When my youngest was little, a “boundain” was a BAND-AID®, a “duppy” was a pacifier, and a “nooney” was an angel. As parents, we translate the words our little ones create, they catch on, and before we know it we are using them daily within our families.
As my kids have grown, they’ve sometimes asked how words are assigned – like who decided “cat” means a mammal with four legs that meows? In Frindle, Nick Allen wonders the same thing.
Nick Allen is a fifth grader with a lot of spunk. He likes to cause a stir at school, and has a knack for asking questions that derail his teachers from the task at hand. When he asks dictionary-loving Mrs. Granger where words come from, she cleverly assigns him to research the topic and prepare an oral presentation for the class.
Nick’s curiosity and sense of adventure inspire him to invent a new word for pen – a “frindle.” The word quickly catches on with his friends and peers and takes on a life of its own.
The publisher recommends this book for ages 8-12. We read it aloud together when my oldest was in third grade, but with roughly 100 pages in paperback form, it’s very doable as an independent read as well.
Mom, which book is next? 