Frindle
About
Nick is in the fifth grade and comes up with a new word. This begins a battle with his language arts teacher as he tries to get everyone in his school to say it.
Read one section at a time, then discuss the questions to review understanding. These questions are a starting place for conversation, not a complete test of the chapter.
Chapter 1
Comprehension questions
Describe Nick.
Page 1 — In fifth grade; 10 years old; imaginative; mischievous; disrupts class; his friend is Janet
1
What is the author providing about Nick in this first chapter?
Page 4 — background to Nick and his personality
4
How often did Nick and Janet peep like blackbirds in the classroom?
Page 5 — At least once a week
5
Chapter 2
Comprehension questions
Why did Mrs. Granger's eyes make her look giant?
Page 7 — they were not in proportion to the rest of her
7
Describe a dictionary?
Page 8 — a book or electronic resource that lists the words of a language and gives their meaning
8
This book was written in 1996. Compare how the students in this story looked up a word in the dictionary and how you look up a word in the dictionary now.
This book came out before the internet, so students had physical dictionaries in their classrooms and had to learn how to look up words alphabetically; listen to your child how they look up words to learn their meanings now
Chapter 3
Comprehension questions
Why did Nick ask teachers a question right before the bell rang and class got out?
Page 14 — To stop the teachers from giving the students homework
14
Do you agree with this tactic?
Listen to your child's answer
What did Mrs. Granger say to Nick’s question?
Page 15 — She gave him homework/ he needed to write an oral report on dictionaries
15
How did Nick feel after his plan didn’t work?
Page 16 — Very small
16
Chapter 4
Comprehension questions
When was Nick supposed to do his homework?
Page 18 — Right when he got home from school
18
When Nick couldn’t understand the first sentence in the dictionary, what did Nick compare it to reading?
Page 20 — The ingredients on a shampoo bottle
20
Have you ever had a report you didn't fully understand and thought was boring? Explain.
Page 21 — Listen to your child's answer
21
Chapter 5
Comprehension questions
What was the title of Nick’s oral report?
Page 24 — The Dictionary
24
How much time was left in class when Mrs. Granger stopped Nick from giving his report?
Page 28 — 10 min
28
Why doesn't Nick want to be a teacher’s pet?
Page 29 — it will ruin his reputation
29
Chapter 6
Comprehension questions
Why did Nick rename the word "pen" for "frindle"?
Page 35 — as a challenge for his teacher who said that people create word meanings
35
Why did Nick send students to the Penny Pantry?
Page 38 — to influence those students into calling a pen a frindle instead
38
Do you think it will work?
Listen to your child's answer
Chapter 7
Comprehension questions
Why did Nick wait until his Language Arts class to introduce his idea of changing the word "pen" to "frindle"?
Page 38 — to challenge Mrs. Granger and test her
38
Why did Mrs. Granger call Nick up to speak with her?
Page 40 — she didn’t like how he disrupted her class
40
If you were Mrs. Granger, would you correct Nick, or let him call a pen a frindle? Explain.
Page 41 — Listen to your child's answer
41
Chapter 8
Comprehension questions
What figurative language did Nick use to compare his meeting to when he met with Mrs. Granger after school?
Page 44 — metaphor: a conference during a war
44
When would Nick get the letter in the envelope Mrs. Granger had prepared for him?
Page 45 — When the frindle thing is all over
45
Why did the principal visit Nick at his home?
Page 48 — the principal is concerned and wants to discuss the disruption caused by the widespread use of "frindle" being used during school
48
Chapter 9
Comprehension questions
Why did Mrs. Chatham feel like Nick had been disrespectful to Mrs. Granger?
Page 51 — Mrs. Granger had asked the students to stop saying the word and Nick had encouraged it
51
How did Nick’s mom react to what was going on at school?
Page 52 — annoyed/ didn’t think it was a big deal that Nick had changed pen to frindle
52
Do you agree or disagree with his mom? Explain.
Listen to your child's answer
What game was Nick comparing the war going on between him and Mrs. Granger to?
Page 56 — Chess
56
Chapter 10
Comprehension questions
Why did Judy Morgan, the newspaper reporter, come to the school?
Page 58 — to get the story about Nick and frindle
58
Why was the principal nervous when Judy Morgan was asking her questions about what was going on at the school?
Page 60 — the situation had turned from a small prank to a defiance of school authority
60
If you were in this situation, what would you say to Judy Morgan?
Listen to your child's answer
Chapter 11
Comprehension questions
Why would the title of the article in the newspaper have, “Move over, Mr. Webster”?
Page 67 — Webster is a popular dictionary
67
Chapter 12
Comprehension questions
Being a hero was exciting for Nick, but what were some of the hard things about it?
Page 70 — Always needing to be funny and clever, always being watched
70
How did Tom, Nick’s father, feel about the frindle story?
Page 81 — He thought there was too much fuss about it, but he was secretly proud of his son
81
What did Nick’s father do with the money Bud Lawrence gave him?
Page 83 — put it in the bank for Nick’s college fund
83
Chapter 13
Comprehension questions
In the towns across America where kids started using the word frindle, how did parents and teachers feel about it?
Page 85 — they tried to stop it
85
Even though Mrs. Granger didn’t keep students after school anymore, how did she fight the word on her spelling tests?
Page 87 — Every week she’d put pen as the first word
87
Do you think this was a good solution to get students to stop using it?
Listen to your child's answer
Chapter 14
Comprehension questions
How had Nick changed from the frindle experience?
Page 89 — He became more careful with his ideas
89
In what way did Nick and Mrs. Granger's relationship change during this story?
Page 91 — from enemies to respecting each other
91
How did Mrs. Granger feel about the way Nick had behaved with the frindle?
Page 92 — Proud of him
92
Chapter 15
Comprehension questions
What was the package Mrs. Granger sent Nick?
Page 101 — A dictionary with the word frindle in it, his letter, her old pen with a little paper that said frindle
101
What did Nick do for Mrs. Granger?
Page 105 — Set up a scholarship fund in her name and gave her a gold pen with writing on it
105
What did you like about this story?
Listen to your child's answer
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