Frindle is a highly-acclaimed, bestselling children's book that tells the story of Nicholas Allen, a go-getting, action-oriented fifth grader who is full of ideas and energy. Whilst in Mrs Granger's Language Arts class, Nick decides to invent a word, deciding that from then on, a pen is not called a pen anymore, it is called a frindle. The new word catches on and Nick's classmates love to use it, causing quite a stir. The only person who hates the new word is Mrs Granger, who thinks it is nonsense and rather an affront to the dictionary and the evolution of vocabulary. She demands that Nick puts an end to it, but by now the word has spread across the country, and Nick is invited on to prime time television shows, and featured in the newspaper. Frindle has taken on a life of its own. Eventually, when Nick is a junior on college ten years later, frindle is the newest word to be included in the dictionary.
Frindle is an imaginative novel that captivates children with its fun interpretation of language arts and vocabulary seen through the eyes of a very likable and entertaining boy. Frindle won an incredible twenty-two state awards and was also a recipient of the prestigious Christopher award. Author Andrew Clements was an elementary school teacher himself and is therefore able to paint a very realistic picture of fifth grade life. The charm of the book is its ability to teach without letting readers know they are being taught. In 2015 the book celebrated its tenth anniversary and is still as popular as ever.
