Frindle

FRINDLE is one of very few children's books I have ever read that can be equally intriguing to children as well as adults. The story, while a little on the absurd side at first glance, is remarkable, and as a whole, believable. Young Nick Allen decides to make a committment to himself and the world: he is going to make up a new word to replace the word "pen" and he is going to, if necessary, turn his world upside down to get others to accept this new word. He even recruits other students to take "the oath" that it is a "Frindle" and not a "Pen," and no other word will do. This peaceful protest of verbosity incurs the wrath of the school faculty and the curiosity of the local press. But Nick and his friends are determined and unmovable. This is without a doubt one of the most unique and remarkable works of American contemporary children's fiction. And I don't think I'm going too far in saying that it should have been a Newbery honor book as well. It is filled with fun, education, inspiration, an unexpected plot twist at the end, and even a cameo by one of America's favorite Late Night talk show hosts. I love FRINDLE, and I know I haven't read it for the last time.

Our 12 year-old really enjoyed this one! He reads at a Grade 10 level and he can be pretty critical of books that don't hold his interest. However, when you talk with him about this book, you can tell that he liked it very much. Here's his quote about the book: "I think this was a good book from a kids point of view. The story was great I thought, although it could have been executed a little better." When pressed about what "executed a little better" actually meant, he said, "Well, I can't really think of specifics. i just wanted to sound smart. I give it an A-". :-)

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 was on my daughter's Summer Reading List from school (2nd Grade going into 3rd)last year & I have to say it was enjoyed immensely by all of us! We would have her read a few pages every day to us(for her to practice her reading). We felt it was original & kept her attention throughout the book. The writing revealed the characters as imaginative, unique & steadfast in their decisions. You can't help but like the characters and empathize with their dilemmas. Our daughter would crack up with laughter the character dialogue & would come up with her own new names for things (which thankfully did not stick most of the time). We liked how the book ends with a flash forward scenario as well. It's a wonderful book!!

I read this book because we are getting ready to use it for book study in class. Now, I am excited to share it with my students. Sometimes, I believe we squash creative thinking in class. This is a wonderful story of one student taking something he learned in class, and having fun with it.