His most recent, The Friendship War (Random House, 2019), came out earlier this year. In all, Clements wrote more than 80 titles for children. “Who says a pen has to be called a pen? Why not call it a frindle?” (From the back cover of Frindle). In 1985, his first book, Bird Adalbert, illustrated by Susi Bohdal (Picture Book Studio, 1985), debuted under the pen name Andrew Elborn, Clement’s middle name.Īfter writing several picture books, Clements wrote his most popular and memorable title, Frindle (Atheneum,1996), a middle grade work that explores the creation and meaning of words. He studied literature at Northwestern University and after teaching a series of creative writing workshops for high schoolers he was inspired to pursue a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from National Louis University.Ĭlements taught high school, pursued a career in song-writing, as well as worked in the publishing industry in acquiring, editing, marketing, translating, and adapting children’s books. When he was in sixth grade, his family moved to Springfield, Illinois. And fellow authors spoke of his kindness and talent.”Ĭlements was born on in Camden, New Jersey. Peek: “Librarians, parents, and teachers noted the impact he had on children’s lives-and theirs.

Peek: “Clements shared…that he credited his parents, both avid readers, with instilling a love of books and reading in him and his siblings, and noted that tech-free family summers spent at a cabin on a lake in Maine helped him ‘begin to think like a writer.’”įrindle Author Remembered from School Library Journal. Obituary: Andrew Clements by Shannon Maughan from Publishers Weekly. Andrew Clements, beloved and prolific author, died Nov.

Frindle author