Module 7: Frindle

APA Reference of Book: Clements, A. (1996). Frindle. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Summary: Elementary school boy Nicholas Allen comes up with a new word, frindle, to replace the word pen. This is a challenge to his English teacher, Mrs. Granger, who believes that all the words in a dictionary have significant origin. Soon enough the entire town is enveloped in a battle over the word frindle. The students are sent to detention if they use the new word instead of the word pen. Businessman Bud Lawrence makes a profit on the word by selling merchandise that says frindle on it. It attracts the attention of the media, and soon the story gets aired on national television and Nicholas Allen is featured on talk shows and newspapers around the nation. In the end, Nicholas realizes the power of words and how small ideas can become something greater if one pursues it perseveringly.

Impressions: I really enjoyed this book. Clements’ writing style is humorous, lighthearted, conversational, and detailed without overloading the reader with too many details. The ending was unexpected and very inspiring, in which Nicholas’ invented word eventually gets accepted into the standard dictionary, and Mrs. Granger admits that she was challenging him in order to see him grow and achieve greater things as a student and ultimately as a person. The pencil illustrations are charming, soft, and detailed with textures and plenty of background objects. The illustrations come every so often throughout the story and complement the plot line well. They reinforce the vivid scenes that are playing through my mind as I read the story.

Professional Review: “Nicholas Allen, a sharp, creative, independent thinker starts fifth grade looking for a way to sabotage his Language Arts class. The teacher, Mrs. Granger, is a legend, and he believes her when she states that it is the people who decide what words go into the dictionary. Picking up a dropped pen triggers a brilliant idea. He coins a new word for pen-frindle. It's all for fun, but frindle catches on and Nick finds himself on the "Late Show" and "Good Morning America" explaining his new word. Readers will chuckle from beginning to end as they recognize themselves and their classrooms in the cast of characters. A remarkable teacher's belief in the power of words shines through the entire story, as does a young man's tenacity in proving his point. Outstanding and witty.”

Bomboy, P. K. (1996). Frindle (book review) [Review of the book Frindle, by A. Clements]. School Library Journal, 42, 201. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2308/ehost/detail/detail?sid=6758ace4-4764-4056-b42f-bf501dfebce3%40sessionmgr4008&vid=3&hid=4204&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#AN=510517016&db=brd

Library Uses: Lay out some objects on a table such as a crayon, a banana, and a shoe. Let each child create their own words for the objects. After they finish, select one name per object from the lists that the children created. Play a memorization game in which the children are seated in a circle and need to take turns saying the new names, one object per person.