<center> "You have the right to remain silent." However... </center> <P> <P> The fifth-grade girls and the fifth-grade boys at Laketon Elementary don't get along very well. But the <I>real</i> problem is that these kids are loud and disorderly. That's why the principal uses her red plastic bullhorn. A lot. <P> 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 <I>girl,</i> Lynsey Burgess, jabbering away. So Dave breaks his silence and lobs an insult. And <I>those</i> words spark a contest: Which team can say <I>the fewest words</i> during two whole days? And it's the boys against the girls. <P> 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? <P> 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.