From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 3–6—Dave Packer's fifth-grade classmates are so boisterous and difficult to quiet down that the teachers have dubbed them "The Unshushables." Dave has just read about Mahatma Gandhi and learned that the man practiced silence one day a week to bring order to his mind. Though Dave likes to talk nonstop, he's determined to give the idea a try. An encounter with Lynsey, another chatterbox, sparks the boys and girls into challenging each other to a no-talking contest for 48 hours. They can answer direct questions from adults with three-word sentences but must otherwise remain silent. The teachers are bewildered at the extreme change in the kids until several of them figure out what's going on. Principal Hiatt demands that the quiet students return to their normal behavior. When the children continue with their silent ways, Dave finds himself at the center of the controversy. This is an interesting and thought-provoking book, similar to Clements's
Frindle (S & S, 1996). The plot quickly draws readers in and keeps them turning pages. The author includes the viewpoints of both the students and the teachers, and the black-and-white pencil drawings add immediacy to the story. This lively offering would make a great book-group selection or classroom discussion starter.—
Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From AudioFile
Clements, a former teacher, writes engaging stories set in public schools. In NO TALKING, Lynsey and Dave debate whether girls or boys are noisier, declaring a two-day war of silence in which the words of those who speak are counted against them. Narrator Keith Nobbs, whose voice is appropriately youthful, reproduces fifth-grade tones with uncanny accuracy. This tonal precision has a downside: warring fifth-graders are not that much fun to hear. Fortunately, Nobbs also delivers long stretches of narration in which listeners learn about the kids boisterous fifth-grade class (nicknamed the unshushables), grade school dynamics, and the reaction of the principal to the students sudden silent behavior. Finally, when alls counted, a mere handful of words brings peace and harmony to all. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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