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Killing Mr. Griffin
From beloved author Lois Duncan comes a frightening novel about a group of students who set out to teach their malicious teacher a lesson -- only to learn that one of them could be a killer.
Mr. Griffin is the strictest teacher at Del Norte High, with a penchant for endless projects and humiliating students. Even straight-A student Susan can't believe how mean he is to her crush, Dave, and to the charismatic Mark Kinney. So when Dave asks Susan to help a group of students teach Mr. Griffin a lesson of their own, she goes along with them. After all, it's a harmless prank, right?
But things don't go according to plan. When one "accident" leads to another and people begin to die, Susan and her friends must face the awful truth: one of them is a killer.
Mr. Griffin is the strictest teacher at Del Norte High, with a penchant for endless projects and humiliating students. Even straight-A student Susan can't believe how mean he is to her crush, Dave, and to the charismatic Mark Kinney. So when Dave asks Susan to help a group of students teach Mr. Griffin a lesson of their own, she goes along with them. After all, it's a harmless prank, right?
But things don't go according to plan. When one "accident" leads to another and people begin to die, Susan and her friends must face the awful truth: one of them is a killer.
Audiobook
First published January 1, 1978
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About the author
Lois Duncan
68 books2,014 followersLois Duncan (born Lois Duncan Steinmetz) was an American writer and novelist, known primarily for her books for children and young adults, in particular (and some times controversially considering her young readership) crime thrillers. Duncan's parents were the noted magazine photographers Lois Steinmetz and Joseph Janney Steinmetz. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Duncan started writing and submitting manuscripts to magazines at the age of ten, and when she was thirteen succeeded in selling her first story.
Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.
Duncan was best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.
In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case.
Duncan's second book about her daughter's murder, ONE TO THE WOLVES: ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER, picks up where the first book leaves off and contains all the new information Kait's family has uncovered from private investigation.
The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).
Duncan's Gothic suspense novel, DOWN A DARK HALL, is being filmed for the Big Screen and will probably be released in 2016.
Follow Lois on Twitter: http://twitter.com/duncanauthor
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?i...
http://www.kaitarquette.arquettes.com
Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.
Duncan was best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.
In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case.
Duncan's second book about her daughter's murder, ONE TO THE WOLVES: ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER, picks up where the first book leaves off and contains all the new information Kait's family has uncovered from private investigation.
The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).
Duncan's Gothic suspense novel, DOWN A DARK HALL, is being filmed for the Big Screen and will probably be released in 2016.
Follow Lois on Twitter: http://twitter.com/duncanauthor
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?i...
http://www.kaitarquette.arquettes.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,226 reviews
November 27, 2025
Killing Mr. Griffin is an absolute classic Teen Thriller. I actually read this years ago, like in the 80s, but everything is a little hazy from the 80s.
I'm happy for the reread. This was fun!
Recently, while reviewing a list of books published in the year I was born, ((cough)) 1978 ((cough)), I stumbled across this one and it jogged some memories.
Lois Duncan books were a staple of my childhood, along with author's such as Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine. Although I have read a lot of these author's works, I would be hard-pressed to recall any details. It's been a minute.
This one got me thinking, what would it be like to read one of these books again. Would I still have fun with it? Would I be able to recall more details once it got going? Would it stand the test of time?
Yes, a little bit and for the most part, yes!
This story follows a group of high school kids, David, Susie, Jeff, Betsey and Mark, who are having some issues with their English teacher, Mr. Griffin.
Mr. Griffin is notoriously tough and as they see it, unfair. After a particularly rough morning in his class, the kids come up with a bold plan to get back at him.
They want to kidnap him and give him a real scare. They feel like if they can scare him enough and convince him they're doing it because he is a bad teacher, maybe he will change his ways and their grades.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn't go quite as they expected and the kids end up in over their heads. With the resident pyschopath leading the charge, things spiral quickly.
It seems like an over-the-top premise, but is it really? As you read, you begin to see how teens could make such bad choices, especially when being pushed into it. It does happen. In fact, crazier things happen.
I think for the most part, this story stands up. The writing is a little less complex than you find today and the story itself, more linear and simple, but it was still a fun time.
For this version of the audiobook, they did add some modern touches, such as cell phones and google, which took me by surprise. I wasn't aware of that going in and was expecting the story to be set around when it was published.
I actually wish they hadn't changed it. It seemed really obvious to me, but maybe if I hadn't know when this was originally published, I wouldn't have noticed.
Another thing that struck me, which I am not sure I would have thought about the first time around, was what a good and caring teacher Mr. Griffin was. It actually made me sad.
Reading this as an Adult, his perspective made total sense to me. I would have hated what they did to him at any age, I abhor bullying of any type, but I could really understand his choices and motivations this time through.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this again. I'm actually planning to reread another Duncan book, I Know What You Did Last Summer, very soon. I am hoping to enjoy that one just as much.
Who knows, 2023 could be the year I reread all my childhood favorites...I'm looking at you, 'Salem's Lot. This could be an exciting endeavor!
I'm happy for the reread. This was fun!
Recently, while reviewing a list of books published in the year I was born, ((cough)) 1978 ((cough)), I stumbled across this one and it jogged some memories.
Lois Duncan books were a staple of my childhood, along with author's such as Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine. Although I have read a lot of these author's works, I would be hard-pressed to recall any details. It's been a minute.
This one got me thinking, what would it be like to read one of these books again. Would I still have fun with it? Would I be able to recall more details once it got going? Would it stand the test of time?
Yes, a little bit and for the most part, yes!
This story follows a group of high school kids, David, Susie, Jeff, Betsey and Mark, who are having some issues with their English teacher, Mr. Griffin.
Mr. Griffin is notoriously tough and as they see it, unfair. After a particularly rough morning in his class, the kids come up with a bold plan to get back at him.
They want to kidnap him and give him a real scare. They feel like if they can scare him enough and convince him they're doing it because he is a bad teacher, maybe he will change his ways and their grades.
Unsurprisingly, it doesn't go quite as they expected and the kids end up in over their heads. With the resident pyschopath leading the charge, things spiral quickly.
It seems like an over-the-top premise, but is it really? As you read, you begin to see how teens could make such bad choices, especially when being pushed into it. It does happen. In fact, crazier things happen.
I think for the most part, this story stands up. The writing is a little less complex than you find today and the story itself, more linear and simple, but it was still a fun time.
For this version of the audiobook, they did add some modern touches, such as cell phones and google, which took me by surprise. I wasn't aware of that going in and was expecting the story to be set around when it was published.
I actually wish they hadn't changed it. It seemed really obvious to me, but maybe if I hadn't know when this was originally published, I wouldn't have noticed.
Another thing that struck me, which I am not sure I would have thought about the first time around, was what a good and caring teacher Mr. Griffin was. It actually made me sad.
Reading this as an Adult, his perspective made total sense to me. I would have hated what they did to him at any age, I abhor bullying of any type, but I could really understand his choices and motivations this time through.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this again. I'm actually planning to reread another Duncan book, I Know What You Did Last Summer, very soon. I am hoping to enjoy that one just as much.
Who knows, 2023 could be the year I reread all my childhood favorites...I'm looking at you, 'Salem's Lot. This could be an exciting endeavor!
September 27, 2017
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
2.5 Stars
This is one of those times where I really wish Goodreads had half stars, because this was a classic case of a perfectly average book. Killing Mr. Griffin went on my TBR simply for the fact that when I Googled “banned books” it was one of the first I hadn’t already read (and that I might want to) that popped up. I have to admit, if I were a teacher and saw a kid reading a title like this, I might want to disappear all the copies from the school right quick too!
The story here is one that is probably familiar to most . . . .
“That Griffin’s the sort of guy you’d like to kill.”
“Well, why don’t we then?”
But not really. The plan is to get revenge on the literature teacher who has made a group of student lives’ hell all year. They’ll kidnap Brian Griffin . . .
(No relation)
Drive him out to the middle of nowhere, make him beg for his freedom while promising to stop being such a shit human being and then let him go. The only thing no one expected? Mr. Griffin’s heart condition. The rest of the story is just how far they are willing to go in order to make sure their little escapade remains under wraps.
There’s a chance I would have been more generous with my rating, if a truly horribly executed bait and switch hadn’t been attempted. My initial thought was “good lord, for something published in 1990 this seems REALLY dated.” Then I noticed the original publication date was 1978. It’s not the worst thing in the world for a book not to stand the test of time, and really the subject matter here was waaaaaay provocative for young adult at the time.
That being said, allow me a moment to offer a nickel’s worth of free advice to the powers that be: DO NOT TRY AND EDIT BITS OF A BOOK TO MAKE IT SEEM NEW. Not unless you’re going to re-write the whole shebang. You can’t make the occasional edit by throwing in references to things like DVDs and cell phones, without eliminating all of the left-in blasts from the past like girls getting phone calls on the family LANDLINE or riding around in cars with bench seats . . . . .
But the best had to be wishing they had an iPod while burying the body because . . .
“A little music makes work go faster. Besides, there’s always music at funerals. We could pick out some good songs for this one. ‘Down by the Old Mill Stream’ would be appropriate, or that Scottish thing, ‘Where, oh, where, has my highland laddie gone?”
Have no fear, though, as an attempt was quickly made to modernize this with reference to “that old group, the Grateful Dead” . . . . . Only to have the train fall completely off the rails again with “Brush Away the Blue-Tail Fly” . . . .
I had to Google that one. Burle friggin’ Ives sang it – in 1964. You know who Burle Ives is????
By the time I was finished reading I was thinking 1978 might have been a re-pub date as well because this sucker seemed like it was from the ‘50s. So, there’s the reason it was a fail for me and I'm rounding down because whoever decided to hack into this did it a huge disservice and should have just left it alone FFS. On the bright side, I didn’t realize Killing Mr. Griffin was written by the same author who wrote one of my fave guilty pleasures . . .
I’m going on a road trip this weekend with my oldest so he can play some college showcase ball. I’m hoping he follows the tradition of what he does when his father takes him on these excursions and immediately falls asleep for the entire car ride. If he does this will be my first audiobook experience . . . .
2.5 Stars
This is one of those times where I really wish Goodreads had half stars, because this was a classic case of a perfectly average book. Killing Mr. Griffin went on my TBR simply for the fact that when I Googled “banned books” it was one of the first I hadn’t already read (and that I might want to) that popped up. I have to admit, if I were a teacher and saw a kid reading a title like this, I might want to disappear all the copies from the school right quick too!
The story here is one that is probably familiar to most . . . .
“That Griffin’s the sort of guy you’d like to kill.”
“Well, why don’t we then?”
But not really. The plan is to get revenge on the literature teacher who has made a group of student lives’ hell all year. They’ll kidnap Brian Griffin . . .
(No relation)
Drive him out to the middle of nowhere, make him beg for his freedom while promising to stop being such a shit human being and then let him go. The only thing no one expected? Mr. Griffin’s heart condition. The rest of the story is just how far they are willing to go in order to make sure their little escapade remains under wraps.
There’s a chance I would have been more generous with my rating, if a truly horribly executed bait and switch hadn’t been attempted. My initial thought was “good lord, for something published in 1990 this seems REALLY dated.” Then I noticed the original publication date was 1978. It’s not the worst thing in the world for a book not to stand the test of time, and really the subject matter here was waaaaaay provocative for young adult at the time.
That being said, allow me a moment to offer a nickel’s worth of free advice to the powers that be: DO NOT TRY AND EDIT BITS OF A BOOK TO MAKE IT SEEM NEW. Not unless you’re going to re-write the whole shebang. You can’t make the occasional edit by throwing in references to things like DVDs and cell phones, without eliminating all of the left-in blasts from the past like girls getting phone calls on the family LANDLINE or riding around in cars with bench seats . . . . .
But the best had to be wishing they had an iPod while burying the body because . . .
“A little music makes work go faster. Besides, there’s always music at funerals. We could pick out some good songs for this one. ‘Down by the Old Mill Stream’ would be appropriate, or that Scottish thing, ‘Where, oh, where, has my highland laddie gone?”
Have no fear, though, as an attempt was quickly made to modernize this with reference to “that old group, the Grateful Dead” . . . . . Only to have the train fall completely off the rails again with “Brush Away the Blue-Tail Fly” . . . .
I had to Google that one. Burle friggin’ Ives sang it – in 1964. You know who Burle Ives is????
By the time I was finished reading I was thinking 1978 might have been a re-pub date as well because this sucker seemed like it was from the ‘50s. So, there’s the reason it was a fail for me and I'm rounding down because whoever decided to hack into this did it a huge disservice and should have just left it alone FFS. On the bright side, I didn’t realize Killing Mr. Griffin was written by the same author who wrote one of my fave guilty pleasures . . .
I’m going on a road trip this weekend with my oldest so he can play some college showcase ball. I’m hoping he follows the tradition of what he does when his father takes him on these excursions and immediately falls asleep for the entire car ride. If he does this will be my first audiobook experience . . . .
April 28, 2024
This short, older YA book packed quite a wallop of emotion. Although I am already familiar with Duncan's talented writing, I was still surprised how sad and tragic this book came across. It gives an interesting perspective for that special teacher who pushes kids too hard and doesn't listen to excuses.
Throw in the fascinating mixture of teens - a young, shy girl who is a loner and falls too easily as prey into the grips of others because she's that desperate for attention; a cute girl who has learned to manipulate everyone from a young age and has no remorse because of how spoiled she is; a jock who is a decent kid who doesn't think much for himself; and ultimately a psychopath, serial killer in the making, someone who cares for no ones and easily manipulates others. Disturbing stuff.
This short book really packs a punch, as I have said, of emotion on so many levels. So sad. The ending was a heartbreaking wrap-up that really affected me - I genuinely felt for Mr. Griffin. Pacing is strong and steady, and there are several gasp, "oh no" moments with demented twists. Duncan's stylized, subtle writing accompanies the bizarre story perfectly. It's deeper than it seems once you get past the initial layers.
Much better than the book that became the movie, 'I know what you did last summer'. Certainly an underrated gem from Lois Duncan. Highly recommended if you find it.
Throw in the fascinating mixture of teens - a young, shy girl who is a loner and falls too easily as prey into the grips of others because she's that desperate for attention; a cute girl who has learned to manipulate everyone from a young age and has no remorse because of how spoiled she is; a jock who is a decent kid who doesn't think much for himself; and ultimately a psychopath, serial killer in the making, someone who cares for no ones and easily manipulates others. Disturbing stuff.
This short book really packs a punch, as I have said, of emotion on so many levels. So sad. The ending was a heartbreaking wrap-up that really affected me - I genuinely felt for Mr. Griffin. Pacing is strong and steady, and there are several gasp, "oh no" moments with demented twists. Duncan's stylized, subtle writing accompanies the bizarre story perfectly. It's deeper than it seems once you get past the initial layers.
Much better than the book that became the movie, 'I know what you did last summer'. Certainly an underrated gem from Lois Duncan. Highly recommended if you find it.
May 6, 2011
Do you have any friends named Betsey? How about Lana – or even Sue? I’m guessing not. When your little brother is a complete moron, do you suggest that he “hush” – or do you perhaps say something stronger? My money is on stronger.
The story behind Killing Mr. Griffin sounds pretty cool: students hate strict teacher, decide to teach strict teacher a lesson – oops! – something goes seriously wrong. As a reasonably strict teacher myself, I think it’s just common sense to read these kinds of books. I need to know what the students are plotting so I can “watch my back,” so to speak.
It all sounds good, right? Eh. I thought the story was interesting, but the more I read, the more something was really off. First, the names. Betsey? Really? The last time I heard the name Betsey was when I was in high school which was – well, let’s just say it was in the 20th century. Then, the setting details. How many of you actually make Jell-o out of package? Why would you, when it comes in those amazing little plastic cups? What about television? What do you watch? Idol? DWTS? Not, I assume, The Newlywed Game or Let’s Make a Deal.
The more I read, the more I realized that this story was taking place in the 70’s, so I looked at the date in the front of the book and saw that it was originally published in 1978. That would be fine if the story was supposed to be taking place in the 70’s, but the author seems to have gone back in and added modern details like references to Google and cell phones. In the meantime, big things like mothers don’t seem to go to work during the day, but rather, sit around and play cards, are left like they are normal. I could be wrong, but I don’t think mothers have done that since Bewitched was running in prime time. (Yes, it was a TV show before it was a movie.)
My biggest complaint about Killing Mr. Griffin, however, is that the dialogue is completely unnatural. As a middle school teacher, I have a really good idea of what students sound like – and this isn’t it. “Will this do?” one teenager asks. Huh? I wish students spoke like that.
In my opinion, if the author wanted an updated version of her book, she should have changed much, much more. It isn’t enough to add a couple of pop culture details without eliminating those that are really dated. It’s like giving Ebenezer Scrooge an iPhone and trying to make us believe the story took place last Christmas. OK; so I’m exaggerating, but you get the idea.
In the end, the story wasn’t terrible – but the dialogue was awful.
To read more about this book, as well as reviews of other young adult titles, check out my blog at readingisntlame.blogspot.com.
The story behind Killing Mr. Griffin sounds pretty cool: students hate strict teacher, decide to teach strict teacher a lesson – oops! – something goes seriously wrong. As a reasonably strict teacher myself, I think it’s just common sense to read these kinds of books. I need to know what the students are plotting so I can “watch my back,” so to speak.
It all sounds good, right? Eh. I thought the story was interesting, but the more I read, the more something was really off. First, the names. Betsey? Really? The last time I heard the name Betsey was when I was in high school which was – well, let’s just say it was in the 20th century. Then, the setting details. How many of you actually make Jell-o out of package? Why would you, when it comes in those amazing little plastic cups? What about television? What do you watch? Idol? DWTS? Not, I assume, The Newlywed Game or Let’s Make a Deal.
The more I read, the more I realized that this story was taking place in the 70’s, so I looked at the date in the front of the book and saw that it was originally published in 1978. That would be fine if the story was supposed to be taking place in the 70’s, but the author seems to have gone back in and added modern details like references to Google and cell phones. In the meantime, big things like mothers don’t seem to go to work during the day, but rather, sit around and play cards, are left like they are normal. I could be wrong, but I don’t think mothers have done that since Bewitched was running in prime time. (Yes, it was a TV show before it was a movie.)
My biggest complaint about Killing Mr. Griffin, however, is that the dialogue is completely unnatural. As a middle school teacher, I have a really good idea of what students sound like – and this isn’t it. “Will this do?” one teenager asks. Huh? I wish students spoke like that.
In my opinion, if the author wanted an updated version of her book, she should have changed much, much more. It isn’t enough to add a couple of pop culture details without eliminating those that are really dated. It’s like giving Ebenezer Scrooge an iPhone and trying to make us believe the story took place last Christmas. OK; so I’m exaggerating, but you get the idea.
In the end, the story wasn’t terrible – but the dialogue was awful.
To read more about this book, as well as reviews of other young adult titles, check out my blog at readingisntlame.blogspot.com.
March 3, 2017
Man, this book. About halfway through, I tried to piece together the message of this book, and all I could decide on was: don't follow sociopaths that think it's neat to set cats on fire; shit will only escalate from there.
Our cast of characters:
Sue - our wallflower heroine, dull as dirt and socially isolated to an unrealistic degree. Remember that episode of Buffy, when Clea Duval turned invisible because her classmates ignored her? That's Sue without any of Clea's charm.
David - class president, raised by his mother and invalidish grandmother after his father abandoned the family when he was a child. The most interesting, developed character, and he basically disappears at the end.
Betsy & Jeff - generic cheerleader and jock. Both appear to have crushes on Mark.
Mark - delinquent of the setting cats-on-fire for kicks variety. Hatches the plan to kidnap their teacher, Mr. Griffin. Guess how that turns out?
Duncan believes in telling, never showing. David is popular (we never see him interact with anyone outside of the main five), Mark charms everyone he meets (he lacks even the ability to fake empathy, charming consists of refering to girls as "baby"), Betsy is adorabubs (she can't flirt her way out of a speeding ticket). Dialogue should not be used to create character or build relationships, but rather to spout exposition about something we already know. Bonus points if you have a character say what they just thought!
I started a counter for every time the kids did something that left physical evidence at the scene of their crime or took an action to invalidate their alibi. We hit double digits, people. The resolution hints at consequences, but largely brushes aside the responsibility of all but one of our conspirators (spoiler: it's Mark!).
I'm trying to figure out the audience for this book, but I can't. There's no mystery, no suspense, no emotional connection to the characters or their actions whatsoever. The lesson, if there even is one, is a trite platitude as tired as the characters who "learn" it: don't give into peer-pressure; value your teachers, especially the challenging ones!
PS - If you must read, avoid the audiobook. The slow-southern monotone did nothing to improve my relationship with the characters and almost had me falling asleep in traffic.
Our cast of characters:
Sue - our wallflower heroine, dull as dirt and socially isolated to an unrealistic degree. Remember that episode of Buffy, when Clea Duval turned invisible because her classmates ignored her? That's Sue without any of Clea's charm.
David - class president, raised by his mother and invalidish grandmother after his father abandoned the family when he was a child. The most interesting, developed character, and he basically disappears at the end.
Betsy & Jeff - generic cheerleader and jock. Both appear to have crushes on Mark.
Mark - delinquent of the setting cats-on-fire for kicks variety. Hatches the plan to kidnap their teacher, Mr. Griffin. Guess how that turns out?
Duncan believes in telling, never showing. David is popular (we never see him interact with anyone outside of the main five), Mark charms everyone he meets (he lacks even the ability to fake empathy, charming consists of refering to girls as "baby"), Betsy is adorabubs (she can't flirt her way out of a speeding ticket). Dialogue should not be used to create character or build relationships, but rather to spout exposition about something we already know. Bonus points if you have a character say what they just thought!
I started a counter for every time the kids did something that left physical evidence at the scene of their crime or took an action to invalidate their alibi. We hit double digits, people. The resolution hints at consequences, but largely brushes aside the responsibility of all but one of our conspirators (spoiler: it's Mark!).
I'm trying to figure out the audience for this book, but I can't. There's no mystery, no suspense, no emotional connection to the characters or their actions whatsoever. The lesson, if there even is one, is a trite platitude as tired as the characters who "learn" it: don't give into peer-pressure; value your teachers, especially the challenging ones!
PS - If you must read, avoid the audiobook. The slow-southern monotone did nothing to improve my relationship with the characters and almost had me falling asleep in traffic.
January 22, 2024
“It's only by facing things that you ever put them behind you."
― Lois Duncan, Killing Mr. Griffin
Words cannot describe how much I disliked this book which is actually quite good but was not for me.
First off, if anyone knows me well, they know that Lois Duncan was my favorite author growing up. And that "Daughters of Eve", her masterpiece, is on my top ten lists for best books ever.
So there have been only two books of hers I did not like. One was "Summer of fear". But in that case it was simply because I loathed the villainess.
This was emotionally painful. Killing Mr. Griffin has an important message but that does not mean I have to like the book itself. Every page for me was painful. I hated the students. I felt so bad for Mr. Griffin. I could not and do not relate to these monster kids.
The whole experience of reading this was painful in a grind your teeth way. I finished it. I disliked it and in spite of my love for and admiration for, The wonderful Duncan this is one that I sadly cannot recommend.
Oh..if your actually wondering what it is about...well a group of spoiled kids do not like their teacher and decide to kidnap him when it all goes wrong resulting in tragedy. It was to much even for me and I love dark books. This also can be a bit triggering for young adults or kids. I really think one should read ALL her books...except maybe this one. Two stars from me.
― Lois Duncan, Killing Mr. Griffin
Words cannot describe how much I disliked this book which is actually quite good but was not for me.
First off, if anyone knows me well, they know that Lois Duncan was my favorite author growing up. And that "Daughters of Eve", her masterpiece, is on my top ten lists for best books ever.
So there have been only two books of hers I did not like. One was "Summer of fear". But in that case it was simply because I loathed the villainess.
This was emotionally painful. Killing Mr. Griffin has an important message but that does not mean I have to like the book itself. Every page for me was painful. I hated the students. I felt so bad for Mr. Griffin. I could not and do not relate to these monster kids.
The whole experience of reading this was painful in a grind your teeth way. I finished it. I disliked it and in spite of my love for and admiration for, The wonderful Duncan this is one that I sadly cannot recommend.
Oh..if your actually wondering what it is about...well a group of spoiled kids do not like their teacher and decide to kidnap him when it all goes wrong resulting in tragedy. It was to much even for me and I love dark books. This also can be a bit triggering for young adults or kids. I really think one should read ALL her books...except maybe this one. Two stars from me.
January 15, 2024
What in the world? lol I mean it's never this serious.
Killing Mr. Griffin is my first book by Lois Duncan and I must say I'm rather interested in checking out the rest of her books because of her reputation as it applies to the history of young adult literature. This specific title follows a group of students who plot to kidnap their high school teacher because they feel as though he goes too hard on his students. Naturally, things begin to go left and the students are left attempting to figure out how to cover a murder that was only supposed to be a scare tactic.
What Worked: I'm not going to lie. This book was rather predictable, but it was still fun and engaging in some ways. I was blown away by the idea that this group of students would actually kidnap a teacher in order to "teach him a lesson" about being too hard on his students. Lois Duncan profiled each one of the characters to give readers an idea of their home life and their personalities which helped in developing theories on who was responsible for the series of events that occurred after the kidnapping of Mr. Griffin. I didn't think I would enjoy that authorial decision, but for some reason it worked for me as a reader. While we are supposed to be most sympathetic to Sue, I found some of the other characters to be interesting as well.
What Didn't Work: As I stated above, this book is extremely predictable. It isn't that hard to figure out who is responsible for the murders and attempted murders that occur after Mr. Griffin's death. And the lack of logic that existed in their decision making was quite frustrating at times. I know that I'm adult reader consuming this and it's very on par for decisions that a typical teenager would make, but my goodness did it grate my nerves. The treatment of mental health towards the end of the novel also didn't work for me, but I think that a lot of that has to do with the time in which this book was written (late 1970s). It also isn't the best written book in the world, but I can see people enjoying this one for entertainment value alone.
Overall, this was an okay read. I'm definitely going to check out more by Lois Duncan. It's a novel of its time, but I can see why Duncan played such a pivotal role in YA literature. This is where we begin to see a shift from those "problem" fiction books and more exploration into genre fiction.
Killing Mr. Griffin is my first book by Lois Duncan and I must say I'm rather interested in checking out the rest of her books because of her reputation as it applies to the history of young adult literature. This specific title follows a group of students who plot to kidnap their high school teacher because they feel as though he goes too hard on his students. Naturally, things begin to go left and the students are left attempting to figure out how to cover a murder that was only supposed to be a scare tactic.
What Worked: I'm not going to lie. This book was rather predictable, but it was still fun and engaging in some ways. I was blown away by the idea that this group of students would actually kidnap a teacher in order to "teach him a lesson" about being too hard on his students. Lois Duncan profiled each one of the characters to give readers an idea of their home life and their personalities which helped in developing theories on who was responsible for the series of events that occurred after the kidnapping of Mr. Griffin. I didn't think I would enjoy that authorial decision, but for some reason it worked for me as a reader. While we are supposed to be most sympathetic to Sue, I found some of the other characters to be interesting as well.
What Didn't Work: As I stated above, this book is extremely predictable. It isn't that hard to figure out who is responsible for the murders and attempted murders that occur after Mr. Griffin's death. And the lack of logic that existed in their decision making was quite frustrating at times. I know that I'm adult reader consuming this and it's very on par for decisions that a typical teenager would make, but my goodness did it grate my nerves. The treatment of mental health towards the end of the novel also didn't work for me, but I think that a lot of that has to do with the time in which this book was written (late 1970s). It also isn't the best written book in the world, but I can see people enjoying this one for entertainment value alone.
Overall, this was an okay read. I'm definitely going to check out more by Lois Duncan. It's a novel of its time, but I can see why Duncan played such a pivotal role in YA literature. This is where we begin to see a shift from those "problem" fiction books and more exploration into genre fiction.
March 1, 2017
Really cool nice superb awesome twist.
January 28, 2009
What a great little suspense book for the reluctant reader. It is only 222 pages and really is a page turner. Students have a nasty teacher (well they think he is) and one day after they all get bad grades, someone makes the chance remark, "That Griffin guy is the kind you'd like to kill." The leader of the pack, Mark, gets everyone to believe they will just kidnap him, scare him, and Mr Griffin will become a NICE teacher when he sees what it is like ont he receiving end. Simple, right- NOT---as you can tell from the title, Mr Griffin does die and the teens keep looking to Mark for leadership. Never once does he think to alert the police, he just keeps on coming up with more and more schemes to hide the crime. What did I learn, that there are many people who can't see a psychopath coming, they get sucked in by his personality and then under his spell, don't seem to have the will to know right from wrong.
January 28, 2024
I heard of this book before but I believe it's the first time I've read it. In some ways the plot is very simple but yet I must admit I had no idea how it would end. Because the characters get themselves involved in such an awful complicated mess that I just didn't see any way they could possibly get out of it. The things the teens do in this book are things one should never do unless you want the police hunting you and you'll be constantly looking over your shoulder while wondering "do they know?"... And even when I was just a few pages away from the end I still didn't see how it was going to end!
I would not call the book a thriller or a nail biter. It's more a deliberate train wreck. You just know that awful stuff is going to happen and you sort of accept it. The main character makes really bad choices and you sort of feel like screaming at her - why in the world would a straight A student even think of doing that stuff - but you know it's useless. I never felt frustrated with the book though...I just accepted it as it is. I guess the story is meant to teach you about peer pressure or maybe how to spot dangerous people you should stay away from! It's more like a horror movie in a way. Some people are just awful judges of character.
It is very fun and entertaining. Which is what it's meant to be. Just don't think about it too much or you might see a few flaws. I think things were more simple back when it was written. And the various characters do some extremely stupid stuff! So look at it as one of those fun horror flicks and you'll have fun. It is quite different in that the kids actually kidnap their teacher!
I would not call the book a thriller or a nail biter. It's more a deliberate train wreck. You just know that awful stuff is going to happen and you sort of accept it. The main character makes really bad choices and you sort of feel like screaming at her - why in the world would a straight A student even think of doing that stuff - but you know it's useless. I never felt frustrated with the book though...I just accepted it as it is. I guess the story is meant to teach you about peer pressure or maybe how to spot dangerous people you should stay away from! It's more like a horror movie in a way. Some people are just awful judges of character.
It is very fun and entertaining. Which is what it's meant to be. Just don't think about it too much or you might see a few flaws. I think things were more simple back when it was written. And the various characters do some extremely stupid stuff! So look at it as one of those fun horror flicks and you'll have fun. It is quite different in that the kids actually kidnap their teacher!
September 23, 2019
This was kind of crazy and I would have liked it to be longer. It starts with a horrible idea by some high school kids to scare their teacher because they don't like how harshly he grades and how strict he is. Things of course go wrong and suddenly they're covering up a murder. There are five main characters, although Susie, Dave, and Mark dominate the story. I would have liked more time for Dave and Susie to maybe develop a relationship and Mark has so much going on that isn't addressed. The story was intriguing and easy to listen to, just wanted more story.
March 31, 2025
I didn’t read the original version of this book. I wish I did! 😿The changes were small but executed sooooo poorly. Like introducing iPhones and Google into a story otherwise set in the 70s. 🤦
It just doesn’t make sense. Don Quixote was written in the 1600s. I’m not all the sudden gonna swap the horses for helicopters! 🚁
It’s a decent story, as was the film starring Mario Lopez. But to anyone who mistakenly picks up a newer copy of this book, consider it dead-on-arrival. 😫
It just doesn’t make sense. Don Quixote was written in the 1600s. I’m not all the sudden gonna swap the horses for helicopters! 🚁
It’s a decent story, as was the film starring Mario Lopez. But to anyone who mistakenly picks up a newer copy of this book, consider it dead-on-arrival. 😫
January 5, 2023
This was okay. I’m sure that for the time it was written it was absolutely amazing. I’ve heard lots of people say that they loved this. It was fun and quick, a great YA thriller for sure! The twists at the end made it worth it.
February 24, 2008
I was thinking about reading this book with my classes during the upcoming six weeks. After reading it, I'm surprised that my school purchased a class set of it. Perhaps, eighth graders could handle it -- but, I know my little sixth graders could not. Multiple instances of cursing, the use of illicit substances and the fact that the entire book is about covering up a murder is a bit much. I'd also feel a knife going into my chest with every Hamlet reference that went completely over my students' heads.
Good book, otherwise. Just not good for my current purposes.
Good book, otherwise. Just not good for my current purposes.
October 26, 2009
When I found this old thing sitting quietly on the top shelf of the Young Adult section in Borders, next to a couple more Lois Duncan books, I was hesitant. It seemed like one of those generic little suspense books for teens--like one of those wannabe Twilight fantasy books that have overly cheesy premises and even cheesier dialogue. But something about this book made me want to buy all 6 dollars and 99 cents of its glory. Was it the cover? Maybe. Was it the vague description on the back? Could be. But I'm glad I didn't skip the opportunity to read it.
Seeing as I've never read I Know What You Did Last Summer, nor have I seen the movie (two facts that I hate admitting), I was pretty shocked when I found out that Lois Duncan is a damn good author. Yes, the premise was a little hard to believe (a group of high school students team up to kidnap their tough-as-nails English teacher to give him a little "scare"), but Duncan makes it work. She decides to tell the tale in an unlimited third-person perspective, such a smart decision that weaves the entire story together. And oh God, the details.
Because of the way she told the story, it weaves together, never leaving a single detail unexplained. The little things she adds to spice the story up a little bit, making sure that David's grandmother notices the bitter taste of the green Jell-O, or that Jeff's parents notice that their son always does things for Mark but he never gives him anything in return, is brilliant. Because once the story comes to a finish, readers will put it down, rewind everything in their heads, and let out a nice, long, "Ohhhh."
But while the details are the muscle of the book, they're also the weakness. Duncan tells the story so intricately that it seems a bit formulaic at times, sounding as if everything that happened was completely planned out. Still, she never lets things get too predictable, and towards the end, the readers are still on their knees, waiting to see what happens.
I do wish she had tied things up a little more, but overall, I am highly satisfied with this book, and I will definitely explore more of Lois Duncan's works. 4.5 stars.
Seeing as I've never read I Know What You Did Last Summer, nor have I seen the movie (two facts that I hate admitting), I was pretty shocked when I found out that Lois Duncan is a damn good author. Yes, the premise was a little hard to believe (a group of high school students team up to kidnap their tough-as-nails English teacher to give him a little "scare"), but Duncan makes it work. She decides to tell the tale in an unlimited third-person perspective, such a smart decision that weaves the entire story together. And oh God, the details.
Because of the way she told the story, it weaves together, never leaving a single detail unexplained. The little things she adds to spice the story up a little bit, making sure that David's grandmother notices the bitter taste of the green Jell-O, or that Jeff's parents notice that their son always does things for Mark but he never gives him anything in return, is brilliant. Because once the story comes to a finish, readers will put it down, rewind everything in their heads, and let out a nice, long, "Ohhhh."
But while the details are the muscle of the book, they're also the weakness. Duncan tells the story so intricately that it seems a bit formulaic at times, sounding as if everything that happened was completely planned out. Still, she never lets things get too predictable, and towards the end, the readers are still on their knees, waiting to see what happens.
I do wish she had tied things up a little more, but overall, I am highly satisfied with this book, and I will definitely explore more of Lois Duncan's works. 4.5 stars.
April 25, 2009
The story is about five high school students who plan to scare their English teacher by kidnapping him, to get even for his strict grading. It all goes wrong when the teacher dies of heart failure while they have him tied up. The plot was very well crafted, especially the details of how their cover-up unravels. It's skillfully written to maintain suspense through the length of the book but it still lags in some parts for me. The difficult characterization of the victim is handled perfectly; you can easily believe he's a good man, undeserving of his fate, and at the same time see how the students could hate him.
If there's any imperfection in this book, to me, it's the relatively abrupt ending and brief denouement. The long-term consequences of the crime are not explored, and I'd like to know what became of the students - how they're finally punished. I guess there's a balance and too much of that could become boring, but still it seems it might leave some readers with the impression the students got off too lightly.
This book is especially good for teenagers who think they have problem teachers, and would like an answer to some questions about how teachers really think.
Book Details:
Title Killing Mr. Griffin
Author Lois Duncan
Reviewed By Purplycookie
If there's any imperfection in this book, to me, it's the relatively abrupt ending and brief denouement. The long-term consequences of the crime are not explored, and I'd like to know what became of the students - how they're finally punished. I guess there's a balance and too much of that could become boring, but still it seems it might leave some readers with the impression the students got off too lightly.
This book is especially good for teenagers who think they have problem teachers, and would like an answer to some questions about how teachers really think.
Book Details:
Title Killing Mr. Griffin
Author Lois Duncan
Reviewed By Purplycookie
March 26, 2010
As a future high school English teacher I found this book a little disturbing. Five high school students who are tired of being jerked around by their English teacher, Mr. Griffin, plan to kidnap him. Their plan is to kidnap and humiliate the teacher. The participants include the jock, the cheerleader, the class president, the bad boy, and the mousey nerd. Their plan seems to go off as planned, except one little thing: Mr. Griffin is dead! The kids weren't aware that Mr. Griffin had a heart condition that lead to his death within hours of the kidnap. They try to cover up their crime, but they didn't bargain for Mrs. Griffin, that won't let the inconsistancies in their story rest. They are quickly found out as their story unravels, but not before another death and attempted murder on one of their own in order to keep the crime hiddent.
The premise of the story is a good one, but is out of date considering we now have DNA and better crime solving techniques. This makes the book a little cheesy at times. I'm sure at the time it was written the book would have been much more believable, but I found myself saying "that would never happen."
The premise of the story is a good one, but is out of date considering we now have DNA and better crime solving techniques. This makes the book a little cheesy at times. I'm sure at the time it was written the book would have been much more believable, but I found myself saying "that would never happen."
January 18, 2012
I read this for my 7th Grade English class with Mr. David Marsden. A very interesting story and worthy of appreciating.
Summary from Wikipedia
Brian Griffin is a school teacher who never accepts late homework and is extremely demanding of his students. After he gives out F's to a group of students who fail to turn in their papers on time, the students—the popular crowd—decide to get revenge by kidnapping him. Mark Kinney is the one most often singled out by Mr. Griffin, because the semester before, Mark had plagiarized a term paper with help from his former girlfriend, Lana Turnbolt, who stole the paper from the college she was attending at the time. This was the same college that Mr. Griffin had formerly served as an assistant professor. Instantly recognizing this paper, Mr. Griffin checked the college archives and then failed Mark and humiliated him in front of his class, making him beg to be allowed to take the course again.
Later, in the company of his wife Kathy, Mr. Griffin admits that he gave up a chance at tenure at the college, deciding to return to high school to teach students to write. While Mr. Griffin earned a Ph.D at University and became an assistant professor in the state college, Kathryn was a C student in high school and had later worked as a clerk in a department store.
The group of friends includes Mark Kinney, David Ruggles (president of the high school's senior class), Jeff Garrett (a basketball player) and Betsy Cline (the head cheerleader). Mark lives with his aunt and uncle Ivan, who helped him get back into Griffin's class, but Mark spurns them—leaving the house first thing in the morning and returning late at night. David is a good and popular student aiming to get the state university scholarship, so a poor grade in Griffin's literature class would jeopardize that. David faces further pressures in his life to succeed in order to be able to support his family, since his mother is in a dead-end secretarial job, and as his nagging and lazy grandmother lives with them. David hopes to fulfill the expectations of his father—whose alma mater was Stanford—and who had years ago left the family for some unknown reason. Jeff is completely obedient to Mark and does things for the group like driving them around and often paying for their meals. Jeff's parents do not approve of Mark, but assume that he hangs out with a well-adjusted student like Jeff because Mark comes from a dysfunctional family and must idolize Jeff, when it is actually the opposite. Betsy is spoiled and snobbish, being popular in high school social circles, and secretly has a crush on Mark, though she is Jeff's girlfriend.
Mark has the idea to kidnap Mr. Griffin, saying it's only as a prank to scare the teacher and "teach him a lesson", while it's really only because Mark wants revenge after Griffin made a fool out of him last semester.They drive Mr. Griffin to a secret place in the mountains—an area so remote, that Mark is the only one who has used it, for outings with his former girlfriend, Lana Turnbolt.
Betsy arrives in the parking lot after the boys have left with Mr. Griffin. She was late, thanks to a speeding ticket. Susan was supposed to get in the car with Betsy, but Susan doesn't want to take any more part in the scheme than she has to. Betsy heads to the mountains. Once she arrives, the group begins taunting Mr. Griffin, telling him to beg for his life or they would kill him. They find Mr. Griffin's medicine and don't give it back, eventually smashing the pills without knowing their purpose. Mark tells Mr. Griffin to beg or they will leave him there the whole night. However, Mr. Griffin refuses, so they abandon him there on Mark's orders, blindfolded and bound.
Later, Susan defies Mark and begs David to go check on Mr. Griffin. He gives in, and when they reach the spot, they find him dead. Susan and David hurry to find Mark, Jeff, and Betsy, who were at a basketball game. Mark decides that they will cover up their accidental murder instead of going to the police. Mr. Griffin's wife goes to the police the next day, because her husband was not home when he was supposed to be.
A few days after Mr. Griffin's death, a police officer pulls Susan from a class to question her, because she was the last person to see Mr. Griffin alive (or so they believe). Mark meets her in the hallway before she reaches the office and instructs Susan on what to tell the police. She tells the police that Mr. Griffin spent the whole conference looking at his watch and eventually got into a car with a pretty woman.
Everyone except for Susan heads to the mountains and they place Mr. Griffin in a shallow grave. David and Jeff do all of the digging. David secretly takes Mr. Griffin's Stanford class ring, because it reminds David of his father. Jeff takes the car and resprays it gray, telling his parents that it's a friend's car and he's fixing it. Then he and Betsy drive it to the airport and use a cloth to wipe off the fingerprints from the steering wheel. Susan does not go to help, because the group is afraid she might have a nervous breakdown. Betsy, who secretly has a crush on Mark, becomes resentful that he has asked Betsy to take a hands-on role in disposing the evidence, and is also jealous that Mark is spending so much time with a plain girl like Susan.
Mr. Griffin's wife, Kathy, pays Susan a visit at her home, upset because she believes that Susan lied in her report to the police. Mrs. Griffin points out that Mr. Griffin couldn't have been wearing his watch that day, because it was at home, broken. Susan gets nervous, but Mrs. McConnel backs up her daughter saying she would never lie. Then arrives David and Mark. Mrs. McConnell ends the session by saying that if Susan remembers anything she will contact Kathy.
Days later, Mark's ex-girlfriend, Lana, has a picnic with her fiancee at the secret place in the mountains. The couple discovers Mr. Griffin’s medicine bottle for his heart condition. Informing the police, they also mention there was a patch of dirt that looked like it had been recently uprooted. The police check it out, and find Mr. Griffin's body buried in the hole. Brian Griffin's murder is all over the news.
David’s grandmother finds the ring David took that had belonged to Mr. Griffin. She mistakenly believes it belongs to David's father, who left David’s mother a long time ago. David's grandmother believes David has been secretly meeting with his father, and that's why he's been acting so strange lately. David's mother does not take his grandmother seriously, but the conspirators know they need to hide or destroy the ring since it is evidence of their crime. However, the grandmother will not return the ring to David until she gets to meet with David's father.
David's grandmother is killed, a neighbor referring to the killer as a "boy in a brown sweater." When David learns that she is dead, he is overcome with grief and takes no further part in the plot. Susan makes the connection, knowing that Mark has a brown sweater he wears all the time, and that Mark would stop at nothing to get what he needed - in this case, the ring.
Susan then threatens to tell the police all that the group has done. Mark orders Jeff and Betsy to bind Susan and they leave. Mark tells Susan what really happened to his father - that he set their house on fire and killed him. Susan realizes that he's going to do the same to her. He sets her curtains on fire. Susan also realizes she hates him, but loves him. Miraculously, Susan is saved by Kathy Griffin, who recognizes her husband's Chevy in Susan's driveway when she sees Susan's house on fire. Though the car had been repainted, the gray color can't be made out in the dark, and Mrs. Griffin recognizes the patched upholstery.
The conspiracy unravels with all of those involved facing varying degrees of criminal charges, except for Susan who is granted amnesty in exchange for her testimony at Mark's murder trial. The novel ends with Susan's mother telling her that Mark will be blamed for manipulating her along with the other students, because he has been diagnosed as a psychopath.
Summary from Wikipedia
Brian Griffin is a school teacher who never accepts late homework and is extremely demanding of his students. After he gives out F's to a group of students who fail to turn in their papers on time, the students—the popular crowd—decide to get revenge by kidnapping him. Mark Kinney is the one most often singled out by Mr. Griffin, because the semester before, Mark had plagiarized a term paper with help from his former girlfriend, Lana Turnbolt, who stole the paper from the college she was attending at the time. This was the same college that Mr. Griffin had formerly served as an assistant professor. Instantly recognizing this paper, Mr. Griffin checked the college archives and then failed Mark and humiliated him in front of his class, making him beg to be allowed to take the course again.
Later, in the company of his wife Kathy, Mr. Griffin admits that he gave up a chance at tenure at the college, deciding to return to high school to teach students to write. While Mr. Griffin earned a Ph.D at University and became an assistant professor in the state college, Kathryn was a C student in high school and had later worked as a clerk in a department store.
The group of friends includes Mark Kinney, David Ruggles (president of the high school's senior class), Jeff Garrett (a basketball player) and Betsy Cline (the head cheerleader). Mark lives with his aunt and uncle Ivan, who helped him get back into Griffin's class, but Mark spurns them—leaving the house first thing in the morning and returning late at night. David is a good and popular student aiming to get the state university scholarship, so a poor grade in Griffin's literature class would jeopardize that. David faces further pressures in his life to succeed in order to be able to support his family, since his mother is in a dead-end secretarial job, and as his nagging and lazy grandmother lives with them. David hopes to fulfill the expectations of his father—whose alma mater was Stanford—and who had years ago left the family for some unknown reason. Jeff is completely obedient to Mark and does things for the group like driving them around and often paying for their meals. Jeff's parents do not approve of Mark, but assume that he hangs out with a well-adjusted student like Jeff because Mark comes from a dysfunctional family and must idolize Jeff, when it is actually the opposite. Betsy is spoiled and snobbish, being popular in high school social circles, and secretly has a crush on Mark, though she is Jeff's girlfriend.
Mark has the idea to kidnap Mr. Griffin, saying it's only as a prank to scare the teacher and "teach him a lesson", while it's really only because Mark wants revenge after Griffin made a fool out of him last semester.They drive Mr. Griffin to a secret place in the mountains—an area so remote, that Mark is the only one who has used it, for outings with his former girlfriend, Lana Turnbolt.
Betsy arrives in the parking lot after the boys have left with Mr. Griffin. She was late, thanks to a speeding ticket. Susan was supposed to get in the car with Betsy, but Susan doesn't want to take any more part in the scheme than she has to. Betsy heads to the mountains. Once she arrives, the group begins taunting Mr. Griffin, telling him to beg for his life or they would kill him. They find Mr. Griffin's medicine and don't give it back, eventually smashing the pills without knowing their purpose. Mark tells Mr. Griffin to beg or they will leave him there the whole night. However, Mr. Griffin refuses, so they abandon him there on Mark's orders, blindfolded and bound.
Later, Susan defies Mark and begs David to go check on Mr. Griffin. He gives in, and when they reach the spot, they find him dead. Susan and David hurry to find Mark, Jeff, and Betsy, who were at a basketball game. Mark decides that they will cover up their accidental murder instead of going to the police. Mr. Griffin's wife goes to the police the next day, because her husband was not home when he was supposed to be.
A few days after Mr. Griffin's death, a police officer pulls Susan from a class to question her, because she was the last person to see Mr. Griffin alive (or so they believe). Mark meets her in the hallway before she reaches the office and instructs Susan on what to tell the police. She tells the police that Mr. Griffin spent the whole conference looking at his watch and eventually got into a car with a pretty woman.
Everyone except for Susan heads to the mountains and they place Mr. Griffin in a shallow grave. David and Jeff do all of the digging. David secretly takes Mr. Griffin's Stanford class ring, because it reminds David of his father. Jeff takes the car and resprays it gray, telling his parents that it's a friend's car and he's fixing it. Then he and Betsy drive it to the airport and use a cloth to wipe off the fingerprints from the steering wheel. Susan does not go to help, because the group is afraid she might have a nervous breakdown. Betsy, who secretly has a crush on Mark, becomes resentful that he has asked Betsy to take a hands-on role in disposing the evidence, and is also jealous that Mark is spending so much time with a plain girl like Susan.
Mr. Griffin's wife, Kathy, pays Susan a visit at her home, upset because she believes that Susan lied in her report to the police. Mrs. Griffin points out that Mr. Griffin couldn't have been wearing his watch that day, because it was at home, broken. Susan gets nervous, but Mrs. McConnel backs up her daughter saying she would never lie. Then arrives David and Mark. Mrs. McConnell ends the session by saying that if Susan remembers anything she will contact Kathy.
Days later, Mark's ex-girlfriend, Lana, has a picnic with her fiancee at the secret place in the mountains. The couple discovers Mr. Griffin’s medicine bottle for his heart condition. Informing the police, they also mention there was a patch of dirt that looked like it had been recently uprooted. The police check it out, and find Mr. Griffin's body buried in the hole. Brian Griffin's murder is all over the news.
David’s grandmother finds the ring David took that had belonged to Mr. Griffin. She mistakenly believes it belongs to David's father, who left David’s mother a long time ago. David's grandmother believes David has been secretly meeting with his father, and that's why he's been acting so strange lately. David's mother does not take his grandmother seriously, but the conspirators know they need to hide or destroy the ring since it is evidence of their crime. However, the grandmother will not return the ring to David until she gets to meet with David's father.
David's grandmother is killed, a neighbor referring to the killer as a "boy in a brown sweater." When David learns that she is dead, he is overcome with grief and takes no further part in the plot. Susan makes the connection, knowing that Mark has a brown sweater he wears all the time, and that Mark would stop at nothing to get what he needed - in this case, the ring.
Susan then threatens to tell the police all that the group has done. Mark orders Jeff and Betsy to bind Susan and they leave. Mark tells Susan what really happened to his father - that he set their house on fire and killed him. Susan realizes that he's going to do the same to her. He sets her curtains on fire. Susan also realizes she hates him, but loves him. Miraculously, Susan is saved by Kathy Griffin, who recognizes her husband's Chevy in Susan's driveway when she sees Susan's house on fire. Though the car had been repainted, the gray color can't be made out in the dark, and Mrs. Griffin recognizes the patched upholstery.
The conspiracy unravels with all of those involved facing varying degrees of criminal charges, except for Susan who is granted amnesty in exchange for her testimony at Mark's murder trial. The novel ends with Susan's mother telling her that Mark will be blamed for manipulating her along with the other students, because he has been diagnosed as a psychopath.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2020
Banned: Killing Mr. Griffin was banned because of inappropriate language and plot. The story line involves the students murdering their teacher which might inspire similar occurrences in reality.
Killing Mr. Griffin is a well written, dark, deeply terrifying story.
Killing Mr. Griffin is a well written, dark, deeply terrifying story.
August 13, 2024
3.5 ⭐
October 12, 2024
Why? How? WHY
October 5, 2024
A twisty-turny story of morality, when a group of high school students kidnap their teacher to scare him and bad things happen. I love Lois Duncan and the way she sets a mood. For a story that lays out the "twist" pretty early, it's still completely captivating and a real page-turner.
May 16, 2012
This book is called "Killing Mr. Griffin" by Lois Duncan.
The book is about this teenage boy called Mark Kinney. He hates his English teacher. His name is Mr. Griffin. Mr. Griffin is one of those teachers that you hat. He always makes pop quizez, gives a lot of homework and never smiles in class. Every of his students hate him. In purpose, he also gives bad grades to well written papers. So Mark creates a plan of kidnapping Mr. Giffin. He wants Mr. Griffin to suffer. He wants him to have a taste of his own medicine. The plan was to get Mr. Griffin up on the hills where it was his hiding place. Mark gathers some of his friends to help him. He told one of his friends Sue to arrange a meeting with Mr. Griffin after school. When Sue is in that meeting, that is when Jeff, David and Betsy are going to capture him. Sue agreed to the part of the plan of having the meeting with Mr. Griffin but she didn´t want to be part of taking him to the hills so she went home early. The group left Mr. Griffin on the hills for 7 complete hours. Like Sue went home early, she didn´t know that they were going to leave Mr. Griffin on the hills 7 hours. When she found out, she told David that it was too much time to leave Mr. Griffin up there so she told him to take her up there to free Mr. Griffin. When they get to the mountains, they find Mr. Griffin dead. Can you guess why was Mr. Griffin dead? You will have to read the book to find out.
This book is AWESOME!!! When you read the first page, you want to read the whole book. So I gave this book a 5 star rating because it was great. I just kept reading until I could get enough. But I think that this book was to hard for me so there was parts I couldn´t understand because of the vocabulary. This was one of the greatest book I have ever read in my life!
The book is about this teenage boy called Mark Kinney. He hates his English teacher. His name is Mr. Griffin. Mr. Griffin is one of those teachers that you hat. He always makes pop quizez, gives a lot of homework and never smiles in class. Every of his students hate him. In purpose, he also gives bad grades to well written papers. So Mark creates a plan of kidnapping Mr. Giffin. He wants Mr. Griffin to suffer. He wants him to have a taste of his own medicine. The plan was to get Mr. Griffin up on the hills where it was his hiding place. Mark gathers some of his friends to help him. He told one of his friends Sue to arrange a meeting with Mr. Griffin after school. When Sue is in that meeting, that is when Jeff, David and Betsy are going to capture him. Sue agreed to the part of the plan of having the meeting with Mr. Griffin but she didn´t want to be part of taking him to the hills so she went home early. The group left Mr. Griffin on the hills for 7 complete hours. Like Sue went home early, she didn´t know that they were going to leave Mr. Griffin on the hills 7 hours. When she found out, she told David that it was too much time to leave Mr. Griffin up there so she told him to take her up there to free Mr. Griffin. When they get to the mountains, they find Mr. Griffin dead. Can you guess why was Mr. Griffin dead? You will have to read the book to find out.
This book is AWESOME!!! When you read the first page, you want to read the whole book. So I gave this book a 5 star rating because it was great. I just kept reading until I could get enough. But I think that this book was to hard for me so there was parts I couldn´t understand because of the vocabulary. This was one of the greatest book I have ever read in my life!
April 24, 2017
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
★★★★1/2
From The Book:
They only meant to scare him.
Mr. Griffin is the strictest teacher at Del Norte High, with a penchant for endless projects and humiliating his students. Even straight-A student Susan can't believe how mean he is to the charismatic Mark Kinney. So when her crush asks Susan to help a group of students teach a lesson of their own, she goes along. After all, it's a harmless prank, right? But things don't go according to plan. When one "accident" leads to another, people begin to die. Susan and her friends must face the awful truth: one of them is a killer.
My Views:
If you have a few hours on your hands or just want to read something that doesn't weigh 500 pounds or is composed of 700 pages...this little jewel is your new best friend. In spite of someone thinking that it should be banned...it was one of the best books I've read this year. I guess I can see the reason for "banning" it but believe me teens read much worse than this every day.
We have all had a teacher like Mr. Griffin. A teacher that demanded that we actually work to get the grade. Most of us though don't respond by kidnapping said teacher and inadvertently killing them. The students are just too young or too immature to see things from Mr. Griffin's side...they just know that English is no longer the breeze it was last year. So a group of students decide to try and change things but the plan was a disaster waiting to happen from the start. one of the perpetrators was charismatic but with sociopathic tendencies...one was the class president and never thought he's be suspected.... one was a star athlete that everyone liked and admired... and then there was the "Queen Bee"...the one that gets voted home coming Queen just because she breathes. They needed a decoy so they enlist the class geek Susan because she just wants to be liked. Unfortunately for them this complicates things because she out of the entire group has a conscience. Things fall apart soon due to both poor planning and sheer bad luck.
Unlike some teen books, this one attempts to give the various adults' viewpoints as well as the students. It raises some questions about nature or nurture, but can, and should be read simply for entertainment.
★★★★1/2
From The Book:
They only meant to scare him.
Mr. Griffin is the strictest teacher at Del Norte High, with a penchant for endless projects and humiliating his students. Even straight-A student Susan can't believe how mean he is to the charismatic Mark Kinney. So when her crush asks Susan to help a group of students teach a lesson of their own, she goes along. After all, it's a harmless prank, right? But things don't go according to plan. When one "accident" leads to another, people begin to die. Susan and her friends must face the awful truth: one of them is a killer.
My Views:
If you have a few hours on your hands or just want to read something that doesn't weigh 500 pounds or is composed of 700 pages...this little jewel is your new best friend. In spite of someone thinking that it should be banned...it was one of the best books I've read this year. I guess I can see the reason for "banning" it but believe me teens read much worse than this every day.
We have all had a teacher like Mr. Griffin. A teacher that demanded that we actually work to get the grade. Most of us though don't respond by kidnapping said teacher and inadvertently killing them. The students are just too young or too immature to see things from Mr. Griffin's side...they just know that English is no longer the breeze it was last year. So a group of students decide to try and change things but the plan was a disaster waiting to happen from the start. one of the perpetrators was charismatic but with sociopathic tendencies...one was the class president and never thought he's be suspected.... one was a star athlete that everyone liked and admired... and then there was the "Queen Bee"...the one that gets voted home coming Queen just because she breathes. They needed a decoy so they enlist the class geek Susan because she just wants to be liked. Unfortunately for them this complicates things because she out of the entire group has a conscience. Things fall apart soon due to both poor planning and sheer bad luck.
Unlike some teen books, this one attempts to give the various adults' viewpoints as well as the students. It raises some questions about nature or nurture, but can, and should be read simply for entertainment.
September 28, 2023
That was incredibly sad. Mr. Griffin didn't deserve this. He's just a man who takes his job and his student's education seriously. Those kids are such ungrateful and disrespectful brats I've came across. It's crazy how they go to such extreme lengths just go get back at their teacher.
If i got a teacher like Mr.Griffin, him being super strict would have pushed me more to study harder.
Peer pressure is indeed crazy!
If i got a teacher like Mr.Griffin, him being super strict would have pushed me more to study harder.
Peer pressure is indeed crazy!
December 1, 2015
***Spoiler Alert*** "It's a description of Mark," Susan said. "It's a clinical description of a psychopath." The genre is young adult, mystery, and thriller. I like this book because it wants me to read more and more each page.
The setting is mostly at night and at the waterfall. This group of kids (Mark, Susan, Betsy, David, and Jeff) want to kidnap their teacher to scare him because they don't like him because he is too strict. They kidnap their teacher Mr.Griffin and take him to the waterfall. Jeff had a game that day and Betsy did cheerleading for the game. So, they had to leave him there till they got back. Meanwhile David went to Susan's house and they went on a ride. He told her everything that happened. She wanted to go check on Mr.Griffin and free him. But, when they got there he was stone dead. They went to Mark to figure out what to do. They buried his body at the waterfall and took his car to the airport so someone can take the car. When they went to the airport they saw a cop Betsy knew and had to take it somewhere else. Later they heard a report on the radio that his wallet has ben stolen and his wedding band. Mark had took the wallet and David took the ring and kept it for himself. David's grandmother found the wring and kept it because it was the same ring that her son gave to her daughter in law. she thought he had came back and was talking to David. She wouldn't give back the ring. Mark said he would handle it. He went to David house and got the ring. David's grandmother tripped and hit her head on the window sill. Jeff painted it green and changed the license plate. They were headed to Susan's house to meet up. She was going to tell the cops that Mark killed David's grandmother and tell the police everything. But Jeff, Betsy, and Mark tied her up and Mark told them to head to the place they where going to drop it off. Mark was lighting the house on fire with Susan in it. Mrs.Griffin wanted an interview with Susan since she was the last person who saw Mr.Griffin and she was with the detective. She saw Mr.Griffin's car and they saved Susan's life. Susan's parents had a lawyer and was in court. Mark will face three trials and the others were faced with second-degree murder. The conflict is Person vs Person because the group had killed Mr.Griffin. The theme is peer pressure because Susan was pressured to do all the things she did she thought it would be fun not a nightmare.
The title relates to the book because the group killed Mr.Griffin maybe not on purpose but they did it.
The theme can be seen when Susan had an interview with the cops and Mark told her what to say but she didn't want to say it but it was the best choice at that point because she didn't know what else to say.
I was surprised when Mark was going to set the house on fire to kill Susan so she wouldn't tell. The character I identify the most with is Susan because she was a good student and she is doing something like this you wouldn't expect she did something like this.
I give this book a five out of five because I think the book was very interesting and well written. I recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers and mystery's. How would you feel if something similar happened to you?
The setting is mostly at night and at the waterfall. This group of kids (Mark, Susan, Betsy, David, and Jeff) want to kidnap their teacher to scare him because they don't like him because he is too strict. They kidnap their teacher Mr.Griffin and take him to the waterfall. Jeff had a game that day and Betsy did cheerleading for the game. So, they had to leave him there till they got back. Meanwhile David went to Susan's house and they went on a ride. He told her everything that happened. She wanted to go check on Mr.Griffin and free him. But, when they got there he was stone dead. They went to Mark to figure out what to do. They buried his body at the waterfall and took his car to the airport so someone can take the car. When they went to the airport they saw a cop Betsy knew and had to take it somewhere else. Later they heard a report on the radio that his wallet has ben stolen and his wedding band. Mark had took the wallet and David took the ring and kept it for himself. David's grandmother found the wring and kept it because it was the same ring that her son gave to her daughter in law. she thought he had came back and was talking to David. She wouldn't give back the ring. Mark said he would handle it. He went to David house and got the ring. David's grandmother tripped and hit her head on the window sill. Jeff painted it green and changed the license plate. They were headed to Susan's house to meet up. She was going to tell the cops that Mark killed David's grandmother and tell the police everything. But Jeff, Betsy, and Mark tied her up and Mark told them to head to the place they where going to drop it off. Mark was lighting the house on fire with Susan in it. Mrs.Griffin wanted an interview with Susan since she was the last person who saw Mr.Griffin and she was with the detective. She saw Mr.Griffin's car and they saved Susan's life. Susan's parents had a lawyer and was in court. Mark will face three trials and the others were faced with second-degree murder. The conflict is Person vs Person because the group had killed Mr.Griffin. The theme is peer pressure because Susan was pressured to do all the things she did she thought it would be fun not a nightmare.
The title relates to the book because the group killed Mr.Griffin maybe not on purpose but they did it.
The theme can be seen when Susan had an interview with the cops and Mark told her what to say but she didn't want to say it but it was the best choice at that point because she didn't know what else to say.
I was surprised when Mark was going to set the house on fire to kill Susan so she wouldn't tell. The character I identify the most with is Susan because she was a good student and she is doing something like this you wouldn't expect she did something like this.
I give this book a five out of five because I think the book was very interesting and well written. I recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers and mystery's. How would you feel if something similar happened to you?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2017
This was a terrific read! Mr. Griffin is a high school English teacher who takes no excuses and give no allowances. We learn as we go that this is because he used to be a college professor and was appalled at how unprepared students entered his classes. He left the college life to do his part to better prepare the youth of America. Sounds laudable, and in a way it is, but you must always temper any dealings with teens with some mercy and if you can or do not...woe be to you!
Griffin currently has four students with reason to dislike him. Unfortunately for him, one (Mark) is a bit more than an upset student. This boy is a sociopath and charismatic enough to convince others to go along with this scheme to get back at Griffin. Mark uses Betsy, a popular, but always wanting to be more so girl, Jeff, an easily malleable friend, David, a good boy, but a doormat and poor, poor Sue, a misfit.
Duncan does such a beautiful job of showing these children’s personalities and weaknesses with very few words. She alludes to the frightening bits of Mark and she paints the sadness of Sue’s life with perfect grace and ease. She doesn’t rub our noses in it, but she does show how each of us can be guilty of adding to the angst of youth without even meaning to.
Mark comes up with a plan and things go just a bit too far. I won’t say more. The title already did, after all, but I will say that the writing here was superb. In only one instance, the every end of the tale, does Duncan use the fall back of “telling” her story as opposed to the “showing” she did in the rest of this little gem.
Duncan did such a good job of dropping little nuggets of information along the way that added to the unease of the reader. She also set a mood of expectation from almost the first page. She described four teenagers that covered many of the teenage trope bases. I really felt that I knew these kids even if I didn’t want to. I felt sorry for some of them and examined ways I may have added to other’s misery. Duncan made me feel for Mrs. Griffin without ever making me like Mr. Griffin himself, despite showing me why he was the way he ended up being.
Great book!
Griffin currently has four students with reason to dislike him. Unfortunately for him, one (Mark) is a bit more than an upset student. This boy is a sociopath and charismatic enough to convince others to go along with this scheme to get back at Griffin. Mark uses Betsy, a popular, but always wanting to be more so girl, Jeff, an easily malleable friend, David, a good boy, but a doormat and poor, poor Sue, a misfit.
Duncan does such a beautiful job of showing these children’s personalities and weaknesses with very few words. She alludes to the frightening bits of Mark and she paints the sadness of Sue’s life with perfect grace and ease. She doesn’t rub our noses in it, but she does show how each of us can be guilty of adding to the angst of youth without even meaning to.
Mark comes up with a plan and things go just a bit too far. I won’t say more. The title already did, after all, but I will say that the writing here was superb. In only one instance, the every end of the tale, does Duncan use the fall back of “telling” her story as opposed to the “showing” she did in the rest of this little gem.
Duncan did such a good job of dropping little nuggets of information along the way that added to the unease of the reader. She also set a mood of expectation from almost the first page. She described four teenagers that covered many of the teenage trope bases. I really felt that I knew these kids even if I didn’t want to. I felt sorry for some of them and examined ways I may have added to other’s misery. Duncan made me feel for Mrs. Griffin without ever making me like Mr. Griffin himself, despite showing me why he was the way he ended up being.
Great book!
Read
November 11, 2009The book I read was a little easier and the reason I chose it was because intricate plots and twisting action throughout most books can lose me and have me just staring at the page. This book had great character descriptions and during the story their descriptions suited them well as they story progressed. The main action was during the middle of the book and the plot was easily understood, (especially for a terrible reader), but despite its clarity and its extricating plot the author should’ve stretched it out further towards the end. Duncan, the author, developed her characters during the book very efficiently. One of the main characters that are known thought out the story, is one example of her ability to develop her characters. When the plot was around Mark, it seems to be revolving around him single handedly. This was sort of a problem because the main plot was about Mr. Griffin who in the end was sort of disappearing in my eyes as the reader and the story board switched mainly to Mark. The thing I noticed most about the book was it turned more into a serial killer book then one involving a practical joke. The book was totally in third person, and as I mainly went through the book, I thought that I might’ve missed some important information about the murder case going on. You might be reading about Jeff, Betsy, and Sue, while Mark is off doing something that is off doing something that is a key to the mystery. All in all, the book was a very fun and interesting book. I would not recommend this book to anyone above 9th grade. It was an easy read and think my next book will be a little bit more challenging.
June 30, 2016
Lois Duncan was a fixture in my library hauls as a teenager. Thrillers, horror, supernatural versions of both. It was awesome. I was very sad to hear that she had passed away and so I have a mission to revisit as many of her books as I can get hold of. Killing Mr. Griffin was one of the first books that came to mind so here we begin.
Reading this as a teenager is quite a different experience reading it as an adult. That goes without saying but oh man. There are points of this where I sort of wanted to scream. Or throttle the kids. It is also, just slightly, dated. That being said I know there are re-issued ones where they have been touched up to be more current and I'm not sure if that would be weirder reading.
Anyway, in this book a group of kids decide they need to scare their english teacher because he's strict, and awful, and terrible, by kidnapping him. This of course goes horribly wrong. What follows is a drama about what to do next, the virtues and likelihood of keeping everything quiet, and of course the turmoil of one particular student who only acted as a distraction because the guy she liked asked her to.
It is outlandish and ridiculous but, again, that is the appeal. Despite that, too, you can't help but feel for one or two of the characters. The emotion is real enough without being melodramatic even in this book.
All in all, it was a good visit. I'm hoping visits to any others are just as good.
Reading this as a teenager is quite a different experience reading it as an adult. That goes without saying but oh man. There are points of this where I sort of wanted to scream. Or throttle the kids. It is also, just slightly, dated. That being said I know there are re-issued ones where they have been touched up to be more current and I'm not sure if that would be weirder reading.
Anyway, in this book a group of kids decide they need to scare their english teacher because he's strict, and awful, and terrible, by kidnapping him. This of course goes horribly wrong. What follows is a drama about what to do next, the virtues and likelihood of keeping everything quiet, and of course the turmoil of one particular student who only acted as a distraction because the guy she liked asked her to.
It is outlandish and ridiculous but, again, that is the appeal. Despite that, too, you can't help but feel for one or two of the characters. The emotion is real enough without being melodramatic even in this book.
All in all, it was a good visit. I'm hoping visits to any others are just as good.
May 21, 2025
This was an interesting reading chose for like 7th graders
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