Frindle

Frindle by Andrew Clements

A kid is usually able to get teachers sidetracked by bringing up topics that get them talking. However, their current elementary school teacher will not take the bait. Instead, she asks him to research the topic. He learns that words end up getting their meaning because everyone understands its use for that purpose. He puts it to the test and uses the term "frindle" to refer to a pen. It soon catches on in the class and then the school. The kids get in trouble for using it, but continue to do so. It makes the news coverage and eventually spreads on throughout the nation. A local entrepreneur has trademarked the term and used it to manufacture "frindles". He realizes he needs buy in, so negotiate a licensing agreement from the boy and his family. He later learns (via a letter sealed earlier) that the teacher who had been fighting the use of frindle had actually been supporting him all along. At the end, he donates a large sum of money in the name of the teacher and gives her a special gift. It was a lesson well learned. The book does a nice job of weaving together academic learning with an extreme scenario to make an enjoyable book.