Freak the Mighty Chapter 23 Summary

The Empty Book

  • Max isn't allowed to visit Freak right away, and it drives him crazy. He feels useless, so he walks to the hospital and just sits outside with Freak's ornithopter bird from when they first met.
  • While Max is wandering around the hospital, he runs into Gwen, who gives him a big hug.
  • She takes him inside so he can visit Freak, but Max isn't prepared for what he sees: Freak is all hooked up with tubes and wires.
  • But Freak is still Freak, and he shows Max how he can play the Star Trek theme with his tracheotomy tube.
  • Max wants to know when he can come home, but Freak tells him he won't be coming home in his present condition. He's finally getting his new bionic body, and the next time Max sees him, he will be new and improved.
  • Max says he's scared, but Freak changes the subject and tells Max he has a gift for him.
  • He gives Max a book that looks just like the dictionary he got for Christmas—but it's blank. Freak wants Max to fill it with their adventures. He says he will be too busy adjusting to his new bionic body so Max will have to do it.
  • Then Freak starts a coughing fit, and the doctors come in and tell Max to wait outside while they stabilize him.