Frindle Literary Elements

realistic fiction

Nick Allen's 5th grade year at Lincoln Elementary School in Westfield, New Hampshire

Anonymous third-person narrator who is omniscient and allows the reader to know the thoughts of the characters

serious and high-stakes in a youthful type of way

Nick Allen is the protagonist and Mrs. Granger is the antagonist.

Nick and the other kids must disobey their teacher, Mrs. Granger, to do what they think is right and that they have a right to do.

The climax is when the news of the Frindle conflict reaches national headlines and the excitement is at its highest for Nick and the people of the whole nation.

"It was still a week before school and Nick already felt like fifth grade was going to be a long year," (12). The year is going to be long for Nick with all of the excitement over his new word.

"But if all of us in this room decided to call that creature something else, and if everyone else did, too, then that's what it would be called, and one day it would be written in the dictionary that way. We decide what goes in that book," (31). This is foreshadowing the main conflict in the book. Nick is going to make up a word and everyone together is going to use it until it is put into the dictionary.

"... your report was a little long..." (28). Nick's report was more than a little long. When he was done, more than half of the class period was over.

The reporter alludes to the book "War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells in her article when she writes about the Frindle conflict as a "war of the words," (68). The book "War of the Worlds" is between aliens and humans and humans are the weaker side but end up winning. In the book "Frindle," the kids are the weaker side but end up winning.

Most of the imagery in this book describes what people look like or the weather. For example, on page 51 it describes the principal as "wearing a long black raincoat and a red silk scarf tied loosely around her neck," and on page 17 it describes the day as " a beautiful September afternoon, bright sun, cool breeze, blue sky."

The main paradox of the book is revealed at the very end. Mrs. Granger is against the use of the word "Frindle" in place of the word "pen" but is only against it to support it. She knows that the word will never catch on or never get any real attention if there is no one opposing it or causing a controversy about it.

The book is set up in a parallel structure. It opens with a description of the stunts Nick pulls at school before fifth grade and ends with a description of his stunts after fifth grade. It starts with Nick's relationship to Mrs. Granger and it ends with his relationship to her.

"...shoot some video tape..." (73). Shooting video tape is referring to the whole process of filming and making a news story.

"Her eyes could sparkle and laugh," (7). This is giving the human action of laughing to eyes.