An unconventional, hands-on fifth-grade teacher frustrates authority figures but inspires seven students, from the class clown to the new girl in school. Short chapters narrated in turn by each student recount classroom projects and tell the characters' personal stories. Each student's personality and backstory is distinctive; the narrative voices, however, aren't always distinguishable. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 4-6-Fifth grade is going to be pretty much like any other year, or so some students of Snow Hill School think. After all, most of them have already established their roles-the bully, the class clown, the kid who hates school, the shy girl, the fat girl, the boy who is smarter than he admits, and so on. This forms a pecking order everyone unconsciously follows. However, this year there's a new teacher, Mr. Terupt, who is young and has unusual ideas. He expects the students to adopt a form of personal responsibility. Many of them seem unable to rise to his expectations; problems related to their home lives and past history play into their behavior. Plenty of foreshadowing shows there will be a tragedy, but who is truly at fault? Buyea's thoughtful, inspiring book (Delacorte, 2010) clearly shows his understanding of the dynamics of this age group. Mike Chamberlain and Arielle Delisle create the voices for the seven narrators-the students who provide the perspectives on the school year, Mr. Terupt, and how a group of young people learn to cope with crisis and discover that change is possible. The story is inspiring and the multiple points of view add depth. This beautifully performed production brings the book to life and makes it accessible to even more young people who will also find their lives changed by Mr. Terupt.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Mr. Terupt follows in the footsteps of those inspiring teachers who encourage their students to think for themselves, question the conventions they understand about school, and become better people. The narration here is shared by so many that it is hard for readers to feel similarly inspired, but what they'll get instead is the school-year-long unfolding of each of seven fifth-graders as they face their own flaws, come to terms with their home lives, and reconcile their roles in a tragic accident that nearly takes the life of their beloved teacher, hinted at with the innocuous-looking snowball on the front cover. Some voices ring less true than others, which is a shame, since all of the characters have something important to say. Despite its flaws, this is a compelling novel with brief sometimes very brief chapters, which keep the story moving. Readers will find much to ponder on the power of forgiveness in Buyea's meditative first novel.--Booth, Heather Copyright 2010 Booklist

In this skillfully constructed first novel, Buyea conveys the impact that an inspiring new teacher has on his fifth-grade class through the alternating voices of seven complex students, including class clown Peter, thoughtful new student Jessica, relentlessly teased Danielle, and mean-girl Alexia ("Mom told me... Alexia, don't let people push you around like your father did to us. You take charge and fight back.' So there's no way I'm going back to being nice"). For the most part, Mr. Terupt's unconventional teaching style proves capable of reaching even his most difficult students as the year progresses; his gentle guidance leads to some potent lessons about tolerance, self-advocacy, and responsibility. However, some in the community disapprove of his lax disciplinary measures and hands-on educational methods. When an accident during a snowball fight lands Mr. Terupt in the hospital, readers-like students in the class-are left to decide who, if anyone, is to blame. Introducing characters and conflicts that will be familiar to any middle-school student, this powerful and emotional story is likely to spur discussion. Ages 9-12. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

During a school year in which a gifted teacher who emphasizes personal responsibility among his fifth graders ends up in a coma from a thrown snowball, his students come to terms with their own issues and learn to be forgiving. Told in short chapters organized month-by-month in the voices of seven students, often describing the same incident from different viewpoints, this weaves together a variety of not-uncommon classroom characters and situations: the new kid, the trickster, the social bully, the super-bright and the disaffected; family clashes, divorce and death; an unwed mother whose long-ago actions haven't been forgotten in the small-town setting; class and experiential differences. Mr. Terupt engineers regular visits to the school's special-needs classroom, changing some lives on both sides. A "Dollar Word" activity so appeals to Luke that he sprinkles them throughout his narrative all year. Danielle includes her regular prayers, and Anna never stops her hopeful matchmaking. No one is perfect in this feel-good story, but everyone benefits, including sentimentally inclined readers. (Fiction. 9-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.