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.
Part 1, Chapters 3-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1
Part 1, Chapter 3 Summary: “October”
Luke is the first to guess the culprit in The Westing Game competition. He puts his answer in an envelope and submits it in school. He notices Mr. Terupt wobble as the teacher gets up.
Peter does not turn in an answer for The Westing Game as part of his attempt to fail. He still reads the book, so he can be a part of the class discussion.
The Solutions Opening Ceremony occurs. Prior to this, Luke realizes that his answer is wrong, so he tells Jessica the correct answer so she can win. Mr. Terupt says the most accurate answer will win, and if there are ties, the first person to have guessed will win. They read the end of the book as a class, and then Mr. Terupt goes through the submissions. Jessica wins the contest. Jessica says that Mr. Terupt has taught them that it is best when they work together, so she shares the award with Luke. Mr. Terupt has another reward on hand for Luke.
Peter tries to stack all the books as he returns them to the library. While he is doing this, Jeffrey squirts Peter in the pants with a spray bottle as payback for the bathroom stall incident. As Peter hurries to get to the library, Ms. Williams startles him when she tells a kindergartener to walk and not run, and Peter drops all of the books.
Mr. Terupt tells the class that they will be working on putting together a research PowerPoint presentation. Luke notices Mr. Terupt close his eyes and lean forward a bit. Worried, Luke decides to research post-concussion head trauma.
Jessica asks Lexie if she wants to do a project on moviemaking. She tells Lexie that Lexie can do the costume design. Lexie agrees, knowing that Jessica will want to do all of the work. At the abandoned house, Reena and Lisa give Lexie clothes to make her appear more grown up. Brandon comes, and he is upset because he broke his arm and cannot play football. He gives Lexie a drink, and she spits it out. She thought it was apple juice, but it was vodka. He explains that he brings it to school in a water bottle. Lexie says she has to leave, but Brandon gets upset at this. This scares Lexie because it reminds her of her dad. Brandon gets mad at Lisa when she tells him to stop. Lexie runs out to her bike and hides when she hears Brandon’s car leaving.
Danielle continues to worry, as her grandmother is upset; Danielle could not come up with a solution for The Westing Game, and now she cannot think of a research project idea. Mr. Terupt suggests that she and Peter research drugs. He tells them that they will be asked to try them at some point by their friends. Danielle is confused, but they agree to the project. Peter helps with the research but will not help with the PowerPoint, and he tells Danielle that he does not care if she tells Mr. Terupt.
Jeffrey continues to think about the baby, and when the baby is moved to a rehabilitation center, he goes to visit. The baby has been named Asher because the name means lucky. Anna and Terri begin going to the center with Jeffrey.
Anna, Terri, and Jeffrey go to the center, where Anna and Terri work with an elderly woman. Anna is not surprised that Jeffrey rode so far in the cold to see Asher.
Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary: “November”
Mrs. Williams explains that kids from Woods View School will be joining the class a few times a year due to a grant they received. Peter and Luke are not happy, but Lexie is excited to meet new boys. Jessica is overwhelmed with working on her research project, learning more about Mr. Terupt, and worrying about how much Lexie is changing.
Lexie dresses in black yoga pants and a scoop-neck purple sweater for the new sixth graders, thinking she looks hot. She stuffs toilet paper into her bra to accentuate her figure, which shocks Jessica.
Peter thinks Lexie looks amazing in her purple sweater, but Jessica tells him that Lexie’s bra is stuffed.
Mr. Terupt starts speaking, and he stutters. When Derek, one of the new kids, makes fun of him, Jeffrey tackles him. Mr. Terupt breaks them apart.
Jeffrey got mad not only because the kid laughed at Mr. Terupt but because he called him the R-word.
After the incident, Mr. Terupt calls a class meeting and explains that Jeffrey has been called to Mrs. Williams’s office for tackling Derek. The combined classes will be dissecting squid. Lexie throws up at the sight and smell of the squid but smiles when one of the boys mentions her purple sweater. Danielle recognizes Derek as the boy who called her a whale at the pool, so she doesn’t care that he’s hurt.
When the visiting students leave, Mr. Terupt tells the class not to worry about him. When Mr. Terupt went to stop Jeffrey, Jeffrey had to help balance Mr. Terupt. Mr. Terupt tells the class that they have to learn to control their impulses, even when someone does something wrong. As soon as Danielle gets home, she tells her grandmother all that has happened, and her grandmother tells her that it is never good when groups are forced together. In her prayer to God, Danielle thanks God for letting her see Derek get what he deserves. She is still concerned about her family losing the farm, as the Moonsuc dispute has not been settled.
Jeffrey is glad he attacked Derek, and he would do it again. He is sensitive about the R-word not only because of the kids he met last year with disabilities in the Collaborative Classroom but also because of Michael.
Anna notices the changes in Lexie. It bothers her that she is always nice to Peter, but he only notices Lexie, who is mean to him. Anna overhears Lexie tell Mr. Terupt that she is not going anywhere after school, but Anna knows this is a lie. Afterward, Mr. Terupt tells Anna that Lexie is her friend, but Anna does not know why he says this. Anna and her mom take a new route home, and Anna sees Lexie’s bike outside the abandoned house.
Luke learns that some of Mr. Terupt’s symptoms can be a sign of bleeding in the brain.
Jeffrey is bored on suspension and tells his mom that he has to go to the center. Meanwhile, Asher is getting better at eating and will likely go into foster care soon. Jeffrey wishes he could keep Asher but doesn’t think his parents will agree to this. Jeffrey’s mom picks up Asher, and Jeffrey thinks she looks peaceful for the first time in a long time.
Part 1, Chapter 5 Summary: “December”
Mr. Terupt asks Luke not to share his presentation on brain trauma because he thinks it will alarm the class. He tells Luke that he has spoken to his doctor and that he is okay. Luke isn’t convinced, but he accepts a new topic for his presentation.
Danielle and Peter go to get the LCD projector. Peter tries to ride the cart down the hall, and when the cord gets stuck, he goes flying. He rolls into Mrs. Williams, who falls, and the children see her underwear. She does not punish Peter, and Danielle thinks this is because of what happened last winter.
Peter is upset because he has an interview scheduled with Riverway, and Mr. Terupt is not upset about his not turning in his homework. Peter raced down the hall with the cart because he felt sorry for himself. When Danielle warns him to slow down, he thinks she sounds like his father and ignores her. He worries that Mrs. Williams did not punish him because she felt sorry for him. He thinks this is bad news because then she will not fail him.
Luke gives a PowerPoint presentation about love. He says that if a relationship is going well, the next step is giving someone a ring and proposing. Luke takes out a small box that Mr. Terupt has given him and hands it to Ms. Newberry. Mr. Terupt then gets down on one knee and asks Ms. Newberry to marry him. She says yes.
Anna no longer sees Lexie’s bike at the abandoned house because it is too cold for Lexie to ride it. She does not tell anyone but notices that Lexie has a new attitude. One day, Anna asks her mom to take the scenic route home from the center, and they see Brandon’s car racing out of the house, and Lexie looking scared. She knows that Mr. Terupt wants her to tell an adult what Lexie is doing. When Anna’s mom says she cannot go to the center, Anna asks Mr. Terupt and Ms. Newberry to take her, and she has them take the scenic route. She points to the house and tells the teachers that this is where Lexie has been. Mr. Terupt knocks on the door, and Lexie comes out crying.
Brandon tells the girls that he has some weed. He refers to his teachers as stupid, and this brings Lexie to her senses. She suddenly hears Mr. Terupt at the door, and she runs to him, feeling bad for disappointing him.
Jeffrey comes home one day, and there is a Christmas tree. The next day when Jeffrey comes home, his mom is rocking Asher, as they have decided to be his foster parents.
Part 1, Chapters 3-5 Analysis
This section shows the consequences of actions, both positive and negative and highlights the theme of Self-Discovery Through Literature. The Westing Game contest is an example of students being rewarded for their cooperative decisions. Rather than just have the students read the novel and discuss it, Mr. Terupt makes a game out of it, and then has a ceremony celebrating the students’ guesses. Luke helps Jessica win when he knows that he cannot, and he is rewarded for this behavior. Luke already has a reputation for his helping and kind behavior, and this will continue throughout the novel. This contest rewards cooperation over competition, which foreshadows a class activity with the novel The Whipping Boy later in the narrative.
This section builds suspense and develops conflicts that were established in the earlier chapters. Images of foreboding regarding Mr. Terupt’s health become prominent during October: One of Luke’s primary questions throughout the novel is whether or not Mr. Terupt is healthy. Because this is Luke’s focus and because he is the most intelligent student in the class, it is fitting that he is the one who notices these slight changes in Mr. Terupt’s behavior and tries to determine their cause. Luke’s detective work provides a subplot to the larger events involving the other students that play out in this section.
Lexie and Danielle’s narrative arcs in these chapters highlight The Importance of Parental Support for Children. Lexie has changed significantly since the beginning of Book 1, and this is demonstrated through her decision to work with Jessica, whom she knows will want to do most of the work. While Lexie does not want to take advantage of Jessica, her reasoning is still immature. Jessica, on the other hand, knows what is important to Lexie and uses fashion as a way to get Lexie to work with her. She wants to connect with Lexie, but Lexie is too distracted by her insecurities to realize this.
Lexie’s relationship with the older kids offers a higher-stakes example of lacking parental support. When Brandon offers Lexie alcohol, he demonstrates that he does not care about her, as she is clearly too young to drink. He is a dangerous influence because he drinks at school, loses his temper easily, and drives recklessly. Lexie shows some growth in this section, as she attempts to get herself out of the situation, but she has not developed enough confidence to permanently stay away. Brandon’s bad influence and Lexie’s poor choices lead to suspense over whether someone will get seriously injured as a result of their behavior.
Lexie’s struggle with physical and emotional maturity affects her female friendships. All the girls know that Lexie had difficulty being kind the year before, and all they can see are the physical changes she is undergoing without understanding the psychological and social struggles she faces. Jessica, in particular, worries about Lexie. Anna also notices the changes in Lexie, but her judgment toward Lexie is clouded by Anna’s crush on Peter. By November, both girls know that something is going on with Lexie, but despite their concern, neither makes any real moves to get her the help that she needs. Mr. Terupt attempts to garner Anna’s support with Lexie by reminding her that Lexie is her friend. While Anna does not understand it at the time, it is Mr. Terupt’s way of getting her to help Lexie.
Lexie’s quest for attention is intensified when the students from the other school come to work with Mr. Terupt’s class. She knows the students in her class will notice her fake breasts, but she does not believe they will say anything out loud, and all she really cares about is the attention from the new boys. Because Lexie seeks companionship, she continues to come up short in her attempts to garner it. Instead of getting respect from the exchange boys, they mock and make fun of her. She seeks this attention despite the fact that the students in her class both respect and like her. Lexie’s struggle for attention and Mr. Terupt’s subtle attempts to help reinforce that students need adult mentorship, even if it isn’t from their parents.
Danielle’s narrative arc also deals with insecurity, but its trajectory is different than Lexie’s; whereas Lexie’s dilemma is external, Danielle’s is primarily internal. Danielle also has a trusted adult mentor, whereas Lexie does not. Danielle is insecure about her weight. In Book 1, this is a problem, as kids in class taunt her for her size. In Book 2, her class has ceased teasing her, but she still gets teased by kids at the beach and pool. In Danielle’s prayer after Jeffrey punches Derek, she thanks God for letting her see revenge on Derek for calling her a “whale.” Danielle has strong faith, but she must discover exactly what faith means. Her prayer demonstrates that she does not have a full grasp of what her faith teaches, as Christianity does not teach people to pray for vengeance. It focuses on forgiveness instead.
Danielle’s relationship with her grandma provides a counterpoint to Lexie’s lack of support at home. When something big happens to Danielle at school, she goes straight home and tells her grandmother. Because of this, her grandmother helps her understand these situations and the world in general. For this reason, Danielle does not have to seek companionship or guidance elsewhere. This helps keep Danielle grounded despite the troubles she faces throughout the novel, and it saves her from the precarious situations in which Lexie finds herself.
Chapter 5 resolves the narrative arc suggested in the book’s title. There have been hints that Mr. Terupt and Ms. Newbery have feelings for each other, but the reader is not told that they are in a relationship. This is because the novel is told from the point of view of the students rather than the adults. In fact, the relationship is only revealed when Mr. Terupt proposes to Ms. Newbery. He “falls” in love, and while the question of Mr. Terupt’s health is not fully decided at this point, the suspense over his health is lessened.
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By Rob Buyea
