No Talking

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 all's counted, a mere handful of words brings peace and harmony to all. J.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

May 7, 2007
C
lements's (Lunch Money
) latest thoughtful school tale opens as fifth-grader Dave researches a report on India. He is fascinated to learn that for years Mahatma Gandhi did not speak at all one day each week to “bring order to his mind.” Dave, an inveterate blabber, tries to keep silent for a day at school, a plan that derails when he cannot contain his outrage at his classmate Lynsey's superficial, nonstop monologue at lunch (“She knew
I wanted that sweater more than anything, and she bought it anyway. And then? After school on Friday at soccer practice? She smiled
at me, like she wanted to be friends or something—as if
!”). After she erupts at his complaint, the pair enlists their entire grade in an experiment to determine which gender can utter fewer words during a two-day period. The rules allow students to answer teachers' questions with a three-word-only response, but they are prohibited from speaking after school is dismissed. Enhancing the challenge is the fact that the fifth grade has a reputation for being particularly loquacious, prompting the teachers to dub them “The Unshushables.” The contest plays out at an occasionally plodding pace, as Clements dwells on the teachers' musings about the competition as they find ways for the kids to learn and communicate nonverbally. Despite the rivalry that started the contest, the longstanding animosity between the boys and girls dissipates as the students bond over the experiment. Presuming the novel doesn't generate similar contests in real life, readers may be compelled to use their voices to praise Clement's deft handling of an interesting premise. Ages 8-12.