Rodman Philbrick, Max meets a girl named Rachel or worm in the ally way being mugged in the begging of the book. Max the Mighty is about Max meeting a new kid that needs help in her life like Kevin. Max the mighty is a very good book and I think some others should read it.

[Vincent Salerno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick tells the story of a boy named Max that finds himself protecting a young girl who goes by the nickname “Worm” because she loves to read. Max lives with his two grandparents due to his father being in jail for killing his mother. Worm lives with her mother and abusive stepdad known as The Undertaker. When Max runs in on Worm’s mother being beaten by her husband, he takes Worm and runs to get her to safety. The Undertaker tells the police a false narrative accusing Max of kidnapping his stepdaughter. He also forces Worm’s mother to go along with his story. Max and Worm end up running away from the police together on a crazy journey that leads them across the country where they meet people along the way to stay safe from The Undertaker and the police.

This book made me wish that everyone in the world was good-hearted. There are so many mean people out there and they really hurt people. The Undertaker is someone that is not good-hearted that causes pain for people like his wife and Worm. When talking about her stepfather after she witnesses him lie to the police regarding Max kidnapping her, Worm says, “He can make my mom say anything.” Worm is telling Max how manipulative and how much power The Undertaker has over everyone he encounters. He has negatively impacted the lives of Worm and her mother greatly, and hearing about people like this makes me wish that everyone was kind and good-hearted.

This book made me realize that I am very fortunate to have a loving family. I have my parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, while the two protagonists, Max and Worm did not have that. Max has had his mother taken to violence at the hands of his own father, so all he has left is his grandparents. Worm lives with an abusive stepfather, and her mother who is also a victim of her abusive husband, and can not be a real mother to her daughter. An example of how much of an effect not having a loving family has on kids is displayed when Max comes across The Undertaker hitting Worm’s mother and making her scream and cry. The sounds Max hears are described by him saying, “It’s a sound I remember from a long, long time ago, when my father made my own mother cry, and that’s why my feet won’t let me run away.” This statement perfectly describes how much of an impact a bad family life has on children. Max still remembers his mother being hurt by his father, even though he was a toddler, and it has scarred him for life. Max is putting himself in danger by trying to help a girl that at this point he does not even know because he knows how much she is hurting by having this kind of family life. I realize how lucky I am that I have not had to feel like this while many other kids my age have to go through this.

This book made me wonder about the thought process of bad people. I’m unable to understand why some people cause so much suffering for innocent people without a good reason. The actions of The Undertaker towards his wife and stepdaughter were the root of this thought. He is abusive towards these two women as shown by the line, “And then smack comes the noise of a hand slapping hard against a face and then the sound of a woman sobbing.” His wife responds to this by whimpering, “This can’t go on.” This is only one instance of the many times this evil man does something like this. He physically hurts his wife and Worm, as well as emotionally hurting each of them through his verbal abuse. I can not wrap my head around why a man would do this to his family, and what his reasoning is for this awful mistreatment. When I hear about terrible things like this it makes me wonder what someone is thinking when they carry out these actions.


This book made me see that good people are rewarded. Although it often seems like life is not fair and doing the right thing does not always work out, this story made me realize that is false. Max did the right thing by helping and protecting Worm, and it seemed like he would be arrested or even killed during most of the journey. After their journey, Max is being asked about why he’d risk his safety and he responds with “I’ll never be normal, not in a million years, and I like it that way just fine, thank you.” This statement by Max displays that he is content with how the situation turned out and he was rewarded by being happy after what he thought of as a successful journey. The author proved to me that the good people in this world are rewarded for their kind actions.

This book made me believe that there are very caring people in the world. Max is a great person and went out of his way risking his safety for the safety and well-being of Worm. Max proves the kindness in his heart when he is considering giving up on the plan and leaving Worm alone. In his head, he is thinking, ”Go home. Tell the truth and see what happens.” In this situation, most people would listen to their conscience and leave Worm alone, but Max proved his caringness and the size of his heart by ignoring it and staying with Worm to keep her safe from her stepfather. This action proved to me that although many people are not kind and would not go out of their way for others, some people are good enough people to do the harder but right thing.

This book made me feel that everything happens for a reason. A lot of significant people in your life come in as a result of negative events. An example of the belief that everything happens for a reason is displayed by the way that Max and Worm met and became as close as can be. Prior to Max running in on an argument between Worm’s mother and stepfather Max had only seen Worm one other time, which was when he got her book back from a bully at the park. After their journey ends, it seems that Max did not receive anything from Worm except trauma, but he received something that was without a doubt worth it. Max and Worm became very close friends as proven when Worm said to Max, “Friends for life. No matter what. No matter how many fights we have or stupid things we say to each other.” Max responds by assuring her that he promises this. After riding on an old man’s bus, train-hopping, and sleeping in a mine Max and Worm went through a lot. It definitely was not easy, but it definitely was worth it due to them creating an inseparable bond from this experience. Although the friendship did not start for a good reason, Max and Worm made me truly feel that everything happens for a reason.

This book made me hope that I end up having experiences in outdoor adventures. Max and Worm ended up on an amazing adventure seeing beautiful places across the country. The duo is train hopping in order to get away and they are able to focus on the nature around them. The scenery from the train they are on is described as “Running straight into the horizon, and nothing around but a few scrubby pine trees and these far-off mountains that look like somebody painted them against the sky.” Throughout their time on the train, they often describe the beautiful things around them in a way similar to this description. The feeling of the fresh air and the smell of the countryside are two things that seem amazing. The journey began for an awful reason, but it became amazing due to the experiences on it. Although I do not want it to be because I am running away from the police, I hope that I can one day experience an outdoor journey similar to this.

I would without a doubt recommend Max the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick to any reader who would like to hear about an amazing adventure. This book did a great job of getting reactions out of the reader such as wishing, wondering, feeling things after hearing the story of Max and Worm. The reader gets so much out of reading Max the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, and it is a book worth reading.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed “Max The Mighty.” It was a follow up book to “Freak The Mighty.” It was the most interesting book I’ve read Rodman Philbrick. It was completely action packed this time plus a little humor. One of the best parts about this book is you never know what is going to happen next.
The story is about how Max runs away with a girl they call “Worm.” They call her this since she is obsessed with reading. She lives a bad life with the worst step father you could ever dream of. Her step father who Max calls the Undertaker always beats Worm’s mom. But, the Undertaker can’t bother Worm if she has her miners hat on. It was her original fathers.
Max originally met Worm after saving her from gang bangers which stole her book. Then the next day he saw her again at the park, after she ran away from home right when the undertaker came to pick her up Worm gave Max a book to read. She also gave him the address to return it. Max just decided to return it, but when he got there Worm’s mom was being beaten. She told Max to keep Worm safe, he ran out which is when the goose chase began.
Max and Worm hitch-hiked while trying to stay away from police. A man named Dip picked them up. He was a retired school teacher who wanted to travel the world on a bus with his wife. Sadly his wife passed away right before they started. Now Dip had some company for his journey this is where you open up the book.

[CrustyVonCheesyToe · Rating 1 out of 5]

*SPOILER WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD, DONT READ THIS IF YOU DONT WANT IT SPOILED YOU TOENAIL CAKE* I read this with my two friends Mia and Derrick in school. To sum my review up, it was a trashy dumpster filled with sweaty, moldy toes. It was so rushed, I swear the plotline went by faster than light. At first, worm was being bullied, AND THEN BAM! We think she is a moldy toe at the bottom of a mine shaft when it was just her crusty light she threw. Then. she and Max kissed, right before saying they were SIBLINGS! This is a children's book, and I am offended that it said worm's father was dead. I googled it and apparently 672 kids cried because of Rachel's moldy sweaty dead dad. Also, she is annoying. She has less lines than a mute character would. She says like 4 sentences to Max, and the rest of the time she is reading like a stinky nerd. She is a dirty toenail, and Freak is a god compared to her moldy self. Some of the red in her hair probably got to her brain, as she can't do anything but read and talk about her moldy dad. She is not mentally okay and needs a rusty therapist. I did not like this book, and hope this review encourages you to look at things from a different perspective, and remember, be positive, and don't criticize characters in books, unless they are a moldy rusty dirty smelly toenail like Worm.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is not as good as Freak. But then, Freak set a very high bar. This book jumps into the action without giving enough time to character development. Character is what makes Freak so wonderful, but we don't get that in the sequel. Also, Max doesn't grow in this novel. We never really worry that he's going to abandon Worm. He gains a little confidence, but he's the same good person at the beginning as at the end, whereas in Freak he wen through so much grown. And let's face it. Worm just isn't Freak. Nor is the Undertaker Killer Kane. All the stuff that worked so well in Freak weren't developed enough or didn't work well in this book.

The content is fine for 7th graders, though if you give it to your students, be prepared to address some weighty topics. The physical abuse is brief, but overt. The potential suicide isn't a lingering issue. You could interpret sexual abuse from Max's description of the Undertaker's "creepy" treatment of Worm, but I think that will sail over the heads of young readers.

[Mara Vetters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkable book that I may have loved even more than Freak the Mighty. Max the Mighty contains many of the same elements, such as odd friendships and children dealing with adult problems, but it is far from a rehash of the last book. Instead Max the Mighty shows Max in a new role of protector which he is growing into, continuing the character development as he tries to help a new friend out of a painfully familiar situation. Part Maniac Magee, part On the Road, Max the Mighty is an all around remarkable book that combines the whimsy of childish imagination with the darkness and the heroism that children have to face growing up in a real and imperfect world.

[Deanna Mlynarczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Freak the Mighty, but reader's do not have to read Freak the Mighty to understand and enjoy this book. Max is an oversize teenager, with a rough past, who is often misunderstood. Because he is big and quiet, people either think he is dumb or scary or both. In truth his heart is as big as he is and he can't help getting into trouble trying to help others. This is a GREAT ADVENTURE story. Readers of Hatchet, Wild Life, and My Side of the Mountain would probably enjoy this book.

[Mrs. Wegener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked: Similarities between Max & Worm, the mentions of Kevin (especially with the tadpole), the new characters introduced, all the adventure & cliffhangers

Dislikes: Max's low self-esteem was overkill; didn't he gain any from all the events in the first book? Also, I didn't like how intense the rising action came so quickly; I wanted just a little more build up.

I wish there was a third novel about all these characters.

[Suzanneli4653 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was dissapointed by this book. I thought it would be like Freak the Mighty which was like the best book I have ever read, but it wasn't. This book was boring. I hated the ending. But I just couldn't believe that the author of Freak the Mighty also wrote this book.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuation of the life of Max and how he helps this bookworm girl find her real dad.
Join the adventure as they meet various people on the road to where the girl locates her real dad.

[Rodrigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was can be left out from the ____ the Mighty series it was a huge step back as max was a hero when in Freak the mighty HE STILL WASNT EMOTIONALY TOUGH TO GO ON ONE! im just saying its just a HUGE step back
for Philbrick

[Mbilmey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad, just...for some reason I liked it a lot less than the first (as is the case with almost any unnecessary sequel). I enjoyed having Max's voice back, but the story wasn't as well told and incorporated a lot of tropes and felt less real to me. This could all just be me though.

[Nan Sprester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this sequel to Freak the Mighty but the Walk Too Moons twist with the Worm's father actually being dead felt a little derivative and obvious. Still giving it 4 stars.

[Bella (Rhysand’s Version) (School Semi-Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a depressing book without Freak, but I’m glad that Max is okay now. He deserves to be okay.

[Mason Alicea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know, I know. You may get really angry at my opinion, but stick with me, grab a small snack,
get cozy, and maybe realize you need to do the dishes (emphasis on MAYBE).
Max the Mighty is about a boy named Maxwell, and an abused girl nicknamed Worm who set
off to find Worm’s real father in Montana.
This unexpected, thoroughly accomplished novel opens with: "My name is Maxwell Kane and
the thing you should know about me is this: even though I’m a big dude with a face like the moon and ears that stick out like radar scoops and humongous feet like the abominable snowman, inside I’m a real weenie." Honestly, in Max the Mighty, the writing is ok, passable at best, it gets unexpectedly bleak, there are some pages that surprisingly make watching paint dry fun and throw my sense of time 40 seconds off Eastern Standard Time (or your time zone, people do live out west), and other pages that have so much action a trip to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia feels like fishing for clouds (BORING). Great job Rodman Philbrick, love some variety in the intensity, but in my opinion, the middle, especially to chapter 21 or 24, I can’t remember, it made me feel like Carrying Coal to Newcastle as soon as I got to the middle, which threw off my sense of time, but hey, eventually it will end, very unexpected, but I am used to reading books with some to a lot of action. Honestly, if you’re just getting into chapter books/medium length novels definitely check this out, it’s only 145 pages, so this isn’t a long read, unlike this review.
Overall, it’s pretty unexpected and the end of the piece has some surprises. I would rate higher, but some of the pages in this literature, especially some of the chapters towards the center of the novel just make me rate this downwards, it magnetizes my sense of time away from the poles. Remember, this is MY opinion and you shouldn’t take it seriously. But if you’re considering reading Max the Mighty, be on the lookout for surprises and a really in-the-middle plot, in my opinion. That is all of the information my mind can pull out about this piece of literature. Also, keep a clock on you if you’re reading in the middle of Max the Mighty, might be handy to have it. (Chapters ~5-21 or 24)

[Erica angell · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Max the Mighty doesn’t quite reach the extraordinary heights of Freak the Mighty, it still stands out as an amazing book in its own right. Rodman Philbrick once again captures the essence of a young person grappling with big emotions, societal challenges, and the search for belonging. This sequel takes Max on a journey that’s both physical and emotional, filled with action, suspense, and heartfelt moments.

In this installment, Max is no longer just the sidekick in a duo but the protector of Worm, a quiet girl carrying the weight of secrets and pain. Their adventure unfolds as a road trip of sorts, with Max stepping into a new role as a hero. Philbrick does an excellent job of creating a story that feels both grounded in reality and larger than life, as Max and Worm encounter obstacles that challenge their resolve and their trust in each other.

One of the standout elements of the book is how Philbrick portrays Max’s growth. He’s no longer the shy, misunderstood boy from the first book but someone learning to take responsibility and stand up for what’s right. His interactions with Worm are heartfelt, and their bond becomes the emotional anchor of the story. That said, fans of Freak the Mighty may miss the dynamic between Max and Kevin, whose larger-than-life personality and infectious energy gave the first book its spark.