The Terrible Two

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2015

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-16

Chapters 17-23

Chapters 24-38

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

Defining One’s Identity

Feeling a sense of belonging is an important part of the human experience and is particularly important to adolescents as they seek to find their place in the world. It is in the period of adolescence when young people begin to search for an identity separate from their parents and seek to define their persona. For Miles Murphy, pranking is not only a form of self-expression, but it is also how he defines himself. Moving to a new town and a new school causes Miles anxiety as he knows that social rules mean he must decide who he will be on day one. Resisting the compulsion to conform to group dynamics or stereotypes, Miles desires to remain true to himself and maintain his identity as a prankster. However, Miles’s internal monologue reveals that he puts a lot of pressure on himself to keep his identity, as he thinks that if he is not a prankster, then he’s no one. By giving the reader a glimpse into Miles’s troubled thoughts, the authors reveal the pressures adolescents face when trying to find their place amongst their peers. Through the novel, the authors assert that defining identity, though a necessary part of the coming-of-age process, is not without its pain.

Despite his desire to go against the flow and refusal to conform, Miles still cares about his reputation, like many teenagers. Once Miles meets Niles, his fellow prankster teaches him that he has lost sight of the true goal of being too concerned about what others will think of him. Niles commits his pranks anonymously and takes more pride in a precisely executed prank than basking in the glory of his classmates’ adoration. He tells Miles, “A prankster doesn’t prank for the fame. A prankster pranks for the prank” (92). In the shadow of Niles’s superior pranking skills, Miles must shed his pride and concede his goal to be a top prankster. However, he also learns that he must not pin his entire identity on just one aspect of his personality. By the end of the novel, Miles is satisfied with anonymously pulling off an epic prank and remaining unremarkable to his classmates. However, he is content with being known to himself and his new best friend Niles. Loosed from the weight of his peers’ expectations, and the unrealistic expectations he places on himself, Miles sleeps soundly for the first time since moving to Yawnee Valley. Through Miles’s character, the authors explore a realistic view of the pressures kids face to fit into social structures and highlight the value of finding true friendships over gaining status and popularity.

The Discovery of Unlikely Friendship

Finding connection through meaningful friendships is an important part of an adolescent’s development. When a move to a new town forces Miles from his comfortable life near the ocean, he must face the burden of being the new kid in school and finding his face through the preexisting social structure. Miles worries how others might judge him, but he also holds strong biases sand has strong preconceived notions about the stereotypical roles that kids play in school. The authors create empathy for the protagonist in that being the new kid in school is a difficult experience. However, by prejudging his classmates before even meeting them, Miles closes himself off to the possibility of making new friends. However, on the first day of school, he meets Niles and Holly who are kind to him and agree to show Miles the ropes of school life at Yawnee Valley. Throughout the narrative, the authors demonstrate that forging associations with people one perceives as different or adversarial forces them to confront their biases and misconceptions. Miles pins his survival in the new school on his assured understanding of how people work, but finding friendship in an unlikely place changes his perspective on life in his new town.

When he first meets Niles, Miles immediately judges him to be a teacher’s pet and assumes they have nothing in common. He snubs Niles’s extension of friendship and focuses his attention on establishing his authority as the school prankster. Once Niles reveals his true identity to Miles, he once again offers friendship, but all Miles can see is a fierce rival with whom he must engage in a battle for prankster supremacy. Miles’s resolve weakens as he learns that he cannot defeat Niles’s skills and the two develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for each other’s strengths, pranking talents, and intelligence. Their rivalry becomes a camaraderie, demonstrating that true friendship can be found in the most unlikely places, even in a person thought to be an enemy. Miles’s partnership with Niles blooms into a friendship and the connection not only makes him a better prankster, but it makes him a happier, more fulfilled person. Once Miles develops meaningful friendships based on mutual respect and common interests, he sheds the pressure to prove himself or assert his superiority. Niles’s vulnerability opens the door for Miles to shed his superficial preconceptions and embrace a life-changing friendship opportunity.

Disrupting Corrupt Power Structures

Power is a sword people can use for good or to facilitate corruption and pain. Using humor and social commentary, The Terrible Two explores how individuals can use pranks and rebellion to challenge unchecked authority and corruption in hierarchical structures. Though the narrative uses a humorous tone to expose misused power, the novel sheds light on the injustices and abuses that can come from the corruption of individuals in positions of authority. Even the most well-meaning adults, like school administrators, can succumb to the allure of power. Principal Barkin operates a system of fear and control that stifles fun and creativity and suppresses the voice of the student body. On the first day of school, he perfects his “power speech” and worries at every turn if he is losing his grip of control on the school as he thinks, “a principal’s authority must be absolute! There was no room for weakness!” (158). He silences dissent and prioritizes his reputation over the needs of his students. Miles learns quickly about the rigidity of power at Yawnee Valley Academy, especially once he meets Principal Barkin’s son. Not only is Principal Barkin a despotic ruler, but he turns a blind eye to his son’s corruption in the student council elections.

Miles understands power dynamics, and when he discovers the existence of an equally mischievous student, they join forces to challenge the unfair power structures through their ingenious pranks. Early in the story, Niles expresses a difficult truth to Miles: “I’m sorry I lied. But I think sometimes it’s OK to do something wrong if it helps you do something right” (36). Niles sees the necessity of maintaining a dual nature and, if necessary, resorting to disruption and dishonesty, if it serves to right a wrong or correct injustice. Miles works with Niles to shake up the ruling establishment at the school, but he also recognizes that change does not come just through destruction. Like Holly desires reform in the student council election system, Miles sees the value in building ethical systems led by people of integrity. Once their prank humbles Principal Barkin and forces the removal of Josh from office, the novel ends with the hope that people like Holly will move into a place of leadership and Yawnee Valley Academy and will transform into a place where students can learn and grow without oppressive rules and dictatorial rulers.