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Kerry has been a teacher and an administrator for more than twenty years. She has a Master of Education degree.
In Chapter 11 of Freak the Mighty, Kevin and Max travel to the New Tenements to deliver the purse to the damsel in distress. Tenements are run-down, overcrowded apartments in the poor section of the city. Everyone in town calls the New Tenements the New Testaments. Testaments are a covenant between God and man.
Rodman Philbrick uses irony to compare the violent, drug-infested tenements to the hope and joy of the New Testament in the Bible. It makes sense in the context of a story about Kevin who lives a better life in his imagination than the stark reality of his world. What will they find in the tenements?
The address on the ID card indicates that Loretta Lee lives in the New Tenements, or New Testaments as everyone calls it, on the other side of the millpond. Max is not allowed to go there, not that he wants to go. Only the poorest people and drug users live in the Testaments.
Kevin says that it's okay for Max to break his promise to Grim and Gram if he is on a quest. Kevin hopes for a reward, but Max knows better than to expect that at the Testaments.
On the way to the Testaments, Kevin rides on Max's shoulders as he does most of the time these days. Max likes having a big brain up top, and Kevin likes not having to use his braces or crutches.
When they arrive and Kevin sees how sad the New Testaments are, he is ready to give up on this one, but Max says since they're here, they should return the purse they found to its owner.
Before they even have a chance to ring the bell, the door opens and a hand comes out reaching for the mail. Max is unable to get his feet to move before the lady at the door is yelling for someone named Iggy to come look at the circus on their doorstep. Feeling like this was a really bad idea, Kevin tries to leave, but Iggy steps in his way. The sudden realization that Iggy Lee is the leader of a dangerous motorcycle gang called the Panheads makes Max want to leave as well.
After Freak returns Loretta's purse, Iggy forces them inside the apartment and asks for their names. When Freak tries to leave again, Iggy flicks him in the nose. Once Loretta has checked the purse and confirmed that everything has been returned, Iggy demands to know what happened to the money inside it. Understanding that Iggy is trying to extort money from them, Kevin offers Iggy everything he has. . . $2 in change.
And then, Loretta remembers. . .Max is Killer Kane's kid and Kevin is Stuck-Up Gwen's Kid! Iggy and Loretta reminisce about the dangerous Killer Kane. Is it true he found religion in prison? Max does not know very much about his dad, so he is not sure how to answer any of their questions. Loretta wants to find out if Max is as tough as his dad, but Iggy says he is not messing with Killer Kane's kid.
Kevin seems interested to know more about his father when Loretta says she remembers him. Loretta tells Kevin that his dad was a magician. As soon as he heard the words birth defect, he disappeared. Did Kevin's dad leave because of Kevin's birth defect?
Kevin and Max travel to run-down apartments in the worst part of town, tenements, to deliver the purse to the damsel in distress, Loretta Lee. Everyone in town calls the place the New Testaments, a play on the word ''testaments,'' which is a promise made between God and man. When they arrive, they discover that Loretta is married to Iggy Lee, the leader of the notorious motorcycle gang. Max and Kevin sense that they are in danger, but Iggy will not let them leave. Even though Loretta has confirmed that the contents of the purse are all still there, Iggy is asking for missing money. Just when it's looking scary, Loretta remembers that she knows Max and Kevin's parents. Iggy is scared enough of Killer Kane to leave Max alone. Loretta tells the reader about Kevin's dad disappearing as soon as he found out about Kevin's birth defect.
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Freak the Mighty Study Guide3 chapters | 45 lessons | 2 flashcard sets
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