Synopses & Reviews
When one boy waffles back and forth, it’s going to take a few little kids–and one pet rat–to get him to finally make a decision. Monty is a waffler–he can never make up his mind, which always gets him in trouble. But when each student in his fourth-grade class is assigned a kindergarten buddy, Monty takes some left-out kindergarteners under his wing, even though it’s against the rules to have more than one buddy. When his blended family and his teachers find out, they give him an ultimatum: choose just one buddy, or have none at all. That stinks! On top of that, his beloved pet rat escapes, and his twin sister stops speaking to him! Monty doesn’t want to cast away his new friends, but he needs to come to a decision before everything spins out of control. With laugh-out-loud humor reminiscent of Andrew Clements, Donovan gets the agony–and the tremendous fun–of elementary school perfectly.
Review
"Will have readers smiling all the way through...hilarious." -- The Horn Book, starred review
Review
"A captivating tale -- one to press upon children, and one they'll be passing among themselves." -- Kirkus, pointered review
Review
In Memory of Gorfman T. Frog was named a New York Public Library Best Books for Children, and
What's Bugging Bailey Blecker was a Horn Book back-to-school recommended title.
Review
"A solid middle-grade choice—no waffling necessary." - Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
From bestselling and award-winning author Andrew Clements, a quirky, imaginative tale about creative thought and the power of words that will have readers inventing their own words.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Is Nick Allen a troublemaker? He really just likes to liven things up at school -- and he's always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his best plan ever...the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there's nothing Nick can do to stop it.
Synopsis
Is Nick Allen a troublemaker?
He really just likes to liven things up at school -- and he's always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his best plan ever...the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there's nothing Nick can do to stop it.
About the Author
Andrew Clements is the author of the enormously popular andlt;iandgt;Frindleandlt;/iandgt;. More than 10 million copies of his books have been sold, and he has been nominated for a multitude of state awards,andnbsp;including two Christopher Awards and an Edgar Award. His popular works include andlt;iandgt;About Averageandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Troublemakerandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Extra Credit, Lost and Found, No Talking, Room One, Lunch Moneyandlt;/iandgt;, and more. He is also the author of the Benjamin Pratt andamp; the Keepers of the School series. He lives with his wife in Maine and has four grown children. Visit him at AndrewClements.com.andlt;bandgt;Brian Selznickandlt;/bandgt; is the author and illustrator of the bestselling andlt;iandgt;The Invention of Hugo Cabret,andlt;/iandgt; which was awarded the Caldecott Medal and was a National Book Award finalist. He is also the illustrator of many books for children, including andlt;iandgt;Frindleandlt;/iandgt; and andlt;iandgt;Lunch Moneyandlt;/iandgt; by Andrew Clements, as well as the andlt;iandgt;Doll Peopleandlt;/iandgt; trilogy by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, and andlt;iandgt;The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkinsandlt;/iandgt; by Barbara Kerley, which was a Caldecott Honor Book. Mr. Selznick divides his time between Brooklyn, New York, and San Diego, California.
Reading Group Guide
Discussion Topics Describing his novel, Andrew Clements writes that Frindle "is about discovering the true nature of words, language, thought, community, learning." Take each of these ideas one at a time. How is each explored in Frindle? What do you think is the true nature of each?
The frindle is just one of Nick's great ideas. Brainstorm about ways you could improve your own school. How can you turn your ideas into action?
"Every good story," Mrs. Granger writes to Nick, "needs a bad guy, don't you think?" Do you agree? Does every good story have a villain? Can you think of any that don't?
Brian Selznick's illustrations add their own sly humor to Frindle. Discuss a few of your favorites in detail. For example, how does his first illustration, opposite the title page, help set up the novel? How do you know from his fullpage portrait of Mrs. Granger that she can't be pushed around?
Although Nick didn't know it until he turned twenty-one, his new word earned him a huge amount of money. Do you think his parents were right in setting up a trust fund for him? What do you think he might have done with the money if he could have spent it earlier? What would you do if you suddenly had a lot of money of your own?
"School," the author writes in Frindle, "was the perfect place to launch a new word." Why? What makes schools such good breeding grounds for fads? Do companies or community organizations ever use your school for promoting products or services? How?
Years after he leaves Mrs. Granger's class, Nick finds a perfect way to show her how important she was to him. What's your teacher's idea of a perfect gift from a former student? Has he or she received it yet?
Activities and Research
Create and define your own new word. Think of an object, a situation, or behavior that you think needs a single new word all its own.
When Nick decides to call a pen a frindle, he creates a new synonym for a word that has few. But many words, such as friend or attractive, already have several common synonyms. On your own or with a group, make a list of words with many synonyms. What's the largest number of synonyms you can come up with for one single word?
New inventions and ideas or changing cultural influences continually add new words to our language. With the help of your parents or another adult, assemble a list of new words or new meanings for old words that have entered common usage within the last generation. Ask them as well about common words from their own childhood that are now seldom used.
Nick makes his mark on the world even though he's just a fifth grader. Research and report to your class on other individuals who made significant contributions to literature, science, music, or other fields while still very young. If possible, bring in examples of their work.
Interview a parent or a close adult friend about the teacher who meant the most to them when they were young. Did they always admire that teacher or did they grow to respect him or her more over time? What did they learn from that teacher? How did they learn it? Have they kept up with the teacher since leaving school?
Mrs. Granger is a firm believer in improving vocabulary by studying word lists, but there are also playful ways to boost your word power. Look for board games based on words, crossword puzzles, or any books that feature word games. And, of course, reading more good books is another sure way to increase your vocabulary.
News about Nick's new word spreads fast. First within his class, then in his hometown newspaper, later on television news shows and entertainment talk shows. Track a current news story through the media. Where did you first learn about the story? Keep a record of all the media outlets -- newspapers, magazines, the Internet, radio and television newscasts, or entertainment shows -- that also feature the same story.