Bibliography Clements, A., & Selznick, B. (1996). Frindle (1st ed.). New York, N.Y: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Summary
Nick Allen likes to make school interesting by doing things like turning his classroom into a tropical paradise in the middle of February, sand included. Nick never means to create trouble; it’s just that some of his ideas tend to get him in trouble anyway. But when Nick enters fifth grade, his creativity may have got him in over his head. Inspired by learning about the origins of the dictionary, Nick decides that if all it takes for a word to become real is by everyone using it, then why can’t he make his own word? Nick comes up with the word ‘frindle’ to replace the word ‘pen’ and convinces his friends to help spread the word around school. But the word doesn’t stop with the school; ‘fridle’ is spread across the world. Nick learns that even though he made the word, it isn’t his anymore; it belongs to everyone.
Impressions
The book was really very good. The writing level was appropriate for the age group that the book was written for, but it didn’t stop me from liking it. The story was paced very well and the illustrations were well done. The thing that I liked the most was that there was only a small part of the story in which Nick doubted himself and the book moved very quickly through that part on to the climax of the story.
Reviews
“Nicholas Allen, a sharp, creative, independent thinker starts fifth grade looking for a way to sabotage his Language Arts class. The teacher, Mrs. Granger, is a legend, and he believes her when she states that it is the people who decide what words go into the dictionary. Picking up a dropped pen triggers a brilliant idea. He coins a new word for pen-frindle. It's all for fun, but frindle catches on and Nick finds himself on the "Late Show" and "Good Morning America" explaining his new word. Readers will chuckle from beginning to end as they recognize themselves and their classrooms in the cast of characters. A remarkable teacher's belief in the power of words shines through the entire story, as does a young man's tenacity in proving his point. Outstanding and witty.”
Jones, T. E., & Toth, L. (1996). Grades 3-6: Fiction. School Library Journal, 42(9), 201.
“Ten-year-old Nick Allen has a reputation for devising clever, time-wasting schemes guaranteed to distract even the most conscientious teacher. His diversions backfire in Mrs. Granger's fifth-grade class, however, resulting in Nick being assigned an extra report on how new entries are added to the dictionary. Surprisingly, the research provides Nick with his best idea ever, and he decides to coin his own new word. Mrs. Granger has a passion for vocabulary, but Nick's (and soon the rest of the school's) insistence on referring to pens as "frindles" annoys her greatly. The war of words escalates--resulting in after-school punishments, a home visit from the principal, national publicity, economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs, and, eventually, inclusion of frindle in the dictionary. Slightly reminiscent of Avi's Nothing but the Truth (1991), this is a kinder, gentler story in which the two sides eventually come to a private meeting of the minds and the power of language triumphs over both. Sure to be popular with a wide range of readers, this will make a great read-aloud as well.”
Weisman, K. (1996). Frindle. Booklist, 93, 125.
Library Use
It could be used to teach the value of language to students who do not understand why learning proper grammar and spelling are important. It’s also an interesting look at etymology that could be used to explain to young kids why words like ‘Google’ and ‘Tweet’ are being used.
No comments:
Post a Comment