Frindle

Frindle is a 1996 middle grade novel by children’s author Andrew Clements, illustrated by Brian Selznick. The story follows a fifth-grade boy named Nick Allen who—both for fun and to exasperate his strict language arts teacher—creates a new word for pen: “frindle.” Nick’s new word captures more attention than he expected, and soon the entire country is engaged in a discussion about how people ought to use vocabulary. The novel explores themes about differing adult and student perspectives, actions and their consequences, and the power of language. Since 1985, Clements has published over 80 books, including Extra Credit, The Friendship War, and No Talking. Frindle is his first and most critically acclaimed novel, boasting 48 awards and nominations such as the Christopher Award (1997) and the Phoenix Award (2016), which praises books that become more influential over time and affirms its reputation as a modern-day classic.

This guide uses the 1999 Atheneum Books for Young Readers e-book edition.

Plot Summary

Nicholas “Nick” Allen steps into fifth grade at Lincoln Elementary in Westfield, New Hampshire, with a long-standing reputation for making trouble. He glides though elementary school, but when he enters fifth grade, he meets his match: Mrs. Granger, a language arts teacher with a passion for vocabulary, respect for tradition, and a radar for nonsense.

On the first day of school, Nick tries to distract Mrs. Granger by asking her about the history of words—strategically complimenting her massive dictionary—but she turns the tables by assigning his question as a research report. That evening while writing his report, Nick gets an idea. The next day, he delivers a long, thorough report that purposely consumes most of Mrs. Granger’s class period. After she finally cuts him off, Nick asks why people use the words they do. Mrs. Granger replies that everyone that speaks a language affirms their vocabulary by simply speaking to and understanding each other.

On the way home from school, Nick finds a gold pen on the roadside and has a new idea: Instead of calling the object a pen, he will call it a "frindle" and convince his classmates to do the same. If, as Mrs. Granger says, everyone uses and understands his new word, then it can be a real word. Nick and his classmates vow to only use the word frindle instead of pen, and the idea causes school-wide problems when other grades adopt the word. The school principal visits Nick's home hoping to put an end to his antics, but to everyone’s surprise, Nick’s mom defends her son. Nick realizes that even if he promised to stop using the word, so many other people use it that he couldn’t make it go away if he wanted to.

Judy Morgan, a local newspaper reporter, hears about the drama stirring at Lincoln Elementary and writes a sensational article that engages the whole town in controversy. Other more influential news agencies discover the story, and before long, frindle becomes a national phenomenon. Back in Westfield, local entrepreneur Bud Lawrence quietly makes a profit by merchandising the word frindle without consulting the Allen family. When his lawyer warns him about a potential lawsuit, Bud cuts a deal with Nick's dad, putting the money into a trust fund for Nick’s college. Nick has no idea that his simple idea will one day leave him a massive inheritance.

Though the frindle phenomenon booms across the country, the excitement subsides in Westfield, where the word is now commonplace. Nick, however, is now wary of the commotion that his idea caused and starts repressing his ideas, smothering his vibrant personality. Mrs. Granger notices that Nick is quieter and doesn’t joke around with his friends anymore. On the last day of school, she tells him that he didn't do anything wrong, encouraging him to take risks and continue dreaming up ideas. Her support helps Nick reclaim his confidence, and he pursues new ideas all the way through high school and college.

Ten years later, when Nick is in college, he receives a package from Mrs. Granger with two notes and the latest edition of Webster’s dictionary. One note directs him to a page in the dictionary where frindle is now listed. The other note congratulates Nick for winning the game; his word has stood the test of time and is now part of the English language. Realizing that Mrs. Granger supported him all along, Nick—who has gained access to the trust fund arranged by his father and Bud Lawrence—establishes a college scholarship in her name, using the money from his frindle trust fund.