Frindle characters

Appears from the start

A fifth-grade student at Lincoln Elementary who is known for turning clever ideas into events that involve an entire class. Curious about how words acquire meaning, he invents a new name for an ordinary pen and persuades his friends to use it.

Also known as The Lone Granger

First appears in chapter 2

Nick's formidable fifth-grade language-arts teacher. She believes in exact usage, makes every student own a dictionary, and is skilled at answering attempts to waste class time with extra work. Nick's question about the origins of words leads her to assign him a report.

First appears in chapter 5

One of Nick's classmates and friends. After she finds a pen and asks who it belongs to, Nick uses the moment to test his newly invented word, calling the object a frindle.

First appears in chapter 8

The principal of Lincoln Elementary. She calls Nick and his parents to her office after the new word spreads through school and the conflict over its use begins disrupting classes.

First appears in chapter 8

Nick's mother. She attends the principal's meeting about the frindle dispute and listens carefully to both the school's objections and Nick's explanation of his idea.

First appears in chapter 8

Nick's father, who is concerned by the disorder and attention surrounding his son's invented word. When a local businessman wants to sell products bearing the word, Mr. Allen acts cautiously to protect Nick's interests.

First appears in chapter 9

A Westfield businessman who recognizes that the popular new word can be placed on pens, shirts, and other merchandise. He approaches Nick's father with a formal agreement concerning the use of frindle.

First appears in chapter 10

A reporter for the Westfield Gazette who investigates the disagreement at Lincoln Elementary. Her article explains both the students' enthusiasm and Mrs. Granger's campaign against the new word, bringing the story to a much wider audience.

First appears in chapter 12

A television reporter who interviews Nick after the frindle story attracts national attention. Her coverage helps carry the word and the school controversy far beyond Westfield.