Frindle

"Who says dog means dog? You do Nickolas.  You and I and everyone in this class and this school and this town and this state and this country.  We all agree."

"'Here's your... frindle.'
'Frindle?' Janet took her pen and looked at him like he was nuts.  She wrinkled her nose and said, 'What's a frindle?'
Nick grinned and said, 'You'll find out.  Se ya later.'"



Nick isn't a really good kid or a really smart kid, but he isn't a really bad kid either.  Some teachers may think Nick is a troublemaker, but he's maybe he's just a kid with some really great ideas.  After one of his great ideas grants him an extra homework assignment from Mrs. Granger to research the dictionary, Nick decides to try an experiment with words.  What would happen if he decided to make up a new word?  Can he convince his school that the object they've always called a pen is actually a frindle?  When Nick's new noun starts a war of words it's hard to guess who will win, Nick and his friends or The Lone Granger?

Why I Love It

Books in a school setting can be either really boring or relate-ably hilarious.  In my mind one of the first marks on the road to success is to break the mold.  What kid doesn't want to battle a tough teacher on her home turf?  If this was another book about a class clown being a pain for his teacher I doubt I'd love it, but this book begs the question: has Nick actually done anything wrong?

I also love how the relationship between Nick and Mrs. Granger develops.  As a teacher myself I don't usually like stories where the teacher is the bad guy who's out to make kid's miserable.  Let's be honest, we don't choose teaching for the pay!  We're in it for the kids.  I love that in this story we get to watch Nick realize that Mrs. Granger was really on his side the whole time.

You Should Know

This book requires some reading between the lines.  It's a great example of an author 'showing' you something instead of 'telling' you.  Instead of telling you, for instance, that Nick has great ideas that sometimes make messes she tells you about two of his ideas and the trouble they caused.  Take time to discuss who Nick is and what you learn about him and the other characters through their actions.

Talking Points

• What do you think about Nick as a character?  Is he someone you would want to hang out with or do you think he'd just get you in trouble?
• If you were a student in Mrs. Granger's class, would you use the word frindle instead of pen?  Why?
• Nick isn't exactly respectful to Mrs. Granger during their "war".  Do you think Nick took the frindle argument too far?  When it is okay to be disrespectful to an adult?
• The author uses comparisons to help us understand better what is going on.  How is Nick's conversation with Mrs. Granger (ch. 8) like a war conference?  How is the conversation with Mrs. Chatham and Nick's parents like a chess game (ch. 9)?
• How do you think Judy Morgan got a 5th grade class picture?  What evidence from the story makes you think that?
• Why do you think Bud Lawrence want's Nick's father to sign the contract?  Why do you think Nick's father decides to sign it?
• How did the relationship between Mrs. Granger and Nick change from the beginning of the story to the end of the story?
• Now that you know what Mrs. Granger was really trying to do in the early part of the story (she's making herself the bad guy on perpose) can you retell the story from her perspective?  What was she thinking when she posted her angry notice or kept all those kids after school?