42 pages • 1 hour read
Rob BuyeaBecause of Mr. Terupt
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2010A 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 2, Chapters 9-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 2
Part 2, Chapter 9 Summary: “may”
Chapter 9 opens with the students in the hospital lounge as they await the outcome of Mr. Terupt’s surgery. Students, administrators, and teachers come to support Mr. Terupt, but Jessica notices that Mr. Terupt has no friends or family members there. She begins piecing together other hints of Mr. Terupt’s lack of family: No family pictures on his desk, no ring on his finger, no gifts left from friends or family in his hospital room. Jessica overhears another teacher, Ms. Newberry, confiding to Mrs. Williams that she has tried to get close to Mr. Terupt and that she cares about him, but Mr. Terupt has resisted building a relationship.
The students each grapple with their anxieties over Mr. Terupt’s surgery as they wait. Jeffrey breaks the tension by placing the microphone from their class meetings in the middle of a table in the waiting room. Danielle picks up the mic, and the students take turns sharing stories about Mr. Terupt until a doctor walks by. The students anxiously watch as the doctor approaches another person in the waiting room and shares what appears to be bad news. Jeffrey becomes increasingly emotional as he has flashbacks of waiting in the hospital for Michael only to be told, “I’m so sorry” by Michael’s doctor (223).
Peter and Alexia each take the microphone as the class continues to wait for the outcome of Mr. Terupt’s surgery. Alexia confesses to what took place when Mr. Terupt confronted her for being mean, and she admits that he was right. Peter places blame on himself for Mr. Terupt’s accident but also acknowledges and apologizes for the smaller incidents leading up to the snow fight.
Mr. Terupt’s doctor finally arrives and shares that Mr. Terupt has made it safely out of surgery, but he remains in a coma. Pulling on what she’s learned from Mr. Terupt, Anna leads the students in leaving with a positive outlook. Even Jeffrey leaves feeling like “it’s okay to hope” (231). Anna asks to pray with Danielle, opening the way for their mothers to connect as well. Danielle leads them in prayer, recognizing that Anna is trying to help their families to get along. Danielle leaves with hope that her family will come around to accepting Anna and her mom.
Jeffrey opens up to Jessica again and thanks her and her mom for comforting him when he struggles with his fear and grief. Then, he tells Jessica that Mr. Terupt’s accident isn’t her fault. Jessica is shocked at first, then realizes that she has been feeling guilty. On the way home, Jessica’s mom informs her that the adults have been talking, and they feel that Mr. Terupt is to blame for the accident himself because it was his responsibility to establish rules and boundaries. Jessica’s mom also reveals that the adults are worried about the students as they’re coping with grief and guilt over the accident.
Part 2, Chapter 10 Summary: “june”
Mrs. Williams is still substituting for Mr. Terupt’s class on the last day of school. The adults are still worried about the kids and their continued anxiety over Mr. Terupt’s condition. Alexia is turned away from a visit to the hospital, and she begins anticipating a surprise return from Mr. Terupt. Danielle has given up hope that Mr. Terupt will return and asks God why He hasn’t answered her prayers for her teacher. Anna observes that Mrs. Williams seems excessively happy on the last day of school, and she also begins to suspect that a surprise return from Mr. Terupt is on its way. Jeffrey notices Mrs. Williams winking at Anna and is angry at her for being happy at a time when the students miss Mr. Terupt so much.
Mr. Terupt does arrive and the class welcomes him with a big hug. Peter stays out of the class hug, so Mr. Terupt approaches him individually and forgives him with a hug as well. Mrs. Williams has another surprise for the class: Mr. Terupt will be their teacher again next year in sixth grade. The class thanks Mrs. Williams, and she hugs Mr. Terupt before leaving him with his students.
Mr. Terupt is proud of the changes he sees in his students. Alexia is nice to her classmates. Peter has learned to take responsibility for his actions. Jeffrey finally credits himself for having done something right when it’s revealed that he’s the one who ran for help immediately after Mr. Terupt’s fall. Everyone looks forward to being together again next year.
As they’re leaving school on the last day, Danielle’s mother, Susan, and Anna’s mother, Terri, encounter one another in the school lobby. Terri extends her hand to introduce herself properly and offers to have Danielle come over, and Susan accepts the invitation. Danielle is excited to finally have permission to see her friend outside of school, and she thanks God along with apologizing to Him for having gotten mad in previous prayers.
Everyone leaves school with feelings of hope and happiness for the next school year ahead. All have forgiven Peter, and the story ends happily, just as Mr. Terupt promised Jessica it would.
Part 2, Chapters 9-10 Analysis
The tone in the final two chapters shifts from forgiveness to hope, a step in an even more positive direction. At the hospital, the students grapple with their fear and guilt, some feeling hopeful and others feeling panicked. Mr. Terupt promises Jessica that he’ll do his best to give her a happy ending to the school year, and the tone of the novel indeed heads that direction as the plot reaches its resolution. Alexia and Anna notice Mrs. Williams’s happy attitude and consider the possibility that Mr. Terupt may return, although others misinterpret her giddiness and are confused or angered by it. Mrs. Williams’s wink to Anna lets readers know that, even though some of the students are still worried, something good is on its way.
The author gives school projects minimal attention throughout Part 2, whereas various classroom projects serve as the backdrop to action in Part 1. This emphasizes how distracted the students are from learning following the accident. The students’ focus on their guilt and grief explains why the adults worry about them. Concern over the students’ emotional wellbeing brings the parents to blame Mr. Terupt for having made the accident possible in the first place.
Jeffrey’s role in finding help following the snowball accident doesn’t appear until the end of the novel. Jeffrey is the one who takes responsible action in going to get adults and telling them there’s been an emergency. The revelation of Jeffrey’s role as the one to initiate help comes only after he’s forgiven himself for Michael’s death and learned to feel happy again.
The ending sets the novel up for a sequel by creating a situation in which Mr. Terupt will have the same class of students again next year. Heading into the new school year, Alexia is no longer a bully, Peter has learned there are consequences to his actions, Luke has learned to take responsibility rather than place blame on authority, Jessica has accepted her new life in Connecticut with her mother, Anna now has friends, Danielle has learned to speak up for herself, and Jeffrey is on a path to emotional recovery. The major conflicts in this story are resolved, making the way for new adventures and growth in the sequel.
Related Titles
By Rob Buyea
