Clements, Andrew. The Frindle Files. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2024. 978-0-399-55763-7. 224 p. $17.99. Grades 3-8.

Those nostalgic for the classic book, Frindle (published in 1996) by the late Andrew Clements will welcome this posthumously published work, The Frindle Files. Once again, Clements gives us a school story. Josh Willett is a tech nerd, loves his laptop, and can’t see why his otherwise engaging English Language Arts teacher, Mr. N, is such a Luddite. The students have to hand write their assignments and bring a physical copy of The Elements of Style by William J. Strunk and E. B. White. While searching for a writing implement, Josh comes across his mother’s pen labeled, “Frindle.” Intrigued, he searches up the unusual word and finds out that a boy named Nick Allen from New England who created a new word for pen and it spread like wildfire, despite the seeming disdain of his teacher, Mrs. Grainger. In addition, the photo accompanying the article bears a strong resemblance to his teacher, Mr. Allen Nicholas. Josh shares this with his best friend, Vanessa, and aims to sabotage Mr. N and his determination to keep the classroom screen free. Josh’s plan takes a twist as Josh comes to some keen realizations. When the principal allows the students to use their computers to access the Elements of Style as an e-book, Josh finds them a link to a pirated version that has loads of errors, despite bearing E.B. White’s name. Enlightened by their teacher, Josh and his classmates start a social media campaign to root out the pirate and to eliminate the e-book from the internet. Like its predecessor, Frindle, The Frindle Files shows the power of allowing young people to have a voice and to exercise their right to fight for what is right. Mr. N is a wise teacher, a guide at the side, who coaches his students in their endeavors as they come to recognize the positives and negatives of the technological world and the importance of being thoughtful about their digital choices. This ideal read aloud presents a great lesson in respecting copyright and the advantage of choosing a book over screen. It could generate discussion on writing, fair use, and grammar, and is a worthy addition to the Clements canon. Characters present as white.

THOUGHTS: I read some reviews of this new book. Kirkus does not think it comes up to par to Clements’s other work. Though I never felt that the late Andrew Clements was a literary giant, I do think his stories relate to kids well. They like them. Clements inserts some information about technology innovators deliberately designing the computer to be distracting to young users. I don’t know if this nugget is true, but Clements has his character, Mr. N,  give this reason for deferring technology use. This new addition had to have some editing and reworking from people other than Clements, namely Stephanie Peters, but the theme is strong and one that still celebrates the curiosity, inquisitiveness, and agency of young people.

Realistic Fiction