Nicholas Allen
Nick is a fifth grader with a vivid imagination and a lot of motivation to create what he imagines. He is a popular boy who is known for coming up with elaborate time-wasters that can fill up an entire period and make a teacher forget about giving a test or a homework assignment. He is a good-hearted kid who means no harm and just wants to inject more fun into the daily grind of school. He is also a good leader as his classmates invariably follow his lead. He is considerate and family-oriented as he shows when his trust fund becomes available to him and he insists on giving a share to both his brother and his parents.
Although Nick's new word causes a furor he is insistent that it is doing no harm and that it is actually exactly what Mrs Granger told them people did to create a new word. He is determined and not easily swayed from what he thinks is fair and right, as long as he is not hurting anybody.
Mrs Granger
Mrs Granger is a Language Arts teacher with quite a formidable reputation. She holds the dictionary sacred and believes it is the most important book in the world that everyone should own. Her mission is to extend the vocabulary of every fifth grade student that passes through her classroom. She has a tendency to over-react to any challenge to the status quo of the dictionary which is why she was so draconian about the word "frindle". She also feels that the word of the teacher should be the rule and sees Nick's woes as a challenge. She does, however, privately respect his imagination in creating the new word and is proud of him for following it through. Despite her reputation she is a loved and respected teacher who receives gifts and appreciation every year from her many students.
Mrs Allen
Nick's mother is a practical woman who will defend her son in public even if she is angry with him in private. She believes the entire frindle episode to be a gross over-reaction and that its importance has been wildly exaggerated. Although she has enormous respect for the word of the teacher she also feels that it is important for children to be able to be creative and to use their imagination.
Mr Allen
Nick's father expects Nick to be respectful of the teachers at his school and not to cheek them, or cause trouble, but he is privately very proud of his son for coming up with a new word that is really catching on. He is not a showy person and dislikes the limelight and attention, rather preferring the quiet life to the notoriety and fame that frindle is bringing to the town.
Bud Lawrence
Bud is a very successful businessman and entrepreneur with a number of successful companies and franchises in town. He has an eye for an opportunity and can spot a successful gimmick and turn it into a moneyspinner. It is partly his frindle products that keep the new word alive in Westlake and his business acumen that creates a fortune out of Nick's imaginative creation.
