AR: 5.4

What a delightful surprise!

Andrew Clements spins a clever and touching yarn about a mischievous fifth grader whose petty notion to rename pens as "frindles" to peeve his strict teacher pits him in a battle of wills with her and the school administration and garners more attention than he would have thought possible.

It's a terrific and entertaining introduction to first amendment rights, authoritarianism, and civil disobedience.

It may stretch a little too far for its ending, but I was enjoying the story so much by then that I happily went along for the ride. ( )

When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.

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.

I used to love these books when I was younger and now as a future teacher, they will definitely be part of my students learning and reading time as well. This book offers students ways to be courages and to be yourself. This book is meant for older middle schoolers. ( )