Killing Mr. Griffin
by Lois Duncan
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Book Reviews of Killing Mr. Griffin
Book Review: Weird Book
Summary: 4 Stars
Four Stars
I enjoyed reading this book. A lot of the book is about the plot to kidnap and scare the mean teacher Mr. Griffin. This book has a lot of different characters that are all included in this plan. The main characters involved are David, Mark and Mr. Griffin. Mark is nuts and comes up with the plan to kidnap Mr. Griffin. David is the senior class president who is just kind of fallowing along with the plan. Mr. Griffin isn't a nice teacher. He disrespected Mark numerous times. This is why Mark desires to kidnap him in the first place.
My favorite part of the book is when David and Susan go, in the dark, up to the mountain to find Mr. Griffin near the waterfall where they had left him earlier with Mark. When they arrive, they find something they couldn't believe. This problem leads to a downward spiral of bad ideas and horrible mistakes that dig the students into a bigger hole then they were already in.
I enjoyed this book because of the mixed emotions you can have towards the characters. In the beginning, Mark seems like the cool kid, who is daring and adventurous for wanting to kidnap Mr. Griffin, and Mr. Griffin is the evil teacher that deserves it. But at some point, my ideas changed, and Mark becomes, in my eyes, a crazy person who is fit for a straight jacked and Mr. Griffin did nothing to deserve his horrible fate.
I recommend this book for male students in their teens. I think that male students would be able to follow this book and be interested in it. Students will be able to relate to this book, but I think that boys more than girls will be able to get past the title and the cold feeling you get while reading this story.
Book Review: Killing Mr. Griffin *Taylor*
Summary: 3 Stars
This book is about five kids who all hate their English teacher Mr. Griffin. Susan hates him because she is used to being a straight "A" student, and the highest grade she got with him was a B. Dave, Mark, Betsy, and Jeff all hate him because they need to do good in his class in order to graduate. Susan's not very popular which is exactly why Dave, Mark, Jeff, and Betsy chose her for a decoy so they wouldn't get caught. So while Susan is talking to Mr. Griffin they plan their attack. When Mr. Griffin gets into his car they will come up from behind the seats and tie him up. So they get that done and they take him up to a secret spot that only they know about. Susan gets worried about Mr. Griffin being up in the forest tied up all by himself, so she gets Dave to drive up there with her to untie him, but when they get there thay get an unexpected surprise! Can the students deal with the fact that they could be put in jail for what they did, and can Mr. Griffin's wife and unborn child deal with the fact that they don't have a man in the house anymore?
The characters are all high school students that need a good english grade in order to graduate from highschool, and Mr. Griffin isn't giving out that grade very easily. The setting is mostly at a school in a small town and at the students' houses.
I would recommend this book to anyone wholikes adventure and suspense. I didn't really like this book because I thought it was kind of boring. I like books that are really really suspensful and this one wasn't as good as some of the other book I have read by Lois Duncan. For me this is not one of her best books, but for others it might be better.
Book Review: A Five Star Book!(and well worth it)
Summary: 5 Stars
It all starts when a former college professor turns to highschool teaching. He is rather strict with his students, which makes many of his students dislike him. He teaches an advanced course, so mostly seniors are in it for college credits. Although, there is one junior named Susan McConnell in Mr. Griffin's class. Mr. Griffin won't tell anyone except his wife, but he thinks Susan is one of the best, if not, the best student in his class. He fears telling her that because he believes her work will get sloppy and she will think she can slide right through the course. Susan has a crush on a handsome senior named David Ruggles. This gets her into trouble. A few of David's friends think it would be funny if they played a joke on Mr. Griffin. So, David, Jeff Garrett, Mark Kinney, and Betsy Cline decide to kidnap him and teach him a lesson. They decide they could use Susan to lure Mr. Griffin into their trap, when Susan starts to lure him, Mr. Griffin tells her how much he appreciates her as a student and her work. Susan feels guilty, but its too late. All they wanted to do is teach him a lesson, they never wanted to kill him. I would recommend this book to people from the ages 13 and up. In my opinion, I do not believe that this book is appropriate for children younger, because even I cried when I read it. 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. This book may not be appropriate, however, for people who cannot stand a little devastation and fear. Lastly, I would recommend this book to people who like mystery, suspense, and horror.Book Review: A Prank Gone Too Far!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a scary novel in light of Columbine and other tragedies. A university teacher, tired of the poor students he is receiving, decides that the only way to make a difference is to try to mold them in high school. The only problem is that he is a perfectionist, thinking that super-discipline will mold his students into great college material. He doesn't think for one minute that his methods would work in the military but not with teenagers.The students see Mr. Griffin as a heartless and mean person that will ruin their chance to graduate and get into a good college. Everything seems to come to a head when one student has a homework paper blown away by the wind and tells Mr. Griffen so, saying that he will redo the paper. Mr. Griffen has absolutely no sympathy and he just tells the student that he will not accept a late paper, thus the student will fail.
Several members of the class get together and decide that the only way to get Mr. Griffin to change his way is to scare him. To do this, they will kidnap him and only let him go when he is really scarred. Unfortunately nothing goes as planned. Mr. Griffin is not scarred and maybe not such a bad guy after all.
The students carry the prank on too long and unfortunately Mr. Griffin dies. They now have to deal with what they did and realize too late that it wasn't a good idea.
This book should be read by young teens to make them think about their actions before they do it. A lot of hazings and other things that teens may think are fun, sometimes have serious consequences. Adults will also enjoy this very well written book!
Book Review: Susan
Summary: 4 Stars
Killing Mr. Griffin was a well-written book. I refused to set the book down during the lastseven chapters. Lois Duncan is a talented mystery author. She has a distinct style of describing
what she writes about. Utilizing her intense imagery, the suspense and mystery was captivating
and real. It was difficult to predict the outcome of the situations.
The two major conflicts that occurred in the storyline offered an exciting twang. The
most thrilling portion of the book is when the conflicts collide at the climax.
As ironic as it may sound, you never forget the strict, austere teachers in your life. They
loom in your memory for eternity. I realize that you should be cautious on what you plan to do to
your harsh English teacher. Your plan may not go as well as intended and may backfire. In the
end, they deeply regretted their decision. I now realize that you shouldn't act on impulse.
The only thing I disliked was the ending. It was not what I expected. Yet, if the ending
were changed, then the story would not exist.
With the assortment of diverse teens plotting against their teacher, the reader is bound to
relate to one of the students. In doing so, I related myself with the goody- goody and placed
myself in the story. I found myself reacting and making similar decisions as Susan. What
character are you?
On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best), I would rate this book with a 4. I would recommend
this book to teens who enjoy suspense and a thrilling mystery.