Nick Allen has a gift for classroom mischief, and in fifth grade he aims it at his sternest teacher, Mrs. Granger, and her beloved dictionary. His plan is simple: invent a brand-new word, frindle, for an ordinary ballpoint pen, and get everyone to use it. What starts as a private dare between one clever boy and one exacting teacher spreads much further than Nick ever meant it to. Andrew Clements, illustrated by Brian Selznick, turns a small question about where words come from into a warm, funny story about language, stubbornness, and the way an idea takes on a life of its own.