Reviews

No Talking by Andrew Clements

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My 9-year-old son and I listened to this on CD in the car and we both LOVED it.

It was well-written and funny and thought-provoking in many ways. The narrator did a great job.

Boys vs Girls is an interesting topic to kids in the first place and adding in a contest to be quiet? I think that idea is really interesting. I would hope children reading this book would take to heart the lesson that there are many ways of communicating.

I loved the ending. I think it’s great that the kids won over their principal and that Lindsay took the time to sacrifice to help Dave.

roxi4046's review against another edition

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funny relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

katdfleming's review against another edition

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4.0

This was such an interesting book. Until I got to the last fifth of the book, I was a bit so-so on it. But when the Gandhi/civil disobedience tie-in made itself more apparent, I was tickled and inspired to use it as a read-aloud during my upcoming 4th grade unit on the civil rights movement.

protoman21's review

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4.0

Clements delivers another enjoyable school tale. I enjoy these as an adult and I know I would have eaten them up as a kid. I always enjoy his give and take between kids and adults.

the_enobee's review

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5.0

No Talking was an unplanned yet excellent way to finish the Oregon Battle of the Books reading list. I'd never read Andrew Clements before, and I was impressed. An excellent story that explores so much about the life of a 5th-grader. From school life with teachers and peers to home life with family and extracurricular activities, No Talking covers it all. I loved seeing the different reactions to the game from both the students and teachers. Highly recommended to all ages, especially when shared with a 10-12 year-old.

johnnymacaroni's review

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3.0

I started this a little confused because I had the premise of the story wrong... I thought the teachers didn't want the 5th graders to talk so the kids came up with this "no talking" rule to sort of mess with them (which was a premise I liked...nice and subversive) but turns out the kids came up with this challenge as more of a girls vs boys /Hatfields and the McCoys sort of thing...which was fine but a mild disappointment for me. In the end I liked the book...there are some didactic parts (and it really seems written as a lesson for adults)but mainly I think my lukewarmness towards it stems from the Frindle/heroin problem...see for me...nothing Clements writes ever compares to the brilliance of Frindle. I just adore that story and continue to find it original and exciting even after all these years.