Saving Mr. Terupt

by Rob Buyea

Overview

"An exciting story about what really matters, Saving Mr. Terupt is warm, wise, and packed with hope."--JOAN BAUER, Newbery Honor Winner

The kids and their favorite teacher from Because of Mr. Terupt and Mr. Terupt Falls Again return for a third book in the funny, warmhearted series for fans of Wonder.

Seventh grade was going to be awesome. The only thing missing was Mr. Terupt.

The kids from Mr. Terupt’s fifth- and sixth-grade classes are entering their first year of junior high school. There’s a lot to be excited about, but there are new challenges, too. Peter and Jeffrey face tough competition on their wrestling team. Alexia has a disastrous first day of school, and that’s only the beginning. Anna is desperate for Charlie to propose to her mother—what is he waiting for?! Danielle isn’t feeling so well, but she's trying to tough it out, like Grandma. Trouble with a bully makes Luke dread going to school for the first time ever. And Jessica is waiting anxiously for an acceptance to a theater retreat in New York City.
     Everyone is missing Mr. Terupt. When a fight threatens to break up the group forever, they think their favorite teacher is the only one who can help them. But the kids soon find out that it’s Mr. Terupt who needs saving.
 
This novel includes extra content in the back of the book. Readers will find a Junior High Survival Guide with tips from the old gang!
 
"Buyea has a knack for making his character’s voices distinct. This offering will resonate with tween audiences seeking realistic stories with multifaceted characters. Fans of the “Terupt” novels will cheer as the Snow Hill crowd enters seventh grade, though this latest volume will also appeal to newcomers to the series."--School Library Journal

"This third in the series [is] as easy for new readers to pick up as it is for returning fans. A warmly gracious invitation to a convincing middle school world."--Kirkus Reviews 

"The individual personalities and abilities of Buyea’s characters emerge through their narratives as they tell about their interests and feelings, including moves from friendships to budding romantic relationships. Danielle’s narrative includes a scientific explanation of diabetes type one and her courageous attitude in learning how to manage her health. This is an engaging read with broad appeal.--VOYA, Recommended

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385743556
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	07/14/2015
Series:	Mr. Terupt Series , #3
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.30(d)
Lexile:	790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Rob Buyea taught third- and fourth-graders in Bethany, Connecticut, for six years before moving to Massachusetts, where he taught high school biology and coached wrestling for seven years at Northfield Mount Hermon. Saving Mr. Terupt is the companion novel to Because of Mr. Terupt and Mr. Terupt Falls Again. Currently, Rob is a full-time writer and lives in North Andover, Massachusetts, with his wife and three daughters. 
 

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the first two Mr. Terupt books

Because of Mr. Terupt

An NPR Backseat Book Club Selection
An E. B. White Read-Aloud Honor Book
An Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award Winner
An Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Winner
A Minnesota Maud Hart Lovelace Award Winner
A Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award Winner
A Nebraska Golden Sower Book Award Winner
An Iowa Children’s Choice Book Award Winner
A Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Winner
Nominated for 17 State Book Awards

“Even the accident toward which this novel is inevitably headed is no accident; it is as masterfully set up and skillfully concealed as the rest of this riveting story.” —JOHN IRVING

*“The characters are authentic and the short chapters are skillfully arranged to keep readers moving headlong toward the satisfying conclusion.” —School Library Journal, Starred

“This powerful and emotional story is likely to spur discussion.” —Publishers Weekly

“No one is perfect in this feel-good story, but everyone benefits, including sentimentally inclined readers.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Compelling. . . . Readers will find much to ponder on the power of forgiveness.” —Booklist
 
Mr. Terupt Falls Again

“A surprising and totally satisfying sequel. The voices ring true.” —JOHN IRVING

“This sequel can be read on its own. Moving and real.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A skillful meshing of characters and story lines makes for another great read.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Peter, Jeffrey, Jessica, Lexie, Danielle, Anna, and Luke return in this third volume of the “Mr. Terupt” series, which will delight both returning readers and series newcomers. With their friendship forged in two consecutive years under Mr. Terupt, the group starts seventh grade in a new school, experiencing uncertainty and insecurity. As expected, Lexie’s popularity grows as the school year progresses, but so do her concerns about her mother’s health. Luke, ever brilliant, does not share any classes with his old friends but continues to be the idea man in the bunch. The incorrigible Peter provides comic relief when he tries to dye his peach fuzz and ends up with chemical burns. Jeffrey continues to wrestle—literally at school matches, and figuratively with his own courage to make a move on Anna. Jessica journals the entire school year, chronicling the group’s antics and her reconciliation with her absent father. Danielle comes to terms with the realities of her diabetes diagnosis. Anna wants nothing more than her mother’s boyfriend, Charlie, to propose, which will make Danielle an official part of her family. All of these subplots are set against the backdrop of the group’s continued relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Terupt and the students’ earnest efforts to save Mr. Terupt’s job from budget cuts. Each character in turn narrates the story, offering shifting perspectives in authentic, engaging voices. It’s good, clean fun for preteens learning to navigate relationships with adults and peers. Over the course of the school year the characters model—with some hiccups—perseverance, creativity, loyalty, forgiveness, and hope. Reviewer: Michele Hughes; Ages 9 to 12.

Children's Literature - Michele Hughes

05/01/2015
Gr 4–7—The Terupt gang is back in the third installment of Buyea's memorable classroom drama series. On the eve of their entry into junior high, the students from Snow Hill School are gearing up for a new year without their beloved teacher. After brainstorming a way to work on a collaborative project in Mr. Terupt's current classroom, the group is able to spend quality time with one another as well as with "Teach." However, tensions flare for some of the friends after a harmless game of Spin the Bottle goes awry. Despite the threat to their friendship, unforeseen circumstances bring the kids back together when they discover that Mr. Terupt needs their help. As the group navigate the ups and downs of team sports, family illness, town budgets, and young love, they begin to realize that the only constant through life's storms is the bond of friendship. Buyea has a knack for making his character's voices distinct. This offering will resonate with tween audiences seeking realistic stories with multifaceted characters. VERDICT Fans of the "Terupt" novels (Random) will cheer as the Snow Hill crowd enters seventh grade, though this latest volume will also appeal to newcomers to the series.—Claire Moore, Darien Library, CT

School Library Journal

2015-04-15
Seventh-graders Alexia, Anna, Danielle, Jessica, Jeffrey, Luke, and Peter struggle to hold on to the bonds formed in Mr. Terupt's class in fifth and sixth grade and to their favorite teacher, whose job is in jeopardy. Month by month, in alternating first-person accounts, these likable young people describe their first year in middle school. The English teacher loves words as much as Jessica does. Peter and Jeffrey join the wrestling team; Luke's elected to student government. Anna and Danielle scheme to become half sisters in reality. Danielle develops diabetes, and Lexie's mother has breast cancer. A spur-of-the-moment spin-the-bottle game goes awry, temporarily tearing the group apart. Even from a distance, Mr. Terupt seems to know what's happening and devises a project to keep them talking. But it's the threat to the sixth-grade teacher's job, likely to be eliminated in the wake of tax protests and school budget cuts, that really brings them back together for a series of campaigns that seem to lose the battle but win the war. "Hard times like these make you better…as long as you have the right attitude about things," this perceptive teacher says. Necessary background is deftly woven in, making this third in the series as easy for new readers to pick up as it is for returning fans. A warmly gracious invitation to a convincing middle school world. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews