Frindle

Nick Allen is a red-headed boy who defies typical categories: He isn’t a bad kid, a smart kid, or even a good kid; as the narrator describes, “One thing’s for sure: Nick Allen had plenty of ideas, and he knew what to do with them” (1). Nick’s ideas often work because they always appear harmless at first; no rule inherently forbids a beach-themed classroom or calling an everyday object by a different word, so his ideas usually expand until they cross a line. However, Nick doesn’t get his thrill from breaking the rules, but rather from the exercise of imagination. When Mrs. Allen warns Nick against deliberately causing his teachers grief with his frindle idea, he assures her, “I haven’t been disrespectful. Honest. I did get everybody started using my word, but like you said, it’s not hurting anybody. […] It’s just fun, that’s all” (54). He confesses that one of his jokes may have gone too far (each student asked Mrs. Granger for a frindle individually) and he promises to not show disrespect anymore. This example both demonstrates that Nick willingly owns his mistakes and how little he thinks through the consequences of his actions.