What is Mrs. Granger’s famous “battle cry” that all her former students remember?
What question does Nick ask Mrs. Granger on the first day of class to stall the lesson? How does she outsmart him?
List the three important events that lead to Nick's big idea: renaming a pen “a frindle.”
What exactly does Mrs. Granger mean when she says that “dog” means dog because we all agree it does?
Why do those students want to stay after school and be punished by Mrs. Granger? Why do they consider it a “badge of honor”?
If “ain’t” is not a proper word, how can it be in the dictionary, as Nick points out? What is Nick trying to prove when he brings this point up with Mrs. Chatham, the principal?
Imagine that you are the reporter from the Wakefield Gazette, trying to get the scoop on the new word "frindle." What questions would you ask Mrs. Granger? How would you convince the principal to give you the real story?
Bud Lawrence wants to own the copyright for the word "frindle." What does he plan to do with it? How can someone own the rights to a word? Explain how this is different from owning a bike or a pair of sneakers, or even a pet dog.
When the reporter from the TV station asks Nick “What’s next for you and your new word?” Nick replies that “frindle belongs to everyone now.” How can a word belong to everyone? What does someone “do” with a word that belongs to them?
How does the experience of inventing a new word and becoming a celebrity affect Nick? Why does he think twice about testing out his new idea: protesting the poor food in the cafeteria?
In her letter to Nick (which he opens years later, after he’s in college), Mrs. Granger says: “A person can watch the sunset, but he cannot slow it down or stop it or make it go backward.” What do you think this observation has to do with Nick’s word?
Why does Mrs. Granger “expect to hear remarkable things” about Nick in the future? Can you predict — based on his creativity and his restless challenging of rules and conventions — what kind of remarkable things he might go on to do?
Can you recall the early parts of the story and Mrs. Granger’s “war” against Nick and his new word? Now that you know what her real intentions were — to intentionally make herself “the bad guy” — try to imagine what she was thinking when she posted her angry notice, or when day after day she kept all those students after school.
Do you think Nick really knew what he was getting into when he started spreading the word “frindle”? How did Mrs. Granger — who tried to make obstacles for Nick — realize the possibility of Nick’s new word?
Please rate this book between 1 and 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 the best.
-A 3
