The first chapter takes place in September, the first month of the school year, and introduces each of the seven students who narrate the story. Peter, Jessica, Luke, Alexia, Jeffrey, Danielle, and Anna are all in Mr. Terupt’s fifth grade class this year. Mr. Terupt is the new teacher at Snow Hill School. Peter, the class clown, looks forward to having an inexperienced teacher. Peter decides to test Mr. Terupt right away to see how much he can get away with, but Mr. Terupt calls him out in a joking manner. This response resonates with Peter: “His reaction was better than being yelled at like the old farts would have done” (3).

The next section of the chapter is from Jessica’s perspective. Jessica is new to Snow Hill School. Mrs. Williams, the principal, escorts Jessica to Mr. Terupt’s classroom. Jessica immediately takes a liking to Mr. Terupt when they bond over books, especially those with happy endings. Mr. Terupt puts her nerves at ease and promises he’ll do his best to give her a happy ending to the school year.