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Frindle
by Andrew Clements, Brian Selznick
by Andrew Clements, Brian Selznick
1. This book would fall under the category of a junior book, contemporary realism.
2. What is a frindle? It’s a made up word, of course! This book takes you into a fifth grade classroom where Nick dares to take on that teacher – you know, the one who lets nothing get by her. Nick has always had great ideas and a charisma about him that makes his friends follow his lead. He takes the learning from the classroom and applies it to his life.
3. critique
a. The outstanding quality of this book is the author’s narrator selection.
b. The author chose to tell the story from a third-person, limited omniscient perspective. This allows the narrator to tell the story without telling too much of the story before the time comes. The author is able to build tension as the story progresses toward the climax. This enables the reader to see things that Nick would not be privy to, but are absolutely necessary to tell the story.
c. The best example of this is the letter that Mrs. Granger wrote to Nick that was sealed and dated. If the narrator was completely omniscient, the reader would know exactly what the letter said and the story would have no plot. By having limited omniscience, the reader could know what Nick was thinking, what his motivation was, but still know what was going on to other characters in the story. Nick was not aware that the reporter was having a meeting with the principal or that she was sending the story to larger networks. That knowledge was necessary for the story, but would not be known from Nick’s perspective.
4. a curriculum connection
Frindle is a great book that combines the elements of a good storyline with a small amount of learning. The most amazing part of this book is the way the main character connects his lessons from the classroom to his everyday life. The main character is able to take little things from his class work, think about it critically, and apply it to his benefit. Pointing out these instances (the pen and the lunch quality), readers could be encouraged to think about their lessons more critically and possibly apply them to their own lives.
2. What is a frindle? It’s a made up word, of course! This book takes you into a fifth grade classroom where Nick dares to take on that teacher – you know, the one who lets nothing get by her. Nick has always had great ideas and a charisma about him that makes his friends follow his lead. He takes the learning from the classroom and applies it to his life.
3. critique
a. The outstanding quality of this book is the author’s narrator selection.
b. The author chose to tell the story from a third-person, limited omniscient perspective. This allows the narrator to tell the story without telling too much of the story before the time comes. The author is able to build tension as the story progresses toward the climax. This enables the reader to see things that Nick would not be privy to, but are absolutely necessary to tell the story.
c. The best example of this is the letter that Mrs. Granger wrote to Nick that was sealed and dated. If the narrator was completely omniscient, the reader would know exactly what the letter said and the story would have no plot. By having limited omniscience, the reader could know what Nick was thinking, what his motivation was, but still know what was going on to other characters in the story. Nick was not aware that the reporter was having a meeting with the principal or that she was sending the story to larger networks. That knowledge was necessary for the story, but would not be known from Nick’s perspective.
4. a curriculum connection
Frindle is a great book that combines the elements of a good storyline with a small amount of learning. The most amazing part of this book is the way the main character connects his lessons from the classroom to his everyday life. The main character is able to take little things from his class work, think about it critically, and apply it to his benefit. Pointing out these instances (the pen and the lunch quality), readers could be encouraged to think about their lessons more critically and possibly apply them to their own lives.
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I really enjoyed your summary of this book. Not only have I not read this book, I also did not know that Brian Selznick was involved in its creation. I have recently become very intrigued by Brian Selznick since purchasing The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I also recently purchased Lunch Money and Extra Credit, both by Andrew Clements. After reading your review, I am intrigued and will be purchasing Frindle as well. Thanks for sparking my interest!
I read this book a couple of years ago and really loved it. I wanted to be that teacher and have students like Nick in my class. Kids need to know they have power over their learning. Thanks for reminding me about this great story.
Jeannie
Jeannie