Frindle

This book is a wonderful quick read! All of my students were able to relate to the main character and loved the plot line. We used this book to discuss point of view and plot. This book is a classic and we will be using the word “frindle” for the rest of the year.

Depending on the student’s reading level, I like to introduce this little gem to third or fourth graders in my private tutoring classes. It gets them excited about where words come from and the creative power they hold, even at a young age. Strongly recommend 💖

It was heartwarming and we loved reading it because it was a really good book. And we thought it was really good.

***This review was written by my student and me, as we read together as a project. It contains spoilers. Frindle is the most interesting book you will ever read! In the book, a young boy named Nick Allen is always a troublemaker, until he comes to 5th grade. That year, he had a very strict teacher named Mrs. Granger. He makes up a new word that spread so quickly, that it almost becomes a real word across the nation. It is a book where you start reading it and never want to stop.There are a few excellent qualities about this book. First, the style (funny) of the author, hooks readers. Next, there is a lot of suspense that makes the reader feel excited. Lastly, it is a Hero v.s Villain story, so it makes it interesting. Those are some of the awesome parts about Frindle. On the other hand, there are a few points that are not as great. To start, the story lacks detail and this makes it less interesting in certain sections. Also, the plot is predictable. This is a problem because people can guess what will happen next too easily. Finally, there is not enough action. Without it, the story is a little dull. These are just some of the reasons this book is not as well written-as other books. Again, I believe this story is one you will not want to miss. If you do not read this book, you will be sorry because you have just missed out on getting to know some really great characters. Don’t you want to read it?

This was recommended to me by a really bright eleven year-old South Korean girl who is excelling at mastering English as her second language. How could I not check it out when she was so excited to tell me about it?I liked Nick because he is so smart and creative. I loved Miss Granger because she is a great teacher, the kind who really is passionate about her job and puts in the time and effort to make sure the kids learn the most they can as her students. I loved the focus on words and the emphasis on how important they are - I, too, love dictionaries and encyclopedias! Also, the references to chess and battles were clever.The aspect of the story I enjoyed least was when tv coverage and national media coverage became a part of it all. That happens all the time over any little thing, things go viral, things become memes one day and are forgotten the next, people become famous all too easily for very little reason or substance at all, so I wanted to move beyond that very quickly.Overall, it was an interesting and fun read and I can't wait to chat to Minju about it in more detail when I see her next!

This book is assigned to my child entering the 4th grade for his summer reading book report. Of course I had to read it too to lend assistance if necessary. When we read page 54, it had me thinking. Maybe because of what is going on in our country about institutionalized racism, that many in government claim does nor exist, but the reference on this page made me pause and think.Mrs. Granger, the teacher, and the principal, Mrs. Chatham, are depicted as the 'bad guy', making a big deal about the word 'frindle'. As in the game of chess, the principal, in her black raincoat, is likened unto "the black queen". In the same narrative, "powerful defender... good old Mom, the white queen"- is portrayed as a positive character.One may think that this is harmless story telling, but this sends a message to young children, intentionally or not, that black is bad and white is good.I will be speaking to the authorities in my children's school about this, and would hope that other schools do not allow this careless depiction of underlying racial disparagement to infiltrate into young minds.

This is a great book. Not only is it entertaining and funny and a quick read, but it's one of the favorite books that I give as gifts to kids because it sends such great messages: what you learn in school matters in the "real" world; it encourages creativity and emphasizes the importance and impact one person's idea can have; it portrays a wonderful relationship between teacher and student where they both learn from each other and help each other grow. It also teaches a classroom lesson about how words are formed without making you feel tricked into learning.This is the story of a student, Nick, who decides one day to test if what he learned in school about how words are formed is true. He starts calling a pen a "frindle" and gets other students to do the same. The magnitude of the outcome is far greater than he ever expected. This book isn't just about the frindle story but about how Nick matures through this experience. Again, lots of good lessons as I mentioned above.I'm really careful about the books that I give as gifts to make sure that there are no ideas that parents would be uncomfortable with. This is 100% entertaining reading and good lessons that don't feel forced. Make sure you don't skip the chapter titles in Clements' books either-- they're pretty clever and add to the fun. (Especially in Landry News and School Story)

The power of creativity

I loved this unassuming short novel because it illustrates clearly how living language changes. Also, I love the way the protaganist takes up his personal power to produce change. The plot is quite straight forward, it is the ideas behind the words that promote interesting discussion about the English language. Young lad decides to make his mark on the world by getting a new word into the English dictionary. It demonstrates how you can create a new word and spread it everywhere, like a virus. Maybe there is also a lesson in there about how ideas are 'sold' to the great British public? One about creating playground crazes and selling products. A clever, witty and quick read for 10-14's, me, I'm just waiting for some 'frindle's' to appear in WHSmiths.

My son is 10. He liked the book very much and have read it for 2 days.

Great read ! I. 10 years

Grade 2's enjoyed.

This story is split apart in a weird way. It doesn't show the full pages of the story, and it's missing a sentence at the end of almost every page. I'm unable to read this to my class now because we're missing half of the story.