Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?: A Mystery in Poems

by Mel Glenn

Nominated for the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award of the Mystery Writers of America

An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

Award-winning author and poet Mel Glenn presents a unique mystery told through a series of free verse poems.

When popular Tower High English teacher Mr. Chippendale is fatally shot, everyone is a suspect. The killer could be anyone—one of his students, a colleague, or even an ex-flame. The aftermath of Mr. Chippendale’s murder is a suspenseful story that will keep readers guessing who the killer is right until the last page.

* "More than a whodunit, this unique offering explores a multitude of issues in its pages." — School Library Journal  (starred review)

Genres: Mystery, Poetry, Young Adult, Novel In Verse, Teen, Realistic Fiction, Crime

100 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

John Jack

This book is a mystery
solved through its collection of poems,
each one about a page long:
free verse, stream of consciousness,
a constant change in narrator,
like an ADHD Faulkner.
There are a lot of characters
for a 100-page story,
but the characterization is weak:
each one sounds like the last,
with a new emotion on top, perhaps,
but the same core: naive,
melodramatic,
heart on the sleeve.
There is no real suspense, just purple prose,
the points of view all wrapped in tiny bows--

that is: all a bit too on the nose--
sparks of phony emotion
in a tiresome didactic story.
Don't play violent video games!
Don't have sex with your teachers!
Stay in school and study hard,
that's how you get ahead!

... unless you get shot in the head
in a mawkish afer-school special.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me realize how much thing are going on in life that I ignore and don't pay attention. That people die all of the sudden. It made me pay attention and open my eyes to what I have

[Julie Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

So a teacher is murdered on the first page, and every page is a poem expressing the reactions of dozens of different people. Some of the poems are enjoyable and well-written enough to enjoy independently, but that's not why I liked it. The juxtaposition of sometimes completely conflicting perceptions of the same man, the same experience, or the same conversation was insightful & insight inspiring. This I see in life; something I do in my classroom is both something remembered fondly by some students and something loathed and resented by others... The feelings, reactions, perceptions of this man reveal a teacher's impact and his flaws as a person. The ending deals with the truth about our mortality and importance (from a cynic's point of view). A quick read, not very suspenseful, but this was well done. Best suited for urban high school students.

Warning: Some swearing, some adult content, characters are clearly from diverse but challenging backgrounds. I'm not sure my rural high school students would be as interested as those from Albany, for example. I'm not putting it out in my middle school classroom even though that's where I found it (from a previous teacher).

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to use for POV in the classroom. Raises questions about the value of education to today's student, immigration, and how most people remember how you made them feel. Valuable for discussion of empathy.

[Katelynne Thach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who Killed Mr. Chippendale, was an interesting book. I don't really read poems or Thrillers/mystery novels, even though I find them exciting and exhilarating I don't read them as much. This novel starts off with someone narrating Mr. Chippendale right before he gets killed, then it ended with one of the students, which I think was Mike Curry being the killer. When he was first introduced I think, he wanted excitement and more to his liking, etc. He wanted things to be like in the movies he watched, he liked gore and etc. But I don't think that's what drove him to do it, I'm not sure what did, but I feel like it was something else. It was kind of like a hook to me pulling me into the story, but it also reminded me of others that are kind of the same as this one. Things like the main point of the story would be on the title, then when you first open the book it introduces it and stuff like that. But this book also has different prospective from the students and peers at the school he worked at. Mr. Chippendale changed many lives but, some didn't really care for him, some even resented him. Which also remined me of Bronx masquerade by Nikki Grimes, but this book wasn't really on one person like Who Killed Mr. Chippendale, but was on multiple people. And although this book as many similarities with others, I stilled enjoyed it, I even liked that they had similarities, I liked how it kind of gave a kick of reality, and how it has plot turns. It was an easy book to go though, like it was just kind of smooth sailing, sure there was some bumps, but exciting ones. I wouldn't really think It would be this smooth in a thriller or mystery, but I'm not saying it would be bad if it was. I gave it a 4/5 because when reading a thriller or mystery, I don't really think that it should be this smooth, but I'm not saying it's entirely wrong for that. Like I said, I don't think I would really mind if it was, although others may, more the reason why I'm giving it this review. In my opinion if you were to read a book like this then keep in mind that it's kind of easy going, and like I said kind of smooth, so if you would want something crazy and thrilling, I wouldn't really recommend reading this, but that's just my opinion. If you find it the right amount of kick to a thriller book, then go ahead. But from absolute top to the deepest bottom all the way through I think that it is very well written and is a good book.

[Ace Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It begins by describing Robert Chippendale's life and what he does. He was out at the track running one day and after a few laps, he was shot in the chest with a bullet coming from the top of a building. He is a teacher at Tower High, who the students have mixed emotions about. Most students like him and believe he helps them find who they are in life. But for others, they see this as distracting to what they want to be. There are many characters in this book, but some begin to stand out as the book progresses. One of them is the counselor, Angela Falcone. She reveals that she was in love with Robert before he got shot. She also helps many of the students cope with this loss. While this is happening she reveals she can't fix her own problems because she is too invested with the students. The person who shot Mr. Chippendale is a student who is indecisive about whether to turn themselves in or continue running from the truth. He leaves notes for the counselor leading to his decision. He decides to only tell the counselor but only gives hints that it was him. At the end of the story, all the students write poems to remember him for all he did. Although many people couldn't get over the fact that their English teacher had died, the principal was in no discomfort to hire a new teacher immediately. I enjoyed how the book was written in poems every chapter because it tied in nicely with the ending. Although the poems were very short, the author did a very good job of giving the characters their own perspective on the situation. There is no other book in this series, but I would like to read more books by this author and his writing style. Overall, I loved this book and the writing style persuaded me to give it a 5 out of 5.

[Tyler Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

the was good. i saw Mr. Chippendale change a lot of lives. but not every body felt that way. some where glad he was dead. i like the way the book was written in verse form i made reading it more interesting. the theme is things are not always what you think.

[Alicia (PrettyBrownEyeReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book combines two of my favorite reading genres: poetry and crime.

[Andy Milata · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book effectively captured the death of this random teacher to the point where it felt real, and in some ways it is. It made me think about our mortality and the uncertainty that comes with death.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short murder/mystery is an interesting idea, if not such a compelling story. In 100 pages of 1-to-2 page first person poems, Glenn manages to introduce multiple perspectives on the life of the recently killed Mr. Chippendale. Some characters - his ex, the investigating officer, the assassin - speak up several times, while several others only appear on a handful of pages. Between a bit of profanity and a couple of gay characters and the dark subject, this is for an older audience than books by Sharon Creech and Karen Hesse, although it doesn't approach Ellen Hopkins intensity.

I can imagine teachers using this with lower readers to introduce ideas of unreliable narration as a readers theater. Some of the individual poems are especially pointed, some are ironic. There are themes of 'a life well lived' and 'what is the truth.' The many characters made following the story a challenge, and the conclusion isn't sufficiently powerful. I don't know that many teens will find it satisfying.

[Read Between the Pages · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Who Killed Mr.Chippendale?' is a 100 paged short mystery story written in free verse poems. I thought that 100 pages was too long for this story, and could have been shorter. It was a fairly easy read, and it was on my Summer Reading to go into the 10th grade. I thought this book was an interesting idea, and the layout was good. But the story itself it was lacking. The killer was painfully obvious from the first time he was introduce along with all the other students, and the author could have done a better job of concealing his identity. The ending page of the book also wasn't necessary. For a person like me, who enjoys reading the last line of books, that could have ruined it all. Luckily, I didn't do that this time around. Having a page where we see where the characters are 13 years later wasn't needed. There wasn't enough depth to them even care in my opinion. Also, the ending made it seem as if a lot more should have been added, but the author made a quick decision to just cut it. I wish this book had more mystery to it, and maybe then it would have gotten another star.

[Stefani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would (I picked it up to be a quick read). But it is interesting to see how one person can mean so much to a few kids and so little to others. I didn't really get into the mystery of it all, as I got the kids mixed up a lot. But I did enjoy the story and the idea of making a difference, even just to a few, while not being able to reach everyone.

[Traci Tay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this book, especially the words spoken from Micheal Curry's character felt all too relevant into what is happening today with shootings despite this being written 21 years ago. To grasp how there are both fictional characters and real life people that think this way. All too chilling, which made this book that much harder to put down.

[Skyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? A Mystery in Poems

The book “Who killed Mr. Chippendale?” by Mel Glenn is about a teacher getting shot and everyone's a suspect at the school. Mr. Chippendale was doing his daily routine at the school. He was jogging at the track field when he got shot but no one knows who killed him.

All the kids are on guard. Some of the kids are bringing weapons to school and getting arrested. Ms. Falcone is having to handle the kids, her friend's death and the police. On page 14, Ms. Falcone says, “his death doesn’t match his life.” She is curious who killed Mr. Chippendale and why. On page 30 Ms. Falcone is being questioned by detective Harry Balinger. She is getting angry and frustrated.

There are mysterious notes being sent to Ms. Falcone. I believe the notes are a scare tactic. The first note say, “let him be forgotten, and me remembered.” On page 40 I believe that the killer is writing the notes, because it says there are other people i can pick off. I think that the killer wrote this note because the killer was scared because Ms. Falcone was on the killer's trail. On page 77 the killer admits to wanting fame, but doesn’t want to go jail.

Mike Curry who is a student at Tower High said, “who got shot, Mr. Chippendale? Had that teacher two terms ago. Boring no life to him.” (page 7) Mike likes to watch gore and blood movies. When Mike goes out he goes to the movies. Mike sees some messed up stuff. He laughs at people dying , yells when an arm or head falls off and he laughs so hard when a person gets caught in a lawn mower.

I am a seventh grade student and I like the book who killed Mr. Chippendale. the reason why I like the book is because it is a mystery and every one is a suspect but someone pulled the trigger. The book impacted me as the reader because I was surprised when I found out who the killer was. There is some bad words in the book so I would not recommend the book to younger students. Seventh grade and up would enjoy this book.

[Carissa Enero · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Learning about life is a painstaking task,
But it has to be done with
Relish."

Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? is the first novel in verse that I've ever read, and I must say that it leaves me wanting to read more novels in verse of different genres. This one in particular is said to be a mystery in poems, but I find that it's more of character study of Robert Chippendale as well as of the other characters. Each page is a different POV which at first can be confusing, as it makes it hard to keep track of those who are relevant to the plot, but you get used to it.

I liked how the author showcased different reactions of Mr. Chippendale's death. As the reader, you are left wondering what kind of person he really is underneath all of the impressions he has on the others. Most have positive reviews of him, some despise him, and a few don't really care. It makes me think of how my own death would be like; how would people react? Would my death matter to them? Would they rejoice instead?

I give this a 3/5 stars. It's easy to read and I appreciated the thoughts it provoked out of me, but it sort of left me wanting more. I wish some of the POVs had more relevance or connection to the overall plot. The ending also felt a bit lackluster. Still, I enjoyed reading it and I felt like I learned a bit even if only a little.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The suspenseful book Who Killed Mr. Chippendale is about a teacher who gets murdered. The rest of the book is interviews in poem form, and you have to figure out who killed Mr. Chippendale. The book is very suspenseful and with the way it is written it is an easy read.
One thing I like about the book is the suspense. When I had to stop reading I didn't want to. The way the book is written as well makes it more interesting because you know you can read more. It made me want to know who killed him. It also made me realize that this goes on today and how realistic this book actually is.
Another thing I liked about this book was the way it was written. It is written in poem form. I chose this book specifically because I wanted a quick read and this book being in poem form it made it a quick read. I enjoyed this book not only because it was in poem form but because you got to hear many points of view which made it easier to understand.
Overall I really enjoyed this book because of the suspense, poem form, and that it was easy to understand. I would recommend this book if you are interested in suspenseful/crime books. This book reminds me of murder mysteries. Out of 10, I would give this book a 7.

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a mystery. In the first few pages a teacher gets murdered while jogging around the track. He was shot. This frightens everyone at school and some even start bringing weapons to school, but they end up getting caught and arrested. Throughout the book different students and people give their thoughts about Mr. Chippendale. One of these people is the guidance counselor, who ends up being Mr. chippendales friend but also his ex. The principal and guidance counselor put on a memorial ceremony to try and get the killer to come forward and in the end they find out who the killer is. Some of the things I really enjoyed about this book is that it is a fast read and pretty easy to read. Another thing I really enjoyed about this book is that it kept me interested. One of the things I really didn’t like is that it was pretty obvious who the killer was from the beginning. Another thing is that it took me awhile to get used to the poem style. I still really enjoyed this book so I would give it a three out of five stars because I have read better. I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries.

[Rebeccah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up at a thrift store because the 'mystery in poems' bit was intriguing. However, it was very disappointing. Only a couple of the poems made any interesting use of the form, the rest were basically just free-written thoughts. Which, sure, that's poetry, but it's definitely not my type of poetry. It felt like with so many different characters writing these poems, there should have been some more variety in style.

Also, the mystery wasn't very good? There is no possible way to keep track of all the 'characters' given that the only thing we really know about them is their name, for the most part. It's not much of a mystery when the violent, lazy kid who is obsessed with shooting people turns out to be the killer...

ALSO though, how the heck can they leave it unresolved whether this supposedly great teacher had an affair with a high school student?!?! It is strongly suggested that he did, but it is never condemned or discussed or even made known to anybody other than the student who writes about it happening?? WTF this book was just confusing and weird and I'm glad it's so short so I didn't waste too much time.

[Jules Nymo · Rating 1 out of 5]

He does not see, hear, or feel the bullet
That explodes his brain like a star-burst rocket.
He is dead before he hits the ground

I loved this part on page four, excited to see what would come next.

Oh. Nearly a hundred pages of multiple characters feeling too much flat, no distinct differences noticeable by some special characteristics and flaws. All react to what happened to their English teacher at the very start of this novel- wait, a collection of poetry. In a mystery? The problems just pile up. There was nobody to root for. Some liked him. Some others didn't.

When I was on the very last page, I found another part I really liked. The beginning and the end were good on few pages, but the rest of it... It's something else, encouraging you to close the book and do something better with your time.

I think a fiction written-style novel might pick up an interest in me. This one wasn't for me. Thank god this assigned English course read was under a hundred pages and is written in poems then.

[Kelby Dye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who Killed Mr. Chippendale, presents the murder of a teacher in a very unique way. Mr. Chippendale is shot one day while jogging at the school track . Because the murder takes place within the first few pages of the book, the rest of the story focuses on the perspectives of various suspects that include the likes of students and teachers. Author Mel Glenn adds depth to some suspects, while others appear only briefly.

This book while a short read, was very entertaining to me. The fact that the book is completely written in short verse poems made the story go by quick but I felt I appreciated most the message it contained about how differently we can be viewed by those around us and in our relationships. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy mystery and who also may have a hard time reading larger books, as the format of this book can build confidence in reading abilities.

Content warnings
-murder
-accusation
-guns
-violence

[Beth Hughes · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was on our school’s summer reading list for years and was the one that most high school students chose year after year. So it has been on my To Be Read list for a while now.

It is only 100 pages, so it’s really a novella, and it is written in poetry by several students, faculty members, and even police staff as they try to figure out who killed English teacher Mr. Chippendale. The murder happens on the opening pages, and the title is in itself a spoiler alert.

However there is no mystery here, there are too many characters to care about a single one of them, and the person you assume commits the murder is the one who commits the murder.

Sadly, I think the only reason this was a bestseller with the students is because of how short it is.

This was a disappointment, even if I were a part of the author’s demographic.

[Kimberley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. Glenn is quite talented at using poetry to convey character. Or, perhaps, it's just educators who completely understand the variety of view points in the poetic drama of public education.

[Kirsten]

Mr. Chippendale was an English teacher, some of his students liked him and others didn't. He was a kind yet strict person. He also had a girlfriend which was the counselor of the school but they broke up.

[Gena Lott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This bizarre story-telling method for a mystery made the story seem so disjointed and unlikely.
Some of the poems were thought provoking. And some of them were a far-reach to make them connect.
Not my favorite.

[Naïma Bakartxu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, nice read, but not very memorable

[Suzanne Dix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amazing free verse by Glenn. The content is mature and not suited for a middle school reader but I thought Glenn’s storytelling is brilliant.

A short but stunning mystery.

[Jamie Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great but not bad. I wish there was more mystery and more “whodunit” in the story.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

i found this while i was moving and have no idea when it came into my possession. lot to unpack here

[M.H. Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad for my first venture into poetry.

[Taj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that was very excited to try to figure out the mystery.pp