Griffin does not like speeches because his past experience was humiliating. When his teacher, Mr. Furlong, announces that it is time for the yearly speech, Griffin starts to panic and tries to find a way out of it. His best friend, Bryan, has a great idea - Griffin should take a "vow of silence" in the issue of child soldiers. Griffin agrees to do along with it and his protest sets off a chain of events that he is not prepared for. In the end, Griffin discovers that silence is powerful.

English language arts grade 7 (2009).