books:

	No Talking Andrew Clements Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2007 - 160 pages average customer review:based on 16 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

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.

for more information click here

My 5th grader loved this book

Last weekend I ordered my daughter away from the TV and requested she pick a selection from a bag of library [paper] books and audio books we had borrowed a few days earlier. She started listening to 'No Talking' and didn't come out of her room for hours. I had to check on her several times because I never figured she would listen to the ENTIRE book in one sitting. She LOVED the book, and the narrator as well. So, although I didn't hear it firsthand she did give me a little synopsis of the book and it was an afternoon well spent!


No Talking

It's often difficult to get my son, who just started fourth grade, to read. However, he really liked No Talking and I never had to battle with him to read while he was reading this book. He really enjoyed it and picked it up every night and never gave me a problem. It was our first Andrew Clements book and we'll now try other.

for more information click here

This could generate some really interesting discussion!

I thought this was just a really interesting book. It generated some great discussions in our family and I am looking forward to reading it to my students. There are so many interesting topics within this book. I would highly recommend it!


One of the Best!

This one definitely falls in the ranks of Frindle, The School Story, and The Landry News. It goes back to the charming school story, of two kids who make a difference in their entire school, rebelling against the authority figures. Two kids, just playing a simple little game, but in the process, revealing so much about life itself. I love the way the message is sent. Silence may not be the best solution, but on occasion, if taken the right way, it will work. The adults learn lessons from the ingenious kids, like the classic Clements works before this. I feel like the characters (other than the teachers) were really not given much characterization, though. Not much is known about their home lives, their interests, their personalities (other than the feistiness living in them all).
Random points I would like to make. It was slightly weird seeing them in a K-5 school, as the last book of his I read, 'Lost and Found', was set in a K-6 school, which I found odd. The three word story was pretty awesome, although it's more commonly seen as a forum game than a classroom activity, it worked out as a pretty awesome teaching tool. And, again, three word debating, that had me laughing very hard. All the ingenious ways the kids came up with to communicate and have fun, it's all classic Clements again :)

for more information click here

fun contest between boys and girls

My 11 year old son loved reading this book. This is the story of a boy and girl who decide to challenge each other by not talking for a couple of days. They also get the rest of fifth graders in the same contest.

It is interesting to see the abilities they develop to communicate without talking. It is a great lesson for a child, and it also changes their perception of the stereotype of girls and boys.


reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

products you might be interested in

recommendations

2008-2009 Grade 3-5 Sunshine State Young Readers
2008-2009 4th Grade Tampa Battle of the Books
2008-2009 Sunshine State Reader List
Beehive Award Fiction Nominees 2008
"Great Books for Boys"