FRINDLE by Andrew Clements

Nicholas Allen has plenty of ideas. Who can forget the time he turned his third-grade classroom into a tropical island, or the times he fooled his teacher by chirping like a blackbird? But now Nick's in fifth grade, and it looks like his days as a troublemaker are over. Everyone knows that Mrs. Granger, the language arts teacher, has X-ray vision, and nobody gets away with anything in her classroom. To make matters worse, she's also a fanatic about the dictionary, which is hopelessly boring to Nick. But when Nick learns an interesting tidbit about words and where they come from, it inspires his greatest plan yet: to invent a new word. From now on, a pen is no longer a pen -- it's a frindle. It doesn't take long for frindle to take root, and soon the excitement spreads well beyond his school and town. His parents and Mrs. Granger would like Nick to put an end to all this nonsense. But frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. All he can do now is sit back and watch what happens.
This quirky, imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of words will have readers inventing their own words. Brian Selznick's black-and-white illustrations enhance the humor in this unforgettable story.


I LOVE Andrew Clements books! As my younger child states,"all of his books are genius!" and I would agree.

Nick is a bright fifth grader. His teacher is all about finding the answers on your own so you learn them better. She loves dictionaries which gives Nick the idea to come with a new word: frindle. You and I know call the same object a pen.
The rest of the story is what happens when students get excited about something and a teacher helps them, without them knowing.
I loved the ending! Brought tears to my eyes.


Rated: E (for everyone!)

 5 STARS