Duncan, Lois. Killing Mr. Griffin. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group. 1978. ISBN 0-44094515-1. 223 pages. $4.99.

Category Age Level:
This book is a fictional suspense novel. I recommend it for students anywhere from age 12 through 17, although any group beyond this would enjoy it as well.

Characters
Mr. Griffin, a strict college professor turned High School English teacher at Del Norte High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Susan McConnell, an overachieving introverted student with a crush on the class president. She is also the only student to perform well in Mr. Griffin’s English Class. David Ruggles, class president, friends with everyone, a fairly good student, lives in a quaint home with his mother and grandmother. His father left their family when he was younger. Jeff Garret, a popular jock at Del Norte High School. Mark Kinney is a quiet young man that previously failed Mr. Griffin’s class by plagiarizing a college girlfriend’s paper. He is out to get Griffin along with his best friend Jeff, David and Jeff’s girlfriend. Mark is mysterious, quiet yet has power over many in his path. Betsy Cline, Jeff’s cheerleader girlfriend, she’s described as being cute and popular. Betsy secretly has a thing for Jeff’s best friend Mark.  Also included as minor characters are the McConnell family, the Ruggle's family, Jeff’s parents, Betsy’s mom, Mr. Griffin’s wife and Mark’s old college girlfriend.

Plot
Mr. Griffin is a college professor teaching at Del Norte High School in the seventies. He is extremely tough on his students in order to prepare them for their future in college courses. Mr. Griffin has previously failed Mark Kinney fro plagiarizing a college student’s paper. Mark and his friend’s Jeff, Betsy and David decide it will be a good idea to scare Mr. Griffin into being less tough on his students. They ask a good, quiet student Susan McConnell to be apart of their plan. They use her crush David Ruggles to get her involved in the fiasco. Susan plans an after school meeting with Mr. Griffin to speak to him about her paper. Jeff, Mark and David wait in Mr. Griffin’s car to blindfold and tie him up. They take him to a secluded area in the mountains. They plan on only scaring but something goes terribly wrong on that mountain while the teenagers are gone. Suddenly the group finds themselves in over their heads. The group also discovers a sick truth about on of their so called friends!

Touchy Areas
There is a part in the book where the teens go up to the mountain for a picnic and Mark is smoking pot and Jeff is drinking. However, the book was writing in the seventies, heavy drug era. A teacher could inform a student of this touchy area and use it as a teachable moment to address the situation of illegal drugs and alcohol.

Related Titles
Daughters of Eve, Don’t Look Behind You, I know What You Did Last Summer, by Lois Duncan.

Connections
Movies: I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

Evaluation
I have always enjoyed Duncan’s suspenseful novels while growing up. As I read Killing Mr. Griffin, all of that enjoyment came back to me! Killing Mr. Griffin starts off slightly slowly while the introduction of characters is made. However, as the book moves along so do the pages and the enjoyment of the story. I couldn’t put this book down because of the suspenseful tone throughout. I also enjoyed it because it addresses different types of cliques and people that a teen will encounter in high school. The book also kept me guessing until the end. I loved this book and have recommended it to my students to read. It has been successful not only with me but with many sophomores English students as well.

Overall rating out of ten
10 this book delivers a suspenseful interesting story as it should be done!

Reviewed by Emily Prosser, The University of Toledo, eprosse@hotmail.com.