Andrew Clements: "The Frindle Files"

 "The Frindle Files" has three memorable characters, and the first is the spirit of E.B. White.

Yes. In a way, this is a novel that resurrects White. We learn that White actually studied with Strunk; years passed, and in his "eminence grise" phase, White revisited Strunk's work. White then made some edits, and "The Elements of Style" became a bestseller.

A second character, Allen Nicholas, teaches middle-school English, and he seems to have an unjust hatred of computers. The mystery of his hatred, or pseudo-hatred, forms the core of the book.

Finally, we have one of Allen's students, who decides to crusade on behalf of computer-loving children everywhere. This kid is wide-eyed and extremely relatable; he does an awkward dance with a lampshade, which is caught on camera. He thinks obsessively about coding; even in social situations, he finds that his thoughts drift toward "binary questions" and programming errors.

The way these three characters interact, and even wage war, is completely surprising. Also, the writer's passion for words (a passion that never seems preachy) somehow gives the book a kind of emotional weight. For a while, you think very little is at stake--but, actually, something massive is at stake.

Andrew Clements left this book in "draft" form when he died; how nice it is to see a "late-career" triumph. The essay at the end, by Brian Selznick, also counts as a show-stopper.