Frindle

Andrew Clements writes realistic stories that bring life to the classroom. Nick Allen has a reputation at Lincoln Elementary School--he's got strategies for getting teachers off track and derailing lesson plans with diversionary tactics. But he meets his match with fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Granger. She turns the tables on Nick and calls his bluff, setting in motion a real-world learning lab. Keith Nobbs tells the story with humor, energy, and respect for the characters. He makes Nick, who could easily become a wisecracking teacher's nightmare, into a creative, curious boy who loves to stir things up as he chafes at the restrictions of classroom learning. This story is a celebration of the power of learning. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

February 2, 1998
Trying to aggravate a tough language-arts teacher, a fifth-grade boy invents a new word for pen: "frindle." Soon, the whole country is using it. "Dictionary lovers will cotton to this mild classroom fantasy," said PW. Ages 8-12.

Nick is an enterprising guy, maybe a troublemaker at times, definitely someone who pushes the limits at every opportunity. When he undertakes to introduce a new word, "frindle," into the English language, his fifth-grade language arts teacher, Mrs. Granger, plays devil's advocate. A battle of wits and wills ensues. John Fleming's delivery, announcer style, creates some distance from the characters; but as the story unfolds, a media circus ensues, politicians and lawyers come out from the wings, and the stylistic choice is entirely appropriate to the story. Fleming's deep, modulated, omniscient narration, without individual voicing, is ideal. In fact, the audio recording of this popular and funny novel is sure to find a ready audience among middle-grade kids, and it's a perfect choice for long family trips. T.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine