Judy Morgan, a reporter for the Westfield Gazette, hears about the word "frindle" from a coworker who has a daughter at Lincoln Elementary. The coworker does not really know what is going on at the school, but he thinks the kids are all using a secret code and refusing to obey teachers. Judy Morgan thinks it sounds like a good story.

One afternoon, Judy Morgan stops by Lincoln Elementary School. After taking a picture of Mrs. Granger’s note promising to punish kids who use the word "frindle," Judy Morgan asks the secretary about the word. The secretary, who is sick of the whole thing, sends the reporter to talk to the principal, Mrs. Chatham.

Mrs. Chatham tells Judy Morgan that kids are rebelling against teachers and saying the word "frindle" when they are told not to do so. When Judy Morgan points out that the word seems harmless, Mrs. Chatham seems uncomfortable. Even though she is the principal, she acts a lot like a kid who is in trouble at school. She explains that it is really only Mrs. Granger who cares about stopping kids from saying "frindle." As principal, Mrs. Chatham feels she needs to support Mrs. Granger.

After leaving Mrs. Chatham’s office, Judy Morgan goes to Mrs. Granger’s classroom, where several kids are serving detention, writing the words “I am writing this punishment with a pen” one hundred times. Under Judy Morgan’s questioning, Mrs. Granger says she is helping her students learn to stop behaving foolishly and to respect the English language.

When a group of kids leaves Mrs. Granger’s detention, Judy Morgan approaches them. She asks them why they keep saying "frindle" when they get punished for it. The kids explain that the punishment is not too bad. They get to be around their friends, and anyway, they have fun sneaking the words “I am writing this punishment with a frindle” on their detention papers.

Judy Morgan asks the kids where she can find Nick Allen. The kids laugh because Nick is among them. Nick, however, does not say who he is. He just says, “I don’t think Nick would want to talk to you right now. He might say something stupid and get himself in trouble.”

The next day, Judy Morgan gets a picture of the fifth grade class in the mail. She does not know who sent the picture, but the sender has circled Nick Allen’s face. It is the perfect illustration for Judy Morgan's article, which is guaranteed to get the word "frindle" more attention.