Frindle: Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis

Westfield is a very quiet town with little to report on in its weekly paper, The Westfield Gazette. However, when the reporter Judy Morgan hears from a coworker that the kids at Lincoln Elementary are revolting and using some sort of code word, she decides to visit the school and see what's going on. The day after Mrs. Chatham's visit to Mr. and Mrs. Allen, she reports to the office at Lincoln Elementary. She takes a photo of Mrs. Granger's notice about punishing students who use the word "frindle" right outside the office.

Judy introduces herself to the secretary, Mrs. Freed, and says she'd like to speak to someone about the "frindle" business. Mrs. Freed frowns immediately; she's been fielding calls from angry parents and the school board all week and she's tired of it. However, she shows Judy to Mrs. Chatham's office. Judy realizes immediately that Mrs. Chatham is very uncomfortable talking about the issue. She laughs, tries to play it off as a silly prank, and tells Judy that Mrs. Granger overreacted; the kids are just having fun.

Then, Judy asks if she can speak to Mrs. Granger. Mrs. Chatham gives her permission to do so, though Judy knows that if Mrs. Chatham thought she could keep her from speaking to Mrs. Granger, she would; unfortunately for Mrs. Chatham, the United States has a free press. Mrs. Granger steps into the hallway to speak to Judy. When Judy asks how the battle is going over the word, Mrs. Granger insists that it's not truly a battle; she just thinks there's no reason to invent a word for something when there's already a perfectly good word in use. She insists that the word will fall out of favor in due course, though she does tell Judy that a student named Nicholas Allen started the whole thing.

After the interview, Judy takes a few minutes to look over her notes. On her way to the parking lot, she runs into a group of kids who have just finished writing their sentences for Mrs. Granger. Judy asks the kids why they insist on using "frindle," even when it means staying after school. The kids explain it's not so bad because their friends are there, and one says that Mrs. Granger doesn't even bother to look at their papers anymore: they're supposed to write, "I am writing this punishment with a pen," but most of them now substitute "frindle" for "pen" every few sentences. Judy asks if there's any possibility of speaking to Nick Allen, and one boy says Nick doesn't want to say anything wrong and get in trouble.

The next morning, Judy receives an envelope with "Frindle Story" written on the front. There's no return address and inside is the fifth grade class picture. She notices that all the kids are holding pens. Someone wrote on the back which kid is Nick. Judy recognizes him as the boy who spoke to her in the parking lot.