Module 4: Frindle

Summary:

The plot of Frindle is interesting and somewhat believable.  A 5^th grade boy named Nicholas Allen has a reputation for creating trouble in school.  Fifth grade is supposed to be serious and preparation to middle school.  Just as Nick has a reputation, so does Mrs. Granger, his language arts teachers.  She is serious and what one might call “old school”.  By the end of the first day, Nick has an extra assignment and is learning no to mess with “the Lone Granger”.  His assignment revolves around how words make their way into dictionaries.  He learns that people determine the meanings of words and he realizes the power he possesses.  He decides to refer to a pen as a frindle and a new word is born.  Mrs. Granger is not pleased and a battle breaks out.   Nick becomes a local celebrity, even appearing on late night TV.  Only at the conclusion of the book, does he understand Mrs. Granger’s true motives in the battle of the best word. 

APA Reference:

Clements, A., & Selznick, B. (1996). Frindle. New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Impression:

This book was a fun read.  The characters are well-developed and familiar to almost anyone.  I truly enjoy the end and the twist that was revealed in the letter that Nick received in college was completely unexpected by me.  I read this book with my daughter and she enjoyed it as well.  She even read it a second time on her own.  I appreciated the classic set up of student vs. teacher and that no one was the “bad guy.” 

Professional Review: 

"The author has created a fresh, imaginative plot that will have readers smiling all the way through, if not laughing out loud. Nick, a champion time-waster, faces the challenge of his life when confronted with the toughest teacher in school, Mrs. Granger. Always counted on to filibuster the impending test or homework assignment away, Nick has met his match in "Dangerous Grangerous," who can spot a legitimate question in a second and has no patience with the rest. In answer to "Like, who says that d-o-g means the thing that goes 'woof' and wags its tail? Who says so?" she replies, "You do, Nicholas. You and me and everyone in this class and this school and this town and this state and this country." And thus is born frindle, Nick's new name for pen, promising and delivering a classic student-teacher battle along the lines of — but far funnier than — Avi's Nothing But the Truth (Orchard). The battle assumes the proportions of a tall tale, and although outrageous and hilarious, it's all plausible, and every bit works from the premise to the conclusion. The brisk narration is rapid-fire, and Nick is one of the most charming troublemakers since Soup. The merchandising future of this one is too terrible to contemplate; the cutting-edge gift this Christmas has got to be a frindle."

Watson, E. S. (1996). Frindle. Horn Book Magazine, 72(6), 732-733.

Library Use:

This book lends itself to research.  Students can see the student needed to answer a question and needed to go to a credible source to answer it.  Then students could be assigned a simple root word to research the origin of.  This would be a nice introduction to the research method.