Clements, Andrew. 
FRINDLE
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1996
IL 3-6, RL 4.8
ISBN 0689806698

(4 booktalks)

Nicholas Allen is known for his creative ideas that always entertain his classmates.  But Nick meets his biggest challenge yet when he enters Mrs. Granger's 5th grade language arts class.  Known for her X-ray vision, obsession with the dictionary, and strict rules, Nick struggles to break Mrs. Granger down.  Then, Nick finds a way to work his magic once again. He decides to create his own word. From now on, a pen is no longer a pen-it's a frindle. Will frindle be successful and become the new fad? Or will it crash and burn and be quickly forgotten? Find out as you follow Nick on his journey in this unique story about creative thought and the power of words.  (Andrea Fisher, AN-Fisher2@wiu.edu, college student)

Booktalk #2

Little kids make up words all the time when they are first learning to talk. But what happens when a fourth grader makes up a word and convinces the whole school to use it? Well, Nick Allen always loved a good joke so he decided to get his friends to never use the word pen again and, instead, call it a Frindle. Their English teacher, however, does not think it is as funny as the kids do, and tries to punish them for changing words. Their struggle continues and you would never believe how far a fight over a made-up word could go.  (Ellie Rickelman,  eam-rickelman@wiu.edu, college student)

Booktalk #3

Well hello there, my name is Mrs. Granger, or as some of the students call me, Granger Stranger.  I am the 5th grade Language Arts teacher at Lincoln Middle School.  This year was unlike any others, yet it started just like a normal first day of school would; lost students in the hallways, the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the chatter of friends reconnecting after the summer, and students trying to get out of their first day of homework, especially one student in particular.  Now I had heard from his past teachers that this student was known for his special tricks to get teachers off task to waste class time, but I was prepared for Nicholas Allen…well, at least I thought I was, little did I know what the year would entail.
Follow the peculiar relationship between Mrs. Granger and the infamous Nicholas Allen during his fifth grade year and on through adulthood; it will definitely be a year unlike any others with a heartening ending.  What will become of Nicholas Allen?  Will Mrs. Granger be able to handle Nicholas's orneriness while keeping the class in order?  All of these questions will be answered with a story that starts with the word, frindle.  See how this one word can make a world of change in the story "Frindle" by Andrew Clements.  (Melissa Downin,  ma-downin@wiu.edu, college student)

Booktalk #4

Little kids make up words all the time when they are first learning to talk. But what happens when a fourth grader makes up a word and convinces the whole school to use it? Well, Nick Allen always loved a good joke so he decided to get his friends to never use the word pen again and, instead, call it a Frindle. Their English teacher, however, does not think it is as funny as the kids do, and tries to punish them for changing words. Their struggle continues and you would never believe how far a fight over a made-up word could go. (Ellie Rickelman,  eam-rickelman@wiu.edu, college student)