Goodbye, Mr. Terupt

Book excerpt: The seven kids who bonded in Mr. Terupt's fifth-grade class are in eighth grade now and reunited with their beloved teacher. Readers will once again be inspired by how the kids face their challenges and by the adults who help them along the way. Jeffrey, Alexia, Anna, Danielle, Luke, Peter, and Jessica are thrilled to have their beloved teacher, Mr. Terupt, back for the school year as their biweekly adviser. They still rely on him for guidance on so many things, including these dilemmas: JEFFREY wants to make varsity wrestling, but at what cost? Worried that she may have the same cancer gene as her mom, ALEXIA takes a DNA test--only she's scared to open the results. Neglected by her soon-to-be-married mom, and wounded by Jeffrey's callous brush-off, ANNA keeps her hurt feelings bottled up--until she can't. DANIELLE has ups and downs with her diabetes, but her budding romance with Luke proves to be the real challenge. LUKE's tackling lots of difficult schoolwork, none of it harder than letting Danielle know he likes her. Anxious about her dad's return, JESSICA pours her heart into writing poetry. Angry at what he thinks is a betrayal, PETER gives Mr. Terupt the silent treatment. To celebrate their remaining time with Mr. Terupt, the students hatch bucket-list type projects to make the school year important, memorable, and way bigger than just the group. Will the gang stick together down to the final project? Will their friendships endure after the difficult goodbye?