Freak the Mighty is a novel by Rodman Philbrick about Kevin and Max, childhood friends who bond over their disabilities and help each other navigate life. Max has a learning disability, and Kevin wears leg braces. They bond over their disabilities. and Delaney was the protagonist of the story. "Although she was just sixteen years old, Delaney had spent much of them providing for her sisters. She displayed the toughness – and weariness – of someone twice her age." Freak the Mighty is a young adult novel written by Rodman Philbrick and published in 1993. The story follows the friendship between two boys, Maxwell Kane and Kevin Avery. Kevin is often called "Freak" because he uses crutches and has leg braces due to a rare birth defect called Morquio syndrome.