Judy Morgan is a reporter from The Westfield Gazette who writes an article about Nick’s invented word for pen, frindle.

Judy hears about the word from Ted Bell, an advertising salesman for the paper who has a fourth grader at Nick’s school, Lincoln Elementary. 

He told Judy that a bunch of fifth graders were making trouble and were not obeying teachers anymore, that there was something about a secret code word they were all using. (ch 10, p. 57)

Judy Morgan decides that this sounds like “a real story” so she goes to the school.  She takes a picture of Mrs. Granger’s sign about the punishment for using the word frindle.  She stops in the office and asks the principal about the sign.  The principal describes the word use as a “prank” and it is “under control” (ch 10, p. 61).   She asks Mrs. Granger how the “battle” is going.

"Such a waste of time and thought!  There is no reason to invent a new word and a useless word.   They should each learn to use the words we already have." (ch 10, p. 61)

Judy interviews some fourth and fifth graders, who tell her they have just written their punishment papers saying they will use the word pen, and several admit they have been replacing some of the pen words with frindle.  She asks to talk to Nick, but he pretends he is someone else and tells her that Nick doesn’t want to talk to her because he might get in trouble.

Nick sends Judy a school picture of the fifth grade class, with them all saying frindle.  He points himself out, and she smiles.  The article describes the word wars.

“One thing is sure: the kids at Lincoln Elementary School love their frindles, and no one seems to be backing off in this war on words.” (Ch 11, p. 68)

The article stirs up trouble with the superintendent, and the principal.