Freak buch rodman philbrick biography


Rod at the age of 9 at a beach bonfire.

Rodman Philbrick grew up on the coast of New Hampshire and has been writing novels since the age of sixteen. For a number of years he published mystery and suspense novels for adults. Two of his detective novels were nominated for the Shamus Award, and in 1993 Brothers & Sinners won the Shamus Award.

In that same year his debut young adult novel Freak the Mighty won numerous awards and was eventually made into the feature film The Mighty, starring Sharon Stone and James Gandolfini. Freak The Mighty has become a standard reading selection in thousands of classrooms worldwide, with nearly three million copies in print.

Philbrick’s young adult novel, The Young Man And The Sea. draws upon his youthful experiences as a boat builder, and his vivid memories of growing up in a small town on the coast of New England. In 2010 his novel, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, set at the time of the Civil War, won a Newbery Honor.

Rod splits his time between Maine and Florida. For more than thirty years he was spouse, life partner, and best friends with Lynn Harnett, until her passing in 2012. Two years later Rod crossed paths with Jan Bamberger, a retired teacher, and fell for her fabulous smile and wonderful warmth. They have a lot in common: books, boats, cats, and, now, a life together.

 

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    • Rodman Philbrick

    Rodman Philbrick was raised in New England — he was born in Boston in 1951 and grew up in a small town on the coast of New Hampshire, where his grandmother rented out cottages to summer visitors.

    Philbrick started writing short stories in the 6th grade, but never told anyone in school that he was a writer because it didn’t seem like something that would make him popular. He wrote lots of stories, all of which were rejected; the novel he wrote in the 11th grade. was also rejected. In fact, he wrote eight or ten novels before one was finally accepted.

    Philbrick worked as a longshoreman and boat builder, while writing mystery and detective novels for adults. That all changed in 1992, when he stumbled on a story idea in his neighborhood. This idea became the award-winning young adult novel, Freak The Mighty. Philbrick’s other young-adult books include The Young Man and the Sea, The Journal of Douglas Deeds, and The Last Book in the Universe. Whether futuristic or historical, all his stories include lots of action and adventures.

    Philbrick — an avid fisherman — and his wife divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys. When they’re in Maine, Philbrick fishes for striped bass and bluefish. When he’s in the Florida Keys, he fishes for a variety of species, including the giant tarpon.

    Books by this author

    They say opposites attract. That is very true in the case of Max and Kevin. Max, a self-described “butthead goon,” is an extra large eighth grader labeled learning disabled. Kevin, known as Freak, is highly intelligent and suffers from a rare dwarfism syndrome. Literally put the two together — Freak rides on Max’s shoulders — and you’ve got Freak the Mighty, brawn and brains out for adventure, fighting the good fight for good causes.

    Book Details

    Freak the Mighty

    Rodman Philbrick

    A title in the Dear America historical fiction book series, The Journal of Douglas Allen D

    Freak the Mighty

    Novel by Rodman Philbrick

    This article is about the book. For the 1998 film adaptation, see The Mighty.

    Freak the Mighty is a young adult novel by Rodman Philbrick. Published in 1993, it was followed by the novel Max the Mighty in 1998. The primary characters are friends Maxwell Kane, a large, developmentally disabled, but kind-hearted boy, and Kevin Avery, nicknamed "Freak", who is physically disabled but very intelligent. Kevin is diagnosed with Morquio syndrome.

    The novel was adapted for the screen under the title The Mighty by Charles Leavitt; the film was shot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and Cincinnati, Ohio, and directed by Peter Chelsom, and released in 1998.

    Plot

    In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Maxwell Kane is a young boy with low self-esteem. He lives with his grandparents, Grim and Gram. People are afraid of Max because he looks like his father, Kenneth "Killer" Kane, a convicted murderer. Max reminisces about his time in daycare, when he met a boy named Kevin (or Freak, as their classmates called him). Kevin has Morquio syndrome, wears leg braces and uses crutches, thinks of himself as a robot, and is bullied by bigger kids due to his short height. However, Max likes Kevin and thinks that the crutches and leg braces are neat.

    Years later, when Max is in middle school, he learns that Freak and his mother, Gwen, referred to as "The Fair Guinevere", are moving into the house next door. Max eventually approaches Freak, who acts with hostility. Max later saves Kevin's toy ornithopter from a tree and they start to form a friendship. On the Fourth of July, they go to see the fireworks show and are attacked by an older boy, Tony "Blade" D., and his gang. After the show, Blade chases the two with his gang after Freak calls him a cretin. Despite Max's lack of knowledge and disability, he escapes by acting on Freak's orders, but the two are driven into a muddy millpond, Freak riding on Max's shoulders.

    (W.) Rodman Philbrick (1951-) Biography

    (William R. Dantz, Chris Jordan, W. R. Philbrick)

    Personal

    Born 1951, in Boston, MA; Hobbies and other interests: Fishing.

    Career

    Writer, 1987—. Formerly worked as a longshoreman and boat builder.

    Honors Awards

    Best Novel award, Private Eye Writers of America, 1993, for Brothers and Sinners; Judy Lopez Memorial award honor book, 1994, Nebraska Golden Sower Award, Wyoming Soaring Eagle Award, 1997, California Young Readers Award, Arizona Young Readers Award, Maryland Children's Middle School Book Award, Charlotte Award, New York State Reading Association, Best Young-Adult Book of the Year and Recommended Book for the Young-Adult Reluctant Reader designations, both American Library Association (ALA), all for Freak the Mighty; Best Science-Fiction selection, Voice of Youth Advocates, 2000, and Best Young-Adult Book of the Year selection, ALA, 2001, both for The Last Book in the Universe.

    Rodman Philbrick

    Writings

    NOVELS; FOR YOUNG ADULTS

    Freak the Mighty, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 1993, published as The Mighty, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

    The Fire Pony, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1996.

    Max the Mighty, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1998.

    (With wife, Lynn Harnett) Abduction, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1998.

    REM World: Where Nothing Is Real and Everything Is about to Disappear, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.

    The Last Book in the Universe, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2000.

    The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds: The Donner Party Expedition (historical fiction), Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

    The Young Man and the Sea, Blue Sky Press (New York, NY), 2004.

    Philbrick also adapted Freak the Mighty as one-and two-act plays.

    "HOUSE ON CHERRY STREET" SERIES; FOR YOUNG ADULTS

    (With Lynn Harnett) The Haunting, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1995.

    (With Lynn Harnett) The Horror, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1995.

    (With Lynn Harnett) The Final Nightmare, Scholastic (New Y

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