51 pages • 1 hour read
Rob BuyeaMr. Terupt Falls Again
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Importance of Parental Support for Children
Most of the students in Mr. Terupt’s class experience life-changing situations in the book. They also have different levels of support at home. When they have this support at home, they have an easier time navigating their internal and external dilemmas. When they do not have support at home, they seek it elsewhere. Sometimes this works out well, but other times it does not.
Danielle has a great support system at home because she lives with her brother, parents, and grandparents. When big events happen at school, such as when Jeffrey punches Derek and when Jeffrey finds the abandoned baby, Danielle goes straight home and tells her grandmother. While her family is not perfect and her grandparents are not always accepting of other people, they do form a solid support system for her, and she does not need to seek advice elsewhere.
At the beginning of the novel, Lexie does not have this support. Her mother loves her, but since she works in the afternoons and evenings, she often sleeps during the morning, leaving Lexie alone. This works fine over the summer because Lexie spends time with Mr. Terupt and other classmates who care about her and are a good influence on her. She eventually meets Reena, Lisa, and Brandon, however. When something big happens at school, such as when Jeffrey finds the baby, she goes to the abandoned house to tell these teenagers because there is no one home to talk to about it. Unfortunately, they are not a good influence on her, and she makes bad decisions because of this. When Mr. Terupt saves her from the kids and talks to Lexie’s mother, Lexie’s mom understands what her daughter needs, and she gets her a job at the restaurant so they can spend more time together.
Peter and Jeffrey also do not have solid parental support systems at the beginning of the novel. Peter’s parents are busy working, and his brother is often gone, too. Jeffrey’s father is often at work. His mother is almost always home, but she is not available to Jeffrey because she has had depression since Jeffrey’s brother died. Until the family meets Asher, they do not even eat dinner together. Because of these situations, Jeffrey and Peter spend their summer with Mr. Terupt. This works out for them because they are cared for and listened to, but this does not erase their need for a stable family support system. Jeffrey ultimately gets this when Asher’s adoption rekindles the love in his family and brings them together. Peter gains his parents’ support when he finally confronts them about not wanting to attend Riverway. They respect his decision and understand that, rather than acting out, he wants to honor the friendships has made at Snow Hill.
Anna has a strong parental support system even though her mother is a single parent. This is important because some characters in the novel, including Danielle’s family, judge Anna and Terri harshly for their situation.
Most of the parents in the novel are portrayed as imperfect, but they usually have their children’s best interests in mind. Mr. Terupt, Ms. Newberry, and Mrs. Williams at the school all want what is best for the children as well. When the teachers work with the parents, the well-being of the children is enhanced because all of the adults want what is best for the children.
Self-Discovery Through Literature
In Part 2, Mr. Terupt tells his students that personally connecting with literature is an important part of reading. This act helps make reading more enjoyable, but it also helps readers understand literature on a deeper level. The connections the students make between their reading and their own lives help them to understand themselves better as well.
Students experience self-discovery through literature in both large and small ways. Jessica describes one of the first literary parallels: She feels a connection with Cherry in The Outsiders because like Cherry, she is caught between the fight between Peter and Jeffrey. This is not a life-changing moment for her, as the boys make up very quickly, but still the connection to the book helps her understand her own feelings in that moment. In a similar way, Lexie feels a connection with Margaret from Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Like that character, Lexie wants to grow up faster than her body will allow. Finding a kindred spirit in a fictional character is important for these students because not everyone is experiencing the same personal struggles at the same time. For example, Lexie and Danielle have very different views on puberty, and Danielle cannot understand why Lexie wants to get her period and mature so quickly. Instead of feeling alone, Lexie finds kinship in Margaret, who experiences similar issues.
Peter is another character who finds a fictional character who faces similar struggles. Both he and Palmer, from Wringer, have difficult relationships with their fathers and cannot talk to their fathers about their needs. Peter explains that this connection helps him enjoy the book, but it leaves him frustrated because Palmer has a happy ending. At this point in the novel, Peter cannot see the same happy ending for himself. This demonstrates one problem with looking to literary models; things may work out well for a character in a similar situation, but real life doesn’t follow a neat narrative arc. To demonstrate this, Peter must find his own way to solve his personal issue with his family, knowing that literary models can only take him so far.
Luke feels a connection with Stanley Yelnats from Holes, and through this comparison, Luke learns that he is happy to have the family he does. He comes to this realization at wrestling practice when most of the dads are yelling at their sons and are unhappy. Luke’s father is in the stands reading a book, and this brings Luke to the realization that he is happy he has a father like Stanley does. Through this connection, Luke is more able to appreciate what he already has.
Self-discovery through literature is particularly important for young readers who may be embarrassed to share their concerns with adults or may have difficulty articulating their experiences. The seven protagonists in the Mr. Terupt series are models for Buyea’s readers; they each struggle with different issues and resolve their conflicts in different ways. Because the books contain so many different points of view, students will relate to different characters, allowing them to go on the same journey of self-discovery as Mr. Terupt’s students.
Life’s Lack of Fairness and the Need to Stand Up to Injustice
Numerous situations in the novel convey life’s unfairness and the need for people to stand up to injustice. These events occur on a small, interpersonal scale, and on the national, historical scale. In each case, characters must decide how to act despite their knowledge that their situations are unfair.
Various characters must face the unfairness of death and grief. Jeffrey’s situation highlights this, as the loss of his infant brother, Michael, fractures his family. Likewise, Asher is abandoned and thrown into a completely vulnerable situation. His abandonment subtly parallels Terri’s story and those who judged her for being a single parent; no one finds any information on Asher’s parents, but they likely found themselves in a situation where it was impossible for them to keep the baby. Though it’s not possible to know their motivation, there were likely circumstances involved beyond their control. It is lucky that Jeffrey found Asher (hence his name), and Jeffrey’s determination to do the right thing makes it possible for Asher to have a chance. Jeffrey’s efforts help his parents shift their perspective after Michael’s death.
Mr. Terupt lost his parents in a car crash, so he has experienced the unfairness of death firsthand. In his case, he discovers wrestling, which helps him cope personally, and devotes his career as a teacher to helping students feel less alone through his teaching, coaching, and personal outreach. Despite Mr. Terupt’s efforts, he cannot control everything in his students’ lives. Jessica notes this after the Whipping Boy activity: “All schools try very hard to make everything in their classrooms fair. I wonder, do young people grow up expecting life to be the same?” (332). Her question raises the issue of teachers setting unrealistic expectations for how the world works through promoting fairness in their classrooms. This speaks to the impossibility of preparing students for every unfair situation they will encounter in life. Instead, Mr. Terupt wants his students to have a moral compass that guides them when they encounter unjust situations, as Peter expresses when he refuses to participate in Field Day unless everyone else can, too: “[W]hen we see unfair situations or injustices in our world, it’s up to us to do something about them. Remaining silent when we don’t agree with what’s happening does no good. That only allows the unfair situation to continue” (319).
The novel’s larger-scale example of unfairness is the Moonsuc’s legal dispute over their land with the national government, which occurred when Connecticut was granted statehood The other side of the issue is that Danielle’s family, who has farmed in Connecticut for generations, may lose their land due to an unfair deal that happened centuries ago. Although the Moonsuc are a fictional group, their story reflects the real history of the United States in its dealings with Indigenous Americans. According to a 2021 study, Indigenous Americans lost 99% of their land and have suffered a lasting impact: “The lands to which they were forcibly migrated are more vulnerable to climate change and contain fewer resources” (Farrell, Justin, et. al. “Effects of land dispossession and forced migration on Indigenous people in North America.” Science 374, 29 Oct. 2021). The novel does not resolve this issue for the Moonsuc, but in researching it, Danielle learns that her family’s characterization of the Moonsuc people as “greedy” (301) is unfair.
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