A: Nick is a combination of many kids I have known—both girls and boys—including myself. Mrs. Granger is also constructed from bits of many teachers I have known and some I have worked with, again, including myself.
Frindle includes a lot of material drawn from my own experiences as a kid and a teacher and a parent. One of the things I love about Nick is that he’s right on the edge—he’s what a good friend of mine calls “Very Nearly Naughty.” But Nick is so smart and funny, and he has such a good heart and such good ideas, that you have to forgive him.
As I continue to write longer fiction, I've been fascinated to see how life experiences get woven into the stories. I guess I always knew it worked that way, but to experience it as a writer instead of as a reader, that's always new and interesting for me.