What is the theme of the book "Frindle"?

The primary theme of the book Frindle is that words have power.  Nick asks his teacher, Mrs. Granger, who invents words.  He asks who decided that the word "dog" referred to the pet.  Mrs. Granger tells him that she, him, and "'everyone in this class and this school and this town and this state and this country'" are the ones who decide what words mean.  She tells him that people "'decide what goes in that [dictionary].'"

With this information in mind, Nick invents a new word, frindle.  This word describes a pen.  He and his classmates start calling "pens" "frindles," much to the annoyance of their teacher.  The word becomes more and more popular.  Soon all the kids at school are using the word frindle.  Nick becomes famous.  He goes on the radio and television to talk about frindles.  There is frindle merchandise and a licensing deal.  Nick becomes wealthy from frindles.

Nick proves that words have power.  He starts with a simple word, but in the end he becomes a person of influence.  He becomes wealthy and powerful because of one word.

What lessons are learned from the novel Frindle by Andrew Clements?

As with any piece of literature, each piece—whether a novel, play or short story—offers varying themes to the reader (or audience), and different people come away with different interpretations. In Andrew Clements' novel, Frindle, there are several themes or "lessons learned."

One lesson reflects the old saying, "Be careful" what you wish for." In this case, Nick is always looking for ways to disrupt class. However, when he introduces the word "frindle" to mean "pen," the action takes on a life of its own. It spreads throughout the community and out into the world, ending up on a line of products, on David Letterman's talk show, and in People magazine. While Nick gets what he wants, he is increasingly uncomfortable with the enormous proportions this "small," seemingly meaningless word takes on, and how its power becomes even more than he can control.

Another theme or "lesson learned" is that things aren't always as they appear. This is a common theme in literature—we do not fully understand the extent of it until much later in the book in the form of a letter Mrs. Granger had shown Nick much earlier, which she finally sends to Nick. After he has graduated high school and college, he receives the "mysterious" letter Mrs. Granger had written—to which she had asked Nick to affix his signature at the seal, to show that the letter had not been opened. The purpose of this step is to show Nick what her intentions were when the entire "frindle" movement began. She wanted him to know what while she had at first been angry by his "attack" of the English language (something dear to her heart), she soon came to support him. (This is foreshadowed when Nick starts to become upset by the attention "frindle" receives and Mrs. Granger's goes out of her way to calm him, showing her genuine concern for him.)

A third lesson learned is that sometimes something that may be done for the wrong reasons (like driving a teacher crazy) can become something good and worthwhile. When an idea leaves us, as is the case with artists and philosophers, it takes on a life of its own. Sometimes something valuable comes of it: Nick ultimately decides to take steps "to reform the school lunch program." Second, he money from the "frindle" merchandising provides him with a trust fund that he uses to help his parents and then to "endow a scholarship" in Mrs. Granger's name.

Finally, we see exactly what Mrs. Granger was trying to get Nick to see: that language is a powerful tool. Used for good or "evil," language has a power all its own: the power to change the world. (Note, for example, the power of the Declaration of Independence, or Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.) It is amazing but true as the author demonstrates the power a small word like "frindle" takes on—changing the lives of many people who come in contact with it, especially the "uncooperative" Nick that Mrs. Granger first meets.

What is the theme of Frindle?

One possible theme you might like to consider is how meanings become attached to words. As the events of Frindle remind us, words derive their meaning from how they're used and not through the kind of formal definition one might find in a dictionary.

In the story, "Frindle" comes to mean "pen" because that's how Nick and his friends use the word. They didn't look up the word in a dictionary before beginning to use it. Dictionaries reflect language usage, not the other way round. If you look at a dictionary and compare it with one written a hundred years ago, you'll notice how many new words have since entered the English language. This is because language changes over time, and it changes because we as humans change and we need to find new words to reflect the many different ways that we change.

What is the theme of Frindle?

There are several themes in Clements' work.  In my mind, I think that most overwhelming theme is the relationship between language and power.  Nick and Mrs. Granger have a battle which is constructed over the use and application of language.  In the final analysis, the power struggle between both is rooted in the control of language.  When Nick tries to get underneath her skin, Mrs. Granger gives the assignment of examining word roots in the dictionary.  This act reflects her control over language, and in the process, her power over Nick.  Once he invents the word "Frindle," he begins to assert his power over her and the society at large through the control of language.  The idea of being able to control language and assert power through it is a theme of Clements' work.

What lessons does the book Frindle teach young children?

Frindle can be seen as teaching children how language develops and how it works. Ultimately, words in themselves mean nothing; meaning is derived from how they are used. We can look up a word in the dictionary and find out its definition, but the way we use words on a daily basis gives them their deepest meaning, one that forms the basis of our communication with each other.

Mrs. Granger has a somewhat pedantic understanding of words, deriving from her education and work as a teacher. That object the children use for writing isn't a "frindle;" it's a pen, because that's what it says in the dictionary. The author isn't suggesting that it's wrong to use the word "pen." After all, its own meaning has also derived from its use over time. But the point that's being made in the story is that the word "pen" arose in the exact same way as "frindle." And eventually we find out that Mrs. Granger understood this all along. She deliberately prohibited the use of "frindle" by her pupils because she knew it would become popular. She knew that widespread use of the word would give it its meaning.