Grab your suit of armor—it's time to get your quest on. We're diving head first into Freak the Mighty, and this book has it all: robots, damsels in distress, love, death, murder, pain, and even silly wordplay.

Mostly, though it's about two teenage boys with some serious imaginations.

The author, Rodman Philbrick, knew he wanted to be a writer way back in the sixth grade. But it took him a long time to write something people actually wanted to publish. And we mean a long time—like 10 novels worth of writing. With Freak the Mighty, he finally found the winning combination of Max and Kevin, an odd couple who shows us the power of friendship.

Before hitting it big with the YA crowd, Philbrick wrote detective novels, which might explain the seriously spooky vibe that runs through Freak the Mighty. This might be a book for young adults, but it's definitely not for the faint of heart.

Published way back in 1993, you'll notice that some of the references are a bit outdated. Um, computers are so 20th century. But in Shmoop's humble opinion, this one gets better with age—and it's just as relevant now as ever. So suit up and get ready for a real adventure.

One word: friendship.

Max and Freak both have it rough. No matter how awkward your teenage years are, you'd be hard pressed to have it as bad as these two do. And trust us—we here at Shmoop have our fair share of awkward prom pictures buried in the closet.

But these two support each other through and through and become stronger by being together. They pull out the best in each other and reveal the true person underneath all that teenage awkwardness. Together, they're not just a nine-foot-tall, quest-loving, dragon-slaying knight—they're also just plain happy.