CHILDREN · FICTION
W. R. Philbrick
I never had a brain until Freak came along and let me borrow his for a while, and that's the truth, the whole truth.
— from Freak the Mighty
Most acclaimed
Lobster Boy
1995
Skiff Beaman has a big problem. He needs a whole heap of money to fix up his family's fishing boat. Skiff can still hear his passed-away mother's voice telling him 'Never give up'. So he comes up with a plan. It's crazy, it's dangerous, and it's going to take all Skiff's grit and strength to win a great battle against the sea.
Max the Mighty
This is the second book about Maxwell Kane, who has a heart as large as his ginormous, still-growing body. Two years after the events of "Freak the Mighty," the book which chronicles the adventures of Maxwell Kane and Kevin Avery while they were "slaying dragons and fools and walking high above the world," Max has a chance to show he is mighty in his own right. When a young girl called "Worm" (because of her love of books) is in danger from her stepfather, Max runs to the rescue. He and Rachel (Worm's real name) go on the run to the little town of Chivalry to find her father. They get help along the way from The Dippy Hippie and his old school-bus-turned-camper, the Prairie Schooner, and from Hobo Joe, who shows them how to ride the rails like a pro. Although Max is uncertain of hs ability to be heroic without his friend Kevin, he is determined to help this little damsel in distress. Danger and betrayal lie ahead, and a secret that threatens everything. If you enjoyed "Freak the Mighty," you'll like seeing Max come to understand what it means to be mighty indeed.
Paint It Black
Josie Tyrell, art model, runaway, and denizen of LA's rock scene finds a chance at real love with Michael Faraday, a Harvard dropout and son of a renowned pianist. But when she receives a call from the coroner, asking her to identify her lover's body, her bright dreams all turn to black. As Josie struggles to understand Michael's death and to hold onto the world they shared, she is both attracted to and repelled by his pianist mother, Meredith, who blames Josie for her son's torment. Soon the two women are drawn into a twisted relationship that reflects equal parts distrust and blind need. With the luxurious prose and fever pitch intensity that are her hallmarks, Janet Fitch weaves a spellbinding tale of love, betrayal, and the possibility of transcendence.