This whole series is fantastic! I bought 8 of the first book (Because if Mr. Terupt) for a reading group with my 5th graders...and they couldn't put it down! It's well written and perfect for teaching character perspective because the chapters are written from the voices of the different students. At the end, I had my students write an event from the perspective of Mr. Terupt and they were eager to write (for once!). The stories they wrote were so insightful! There are storylines involving typical "coming of age" events such as crushes, family drama, puberty, bra shopping, and friend drama...and characters dealing with serious illnesses like cancer. However, this made the story more real and lead to meaningful discussions in our reading group. The first book in the series is when the characters are in 5th grade, the second is 6th grade, and third is 7th. I'd recommend this for grades 5 and up. Great themes, perfect for teaching perspective, easy for students to relate to, highly engaging, and well written. We went through all three books in about 6 weeks. (I assigned chapters to read and they'd come to our reading rotation prepared to talk). I actually had kids disappointed if we didn't have reading groups one day! They always wanted to discuss the characters and what would happen next. Can't complain when kids don't want to stop reading! Highly recommend for the classroom or for anyone looking for a trilogy for their 11+ year old.
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.
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