Because of Mr. Terupt

Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea is another book I found on Amazon's "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" section (for Wonder, I think), so I got it from the library. It is about a class of fifth graders and their new teacher, Mr. Terupt. The book follows the diverse perspective of 7 of the students through alternating chapters and how amazing Mr. Terupt somehow knows how to handle all of them. The kids have "girl wars" and disagreements, but when tragedy strikes, it will bring them all close together.

This was a great book. The first few chapters were a little slow for me, but once I got to know the different characters, I was hooked. It helped me remember that things are never what they seem in people's lives, and we should just be kind to everyone and give everyone a chance. I also loved how the class worked with the special needs classroom and following the kids' reactions to that. Once the turning point of the story hit, I could not stop reading and had to stay up late just to finish the book and see how things would end. I really loved the story, the characters, and the lessons the book teaches on forgiveness, kindness, and being different. I also just saw that there are two more Mr. Terupt books by the author, so I'm excited to read them as well.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)