Frindle is a truly great book. Written for younger readers, true, but a highly worthwhile read for anyone—but especially idea-people.
It’s about the power of imagination, and how sometimes conflict is better than support for spurring on great ideas. It’s about friends and determination and the power of one person to make a difference. It’s about a little boy who decided one day to invent a new word—and called his pen a “frindle.”
The reason I love this book is—well, for several reasons. First, it’s so innocent; so free of all the darker aspects of life. Second, it’s so inspirational. You can do it too, it seems to say; it only takes one person to make a difference; you could make the next frindle… And third, in my opinion, it embodies the better aspects of “progress.”
What are these better aspects? For starters, there’s the whole “let’s bond and make a positive new contribution to society” aspect. Then there’s the “find your true voice and become a new, better, progressive you” aspect. And I can’t forget the “teachers with hidden agendas do some great teaching” aspect—but I’d rather not go into that particular bit, I’d hate to ruin the story. ; )
The world is facing a shortage of, well, for lack of a better word, “wholesome” books these days. Frindle isn’t new, but I think it should start re-circulating through elementary classrooms. What better to teach kids than that their voice does make a difference, how to use a common cause to forge friendships, or how a small idea can turn out to have a big impact, and even lead to other, bigger, greater impacts?
More children ought to read Frindle. If creativity and imagination are really as important as the “experts” say, they’ll find few better books to stir young minds than this.
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