They constantly taunt both Kevin and Max. This comes to a head at the fireworks show when the gang chases Max and Kevin to a swampy bog where “Freak the Mighty” are able to lose their enemies for good.

Last, we need to talk about Max’s biggest problem: his father, Kenny “Killer” Kane. Kane murdered Max’s mother and was put in jail. Unfortunately, Kane is let out on parole.  This knowledge is enough to send Max into hysterics. Sure enough, Kane kidnaps Max on Christmas Eve and imprisons him in an old basement. It is Kevin (with the help of Loretta Lee) who shows up with a squirt gun full of “acid” and puts Kane in jail again for good.

I would suggest figuring out what the climax of this story is and then work backward from there to figure out exactly which rising action events you would like to use. For this story, the climax is going to be Max remembering all of his mother's murder and then Kevin's rescue. One rising action that occurs before then that definitely increases reader suspense and gives readers a sense of impending doom is when Max and Kevin meet Loretta and Iggy in their apartment. Other rising actions are centered around the adventures that Max and Kevin have together. I would include in your list the encounter that Max and Kevin have with Tony D and his gang on the Fourth of July. I would also include the events from chapter nine. This is the chapter that sees Max and Kevin outside of a medical research building, and Kevin saying that he is going to become a human robot.

This is a fun question because the "rising action events" that you ask about are actually the meat of the book!  (They are also the parts that are often the most humorous.)  These events almost always take the form of "quests" that encourage Kevin through his friend, Max. 

In one dual event, Max carries Kevin all over the city and they pretend to slay dragons together.  It is a very fun game, and Kevin is encouraged to both be himself and dream of the future.  Another time when Max is carrying Kevin and using his imagination, they wander towards the local hospital.  Max imagines that the doctors there are creating robot droids that will be able to house Kevin's weak body.  It is Kevin's identity and soul that will be transplanted while his weak body will fail to exist.  (All the best parts of Kevin will remain!)

Another quest begins early in the morning when Max asks Kevin to rise from bed and dress in black.  Max has found a purse that fell into the sewer, and the two friends grab the purse together.  The next morning, they return the purse to the owner, a poor lady named Loretta who is connected to the local motorcycle gang. 

One of my favorite events from the rising action takes place in school.  Kevin and Max end up taking the same classes (even though Kevin has been known as "smart" and Max has been known as "dumb").  When the smart kids start teasing Max, Kevin immediately climbs up on Max's shoulders and the two declare themselves "Freak the Mighty" which creates the title for the book and admiration for all of Max's and Kevin's classmates.

As you can see, the two are an incredible team.  Max, of course, is influenced as much by Kevin as Kevin is by Max:

Matter of fact, I watch tons of tube, but I also read tons of books so I can figure out what's true and what's fake, which isn't always easy. Books are like truth serum--if you don't read, you can't figure out what's real.

Together, the events in the rising action create my very favorite parts of the book.

Kevin is a wonderful character. He absolutely has some health problems, but the great thing is that Kevin simply refuses to let any of his problems stand in his way . . . ever. Kevin's medical issue is that he has Morquio Syndrome. This means that he is unable to metabolize a special type of sugar called glycosaminoglycans. This sugar type is integral in the body's growth and development of bones, cartilage, muscle, and tendons. Because Kevin can't break down this sugar, he winds up with a number of physical problems like a short stature, joint issues, spine problems, and heart problems. Kevin's medical problems are tied into another problem of his. He struggles socially to make friends. He struggles mainly because he looks so different. He's an outcast, and that is probably why he and Max get along so well. They are both outcasts. Finally, I would say that a third problem that Kevin deals with is his vast intelligence. He's super smart, and that is a wonderfully good thing; however, Kevin is absolutely smart enough to know that his disease is killing him. Max doesn't know this kind of thing, but Kevin knows what his final fate is most likely to be. He has to struggle with the knowledge, and he has to struggle with staying as upbeat and positive as he does throughout the novel.

Although there are many more than three problems in Freak the Mighty, three that are fairly easy to focus upon are as follows: Kevin’s birth defect, the boys’ tussle with Blade and his gang, and Max’s kidnapping.

Kevin’s birth defect affects the entire story. Kevin cannot walk properly, although he has a superior mind. He wears leg braces and uses crutches to get around. Ironically, this is what inspires Max and Kevin to come together as their dual character of “Freak the Mighty.” Unfortunately, Kevin’s “problem” eventually leads to his death at the end of the book.

One of the episodic adventures in the book deals with the problem with Tony (Blade) and his gang of thugs. They constantly taunt and torment the two boys until Kevin suggests that the two form “Freak the Mighty” and lose the gang in a muddy pond.

Finally, Max’s biggest problem (other than Kevin’s death) is his kidnapping by his father, Kenny “Killer” Kane. Kane has killed Max’s mother and is in jail. As soon as Kane is let out on parole, he immediately kidnaps Max and chains him to a boiler in an old basement. It is Kevin who saves Max.