There’s a new teacher at Snow Hill School, and the students in his fifth grade class aren’t sure what to expect. There’s Jessica, a new 
student herself who is trying to make friends and find her place; Alexia, a bully who is making life hard for others; Peter, the class troublemaker; Luke, the smart one; Danielle, who lets everyone walk all over her; Anna, whose home life affects her daily life; and Jeffrey, who hates school and is struggling with his past.
Mr. Terupt quickly earns the respect of the class and teaches them about respect, too, when he has the class pair up with a special-needs class. But does Mr. Terupt let his class get away with too much? When the students earn a “free day” for good behavior, they choose a day full of play. When their outside play turns mischievous, something terrible happens to Mr. Terupt, leaving each student to struggle with his or her actions of that afternoon while Mr. Terupt struggles for his life.
Because of Mr. Terupt shows us that each student has his or her own story and secret problems, and readers get to know the characters well because each chapter is told from the perspective of one of these seven students. Many readers will be able to identify with at least one of them in this warm-hearted story about a caring teacher and the students who learned so much from him.
Review submitted by Dana
Thommy Ford Kids 