No Talking by Andrew Clements has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine.
No Talking by Andrew Clements has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine.
Dave Parker’s fifth-grade class at Laketon Elementary has a reputation. Not only are the boys and the girls infamously hostile to each other, but the whole group is notoriously talkative. Staff members refer to them as “the Unshushables.”
When Dave reads about Ghandi for a report, he’s impressed at how the man spent full days in silence. Dave decides to try it himself. He finds it enlightening to do more listening, but he is more annoyed than usual by blabbering girls like Lynsey Burgess. When he can no longer tolerate her inane conversation in the cafeteria, he breaks his talking fast to yell at her. The two begin arguing about whether boys or girls talk more. Dave suggests they hold a competition to learn the truth.
Dave and Lynsey each agree to get classmates of their gender on board with the contest. They decide kids will spend two full days talking as little as possible. Dave will record the girls’ slip-ups, and Lynsey will track the boys’. If teachers ask a direct question, a child may answer using a maximum of three words. Kids will also be silent at home. They will use the honor system, and they must report any slip-ups they make outside of school hours. The gender group using the least number of words will win.
Teachers are initially shocked and confused by the Unshushables’ silence. Some teachers are put off while others revel in the quiet. One teacher, working on his master’s degree, records insights on the kids’ behavior for a paper he’s writing. The irritated principal, Mrs. Hiatt, sits down with the staff to strategize. On day two, after her assembly fails to quash the silent rebellion, she yells at Dave through her bullhorn. Dave responds that he feels bullied. His speech costs the boys 27 words and puts them behind in the contest.
Dave goes to Mrs. Hiatt’s office and finds her in tears. They both apologize and allow the contest to continue through the end of the day. Just before time is up, Lynsey gives a carefully-worded speech. She has counted each word so the contest will end in a tie. The kids and faculty learn valuable lessons about using words conservatively and listening more effectively.
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Some staff members, including Principal Hiatt, initially feel the kids are showing disrespect by remaining silent. Others, like Mr. Burton, think the contest is a fascinating experiment in language and human behavior. Mrs. Hiatt has a change of heart and allows the contest to continue until its scheduled end. Parents and other coaches outside of school show mild irritation when the children won’t respond to them with words.
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