Category: Grades 4-6 Book #7

My kids loved this book about a girls vs. boys no talking contest. It is fun to see the kids' reactions to the teachers' reactions in the book when there is complete silence. THe book stems from a group of rowdy, loud children who don't listen to their teachers very well. I liked the book for that reason because it helped me talk to the kids about some of the problems we were having. It helped and now gives us a reference point when discussing being too loud.


Critic Review from Barnes and Noble.com:
- School Library Journal
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.