Title: No Talking
Author: Andrew Clements
Major Themes: School, Language
Synopsis: When Dave challenged Lynsey to stop talking for a day, he didn’t expect the entire class to join them—for two days!
Last year, I listened to several of Andrew Clements’ books while I worked in the garden or the kitchen. I have enjoyed his books ever since I discovered them nearly 20 years ago when a couple of them were assigned readings in my daughter’s school curriculum. One that I listened to last year was No Talking. I enjoyed this story of a contest between boys and girls in a school, and then I enjoyed reading it aloud when one of my children requested it last month. I was surprised today when my 4-year-old mentioned it—she apparently enjoyed it, too!
Publisher’s description:
It’s boys vs. girls when the noisiest, most talkative, and most competitive fifth graders in history challenge one another to see who can go longer without talking. Teachers and school administrators are in an uproar, until an innovative teacher sees how the kids’ experiment can provide a terrific and unique lesson in communication. In No Talking, Andrew Clements portrays a battle of wills between some spunky kids and a creative teacher with the perfect pitch for elementary school life that made Frindle an instant classic.
My thoughts:
I liked the idea of this story. No Talking is mainly the story of Dave and what he learned about himself and others by not talking for a couple of days, but it is also the story of the whole class and how they learned to work together instead of competing with each other all the time. I appreciated that they were all quite respectful of the adults in their lives and worked out ways to cooperate with their parents and teachers. And, of course, I loved the surprising twist at the end—a trademark of Andrew Clements’ stories!
WARNING: Chapter 3: Darn it. Chapter 10: Girl gave boy a big, noisy kiss. Chapter 12: Darn.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9, 8 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged) | Audio CD
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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