Frindle

What a delightful surprise!

Andrew Clements spins a clever and touching yarn about a mischievous fifth grader whose petty notion to rename pens as "frindles" to peeve his strict teacher pits him in a battle of wills with her and the school administration and garners more attention than he would have thought possible.

It's a terrific and entertaining introduction to first amendment rights, authoritarianism, and civil disobedience.

It may stretch a little too far for its ending, but I was enjoying the story so much by then that I happily went along for the ride.

Nick Allen was not, by his own admission, one of the bad kids, the good kids, or the smart kids. He was entirely himself, an individual with a keen sense of humor and an original mind. Disinclined toward doing lots of work, he tangled with his fifth-grade Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Granger, and found himself researching dictionaries, and the origins of words. Taking to heart the idea that meaning is created by all of a language's speakers, he creates a new word for pen - 'frindle' - that soon catches on at his school. But is he ready for the conflict with Mrs. Granger and other authority figures that this will ignite...?

First published in 1996, and a perennial favorite since then, Frindle is an immensely engaging story, one that is show more both humorous and heartwarming, and one that encourages young readers to think about the power of words, and of the speaker's role in using (or creating) them. I imagine that quite a few budding linguists got their start with Andrew Clements' book. Nick is an appealing character, a real boy with plenty of good qualities but some weaknesses as well. I thought the author's depiction of his withdrawal into himself, after achieving fame - his timidity, upon discovering his own power - was quite perceptive. I also thought the depiction of Mrs. Granger was spot on - I too have known people who seem quite daunting, but whose respect can be won through honest and principles opposition, rather than thoughtless capitulation. Recommended to children - early chapter-book range, I would say - looking for fun and thought-provoking school stories. show less

I love Andrew Clements -- really, really love his books, and there are many! He is a former teacher who writes stand-alone "school stories" aimed at boys and girls in the 3rd-5th grade range, which I think is a tricky age to write for. They typically feature kids who take some sort of action at school, as a protest, or an experiment, or to cause mild trouble. It takes on a life of its own, confounding and frustrating the adults, and teaching the kids about social momentum and other lessons. They're never preachy, though, and the issues are complex and thought-provoking. I loved Frindle from the first moment to the slightly weepy last. 5th grader Nick is a master at asking the time-wasting question designed to get the teacher show more side-tracked so that homework will be forgotten. He meets his match in Mrs. Granger, the experienced, rigorous, exacting teacher who sends home a recommended dictionary list before the start of the year. His first attempt at a time-waster (why are words what they are -- who decides that d-o-g gets to mean dog? Answer: we do -- words are invented and developed and evolved and most importantly: used, and that's how they get to be words) backfires as Mrs. Granger assigns Nick an oral report on words and dictionaries. It does give Nick an idea, though: what if he made up a word and people started using it? What would happen? He decides that henceforth, a pen is now a "frindle." He recruits a few friends to start conspicuously using "frindle" and the word takes off, much to the annoyance of Mrs. Granger (it's not in the dictionary, and furthermore, "pen" is a perfectly good word that evolved from the Latin word meaning feather, or quill, which were the precursors of pens), and the rest of the school staff. The students aren't really doing anything wrong, but are choosing to disobey rules created to stop the use of the word. The ensuing kerfuffle attracts the attention of the local paper, a local entrepreneur, and eventually the national news. The resolution of this story is extremely satisfying. show less

Add Frindle to your Middle Reader's summer reading list!

I read this book with my 7 year old last week. He wanted to read a book with me, but didn't want me to read it aloud - he's too big for that, I guess. So, he and I lay in bed reading quietly to ourselves. Then, we would talk about each section we had just read. Often, we would read three or four chapters in a session, because neither one of us wanted to put the book down!

Nick Allen is a smart kid. He has a knack for asking the right questions to get a teacher off topic for the last 15 minutes of class, in order to distract her from assigning homework. Mrs. Granger isn't your average teacher and Nick's trick backfires, and he is assigned to do a research project on what makes a word show more a word. How do words come to be in the dictionary? Nick comes up with his greatest idea yet - Frindle. Frindle is another name for a pen, according to fifth-grade student, Nick Allen! A word has meaning because you say so, at least that's what his teacher, Mrs. Granger said. Nick decides to test her theory, and her, by getting all the students in the school to stop using the word "pen" and start using the word "frindle." Nick's experiment erupts into something bigger than neither he nor Mrs. Granger could ever have imagined.

I had so much fun reading this book, and it sparked some wonderful discussions with my son, not only about words and how they come to be in the dictionary, but about the power of imagination and creativity.

I highly recommend Frindle. It's a thought provoking story that's age-appropriate and NOT about gross bodily functions. My son and I are looking forward to our next book by Andrew Clements. show less

It started small. Before it made its way from complete obscurity to become one of the lodestars of contemporary civilization, the frindle was merely the sudden whim of a boy in the fifth grade at Lincoln Elementary School.

Nick Allen (known to historians as Nicholas) was as cheerful and imaginative as any kid at Lincoln, and probably a little bit more so. He was playful and mischievous without quite being a troublemaker — although, at times, certain of his teachers might have considered him exactly that. But his imagination was not anarchic or aimless: it simply led him to ask questions, questions so basic that no one had bothered to ask them before. And if asking these questions caused Typical Adult Resistance from his teachers, he show more and his classmates were entertained and educated in the ways of the world.

Nick's bète noir, the teacher who is determined to show Nick, once and for all, who's the boss, is his Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Grindle, who adores and clings to her favorite dictionary like a mother protecting her only child. So, when Nick asks her where new words come from, the battle is joined. Nick creates the frindle, and the worlds of commerce and culture are shaken, along with Mrs. Grindle's composure.

"Frindle" is a delight, one that has been enjoyed by children and adults for a quarter century, and will doubtless continue to be. The late Andrew Clements was a genius, and his books are among some of the best in children's literature.

Very highly recommended. show less

I had never heard of Frindle despite it being an award-winning book (2016 Phoenix Award) with many admirers (teachers, librarians, and children alike). Written by Andrew Clements with illustrations by Brian Selznick, this is the story of Nick Allen who is the premier 'idea man' of the 5th grade...until he meets Mrs. Granger. It's then that Nick's place among his peers is questioned as she challenges him to think more creatively than ever before. The humor, inventiveness, determination, and perspicacity of our main characters makes this an instant favorite for all ages. This is a super fast read (I read it in an afternoon commute in its entirety and I'm not a particularly fast reader.) and I think it would be a great one for reluctant show more readers especially if you're reading with them at home. Bonus: It's educational without ever really making that a big thing which is the perfect recipe for this age group especially if they're reluctant readers. *hint hint* This book is full of heart and more than a few surprises (this might give the little ones in your life some especially mischievous ideas) which means it gets a 10/10 from me. XD show less

4 out of 5 stars.
I find this book just a cute read! I used to LOVE this book back in school. This is the type of book that carries nostalgia. This book is about a school boy who wants to be clever and make a new word for pen so he made up that a pen is now a "frindle".His made up word is challenged against teachers, specifically Mrs.Granger. anyways, the word "frindle" catches on throughput the whole town and shows the impactfulness words have.
This book isnt just about being silly, it also touches themes about ideas, and standing for what you believe in. it also makes the reader think about how small things can create big impacts.
Very witty book!