Frindle   

 

Frindle   

Reviewer- V(9-year-old)  

Author-Andrew Clements  

Setting- Lincoln Elementary School   

Rating-4.5/5  

The book won an award determined by the vote of U.S. schoolchildren in about twenty different U.S. states.  

Named the Phoenix Award winner for 2016,  

 

V’s review 

Main characters- Nick Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Allen, the language art teacher- Mrs. Granger  

The story is about a fifth grader, Nick Allen, in New Hampshire who has his head buzzing with clever ideas all the time. The temptation to put the ideas into action is something that Nick cannot avoid. An English class about dictionaries, words, and vocabulary sprouts a germ in Nick’s head about inventing a new word and testing it out on the unsuspecting middle graders and high schoolers. Nick makes up a new word, ‘Frindle,’ to refer to pens. It is done more to annoy his dictionary worshipping English teacher Mrs. Granger than as a serious academic exercise. But to Nick’s disappointment, he finds that the strict, no-nonsense Mrs. Granger likes the battle and wants to win as much as him.   

What follows is the tale of the word becoming a hurricane that neither Nick nor Mrs. Granger can control.   

My favorite character is, of course, Nick Allen, as he is cheeky, brave, clever, and naughty at the same time. His confidence while facing Mrs. granger’s anger, his thought grenades deserve applause.  

The best part of the story is how Nick, at the end of it all, ends up being rewarded big time for an idea that seems so trivial to start with.  

 

Mommy’s verdict-  

A delightful middle-grade fiction. Clement’s grasp of how a middle grader’s mind works, his cheeky delivery make you smile. 

The word war is nothing short of a world war between Frindle fighters and the all-knowing adults.  

I’ve had the good fortune of knowing a dictionary worshiping English teacher. This book made me remember and cherish her a bit more.   

The Domino effect of the new word trickling into local news, national news, and then onwards to TV shows and making to the signboard of the town is actually a satire on press garbed into a hilarious and fascinating account.   

To sum it up, the chess game between authoritarian Mrs. Granger and quirky Nick Allen makes for a joyous, playful yet captivating read. Read it with your middle grader, and you’ll love it more!