No Talking by Andrew Clements

No Talking is about a boy, Dave Packer, who reads about Gandhi in social studies and wants to experience going one day without talking. In the lunchroom, he and Lindsey Burgess get into a fight over who talks more, girls or boys. Then, they make a bet that they both have to go two days without talking along with all of their friends. So they make a group of boys and girls join and they make the bet with one rule you can only talk to teachers and adults in 3 words responses but they cant talk at home. The team who talks the most loses and their captain, Dave or Lindsey, is forced to wear a big, red letter L which the opponent team captain writes on their forehead. So when lunch is over the teachers are surprised that the unhushables are quiet and they are very pleased when they learn why. Although the teachers feel this way the principal feels she is losing control so she is against this whole game. The first to talk is from the boys' side. Soon after many other accidentally speak when they cant or more then they can.Then, because the principal tries to stop the contest Dave yells at her and is charged with another 27 words. Near the end of the bet on the second day Lindsey sees that the boys have talked much more than the girls so she says a sentence with 27 words to even out the amount.