No Talking

No Talking
By Andrew Clements
Publisher/Date:Simon and Schuster 2007
# of Pages: 146
Reading Level: age 8-10
Genre:Fiction


Summary:

This story begins with Dave. He's in fifth grade, and through a report he did on India, he came across Ghandi. he learned that he would go for days without speaking. Dave thought this was an interesting concept, so he decided to try it for a day at school. he found it hard especially when he was supposed to give a presentation, but he managed. He ends up challenging his rival, Lynsey, to a see who can go the longest without talking. she agrees, but it turns into being a contest between the girls and the boys in the entire fifth grade. they set up rules such as when a teacher asks them a question, they can answer, but only with three words. they decide the contest should go for two days starting the next day at lunch. all the fifth graders are in on it. the contest begins, and all the teachers and the principal are baffled. this particular group of students are the loudest in the history of the school. although this is a good change, the principal, Mrs. Hiatt, doesn't like it at all. the day continues, and the teachers are not a fan of the whole thing except for the language arts teacher, Mr. Burton. he makes an experiment out of it, and he thinks it's a creative idea. that day after school, the principal and the teachers all meet to discuss the issue. Mrs. Hiatt decides to have an assembly first thing the next day to put an end to it. most of the teachers agree, except Mr. Burton. Meanwhile, the kids are having a hard time keeping quiet at home. some mess up and have to tell Lynsey and Dave who are keeping score about it the next day at school. then the kids are told to go to the assembly. there the principal tells the students to stop their experiment because it's disruptive to the learning environment. however, for the students, the contest isn't over. they get through the rest of the day without breaking any rules. the kids make exceptions such as singing for music class, but other than that, they continue in their silence. at lunch, the principal sees that the kids are still not talking, and she becomes very upset. she yells at Dave who yells back, and he tells her they have the right to remain silent. he gets called to her office later, and she apologizes to him. he asks her if she'd like to join them, and she softens and decides to make it a school project. each grade competes against each other. however, for the fifth graders, the contest is still on. the next day at lunch, Lynsey and Dave come together to tally the points to see who the winner is. before 12:15 when the contest is officially over, Lynsey says a couple sentences to Dave. then they tally up the totals. the girls completely beat the boys, but with Lynsey's extra words, they find that they have tied.

Who Benefits from reading this book?

Anyone who enjoys Andrew Clement's other books will enjoy this book. many kids like his book, Frindle. this book is of the same quality. i think it will be most enjoyed by those in 4th-6th grade. they will be able to identify the best with the characters and their situation. it's an entertaining story with an interesting subject. elementary kids trying not to talk for two whole days seems like it would be a struggle, but the author tells the story very well.

What problems could this book cause?

Some of the kids in this book use degrading language. they call each other losers and idiots. the typical elementary insults. this might be a problem. they don't set a wonderful example. also, they don't obey their principal when she asks them to stop their silence. however, i think it also has a good message. the kids are able to make a statement without being disrespectful. Not talking is not a bad thing, and it helps the kids learn a lesson about language.

My Reaction:

I'm a big fan of Andrew Clements. i've enjoyed every book of his that i've read. i really like his writing style. I also like his stories. he comes up with interesting ideas like this one. it makes me wonder if this kind of thing could happen in a school. i almost want to try this experiment myself. i even thought about reading it to my future class, and seeing if they could do this experiment for a day. i think it would be really interesting to see. i really liked this book, and i'd recommend it to anyone.