Freak the Mighty

by Rodman Philbrick

A Friend Who Ends
Did you cry when Freak died? We did. Sure, we read between the lines and knew it was coming, but we still couldn't keep our eyes dry when the time finally came. It's a powerful story of an unlikely friendship that totally works and which we wish didn't have to end. Bridge to Terabithia is another such story with many of the same themes and (unfortunately) much the same ending. If you do use both stories in class, make sure to keep the tissues handy.

A Bit of Murder
For an unlikely companion story to Freak the Mighty check out The Outsiders. Both are told with a first person point of view and the male narrators are isolated, they have close friendships, and there's a bit of murder thrown in. In other ways, they're completely opposite; in The Outsiders the narrator is bookish and loves school, there are very few adults or female characters in the story, and gangs are very prominent.