The Frindle Files by Andrew Clements illustrated by Brian Selznick

Josh is a student at Clara Vista Middle School. His English teacher (ELA) is Mr N. I love the way he teaches but for Jake it is all too old fashioned. Mr N sets assignments that need to be hand written (neatness counts) and he has no technology in his classroom - instead every student is expected to have, an use, a copy of an old grammar book called The Elements of Style, 4th ed., by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White (yes that is THE EB White author of Charlotte's Web).

Josh wasn’t sure if Mr. N even owned a computer. There was a rumor that once he’d had a big argument with Mr. Ortega about posting his homework assignments on the school website. Mr. N had told the principal that writing assignments on the board in his classroom was enough—and he didn’t mean one of the SMART Boards that every other teacher used. No, Mr. N had an actual chalkboard that he could move around the room on wheels. The whiteboard was there, but Mr. N kept it hidden behind a huge poster about the parts of speech.

Josh breezes through his other homework but for Mr N he now need paper and a pen. He has almost completed his work when the ink runs out so he picks out a pen from his mother's desk.

Back at the kitchen table, Josh was about to start writing again. Then he noticed something printed on the side of the pen—one word, in bold black letters: It was a word he’d never seen before, which made him curious. And Josh did what any other plugged-in kid would do: He searched the word on his browser—f-r-i-n-d-l-e. And then he hit return. Whoa, 270,000 results?!

What is going on? It's just a pen? Or is it?

“Hey, Mom, where did you get this pen?” She looked, and then smiled. “I’ve had that since sixth grade. Everyone at my school started calling pens frindles, and when those showed up in stores, I bought a couple—so did all my friends. It was kind of a big thing for a while.”

Josh digs deeper and find a photo of the school kid who invented the word 'Frindle' and this kid sure does look like ... Mr N!!

It is now page 9 of a 214 page book. Josh is a very curious boy. He now has a mystery to solve and because he knows Mr N loves words and writing there might be a way to make this interesting. AND Josh is a computer nerd so he can easily do tons of research about this and keep it organised into folders with evidence and photos and online newspaper clippings and so we now the The Frindle Files. 

Using a fine-tipped Sharpie, he had written the word Frindle in bold black letters along the barrel of a plain white plastic pen. And now that word on that pen was right there on that desk, waiting for Mr. N to discover it. And when he did, Josh would be watching.

Mr N does react but not at all in the way Josh expected and now the battle is on - a battle of wits and words but can there really be a winner? And can this 'joke' go too far?

The Frindle Files publisher blurb: Josh Willet is a techie, a serious gamer. Which is why Josh and his friends can’t stand Mr. N’s ELA class; it’s a strict no-tech zone. Mr. N makes them write everything out by hand, he won’t use a Smartboard, and he’s obsessed with some hundred-year-old grammar book. Then Josh discovers a secret; turns out Mr. N's been keeping a lot more than technology from his students! Together with his best friend Vanessa, and using all the computer skills they’ve got, Josh is determined to solve the mystery of Mr. N’s past. And maybe get some screentime back, too?

You should also feel inspired to read or reread Charlotte's Web after you finish The Frindle Files. 

Frindle (1996) is a book that I read and loved when it was first published.  I mentioned I had read the 'sequel' to Rachel Robson at Gleebooks here in Sydney and she almost swooned - so strong was her own memory of loving Frindle. Sadly, Andrew Clements died late in 2019 so this is his final book which was published posthumously. I did smile when Josh's little sister Sophie asked to see Bluey.

Here's a recap/blurb for Frindle (The Frindle Files can stand alone BUT your reading experience will be so much richer if you have read this famous predecessor). 

Bookseller blurb: Is Nick Allen a troublemaker? He really just likes to liven things up at school -- and he's always had plenty of great ideas. When Nick learns some interesting information about how words are created, suddenly he's got the inspiration for his best plan ever...the frindle. Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle? Things begin innocently enough as Nick gets his friends to use the new word. Then other people in town start saying frindle. Soon the school is in an uproar, and Nick has become a local hero. His teacher wants Nick to put an end to all this nonsense, but the funny thing is frindle doesn't belong to Nick anymore. The new word is spreading across the country, and there's nothing Nick can do to stop it.

Or perhaps you could read my 2012 blog post.

The Frindle Files paperback edition has just arrived here in Australia (March 10th 2026) - rush to your favourite independent bookstore today to secure your copy. 

Now that you have your copies of Frindle and The Frindle Files head into your school or local library and borrow some more fantastic books by this master storyteller. My own favourites are:

Extra Credit