No Talking

Written by Andrew Clements · Illustrated by Mark Elliott

A silence contest erupts between boys and girls, challenging the school's noisy chaos.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 20,289 ratings

146 pages· 23,740 words· Est. 3.5 hour read

$19.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

At Laketon Elementary, fifth-grade boys and girls are always at odds, and their noise drives the principal to her bullhorn. When loudmouth Dave Packer decides to stay silent for a day, a lunchtime slip leads to a challenge: boys versus girls in a two-day silence contest. As the school grapples with the unexpected quiet, tensions rise. Can Dave and Lynsey's rivalry spark chaos, or will it reveal the true power of words? Discover the surprising impact of silence in this thought-provoking tale of language and understanding.

From the publisher

“You have the right to remain silent.” However… The fifth-grade girls and the fifth-grade boys at Laketon Elementary don’t get along very well. But the real problem is that these kids are loud and disorderly. That’s why the principal uses her red plastic bullhorn. A lot. Then one day Dave Packer, a certified loudmouth, bumps into an idea – a big one that makes him try to keep quiet for a whole day. But what does Dave hear during lunch? A girl, Lynsey Burgess, jabbering away. So Dave breaks his silence and lobs an insult. And those words spark a contest: Which team can say the fewest words during two whole days? And it’s the boys against the girls. How do the teachers react to the silence? What happens when the principal feels she’s losing control? And will Dave and Lynsey plunge the whole school into chaos? This funny and surprising book is about language and thought, about words unspoken, words spoken in anger, and especially about the power of words spoken in kindness…with or without a bullhorn. It’s Andrew Clements at his best – thought-provoking, true-to-life, and very entertaining.

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