Killing Mr. Griffin

I would advise one to not read the book Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan. I had to read this book for school and didn't find it appealing. I disliked this book because it was unrealistic and inadequately written. Killing Mr. Griffin is also impractical and somewhat offensive. Most teenagers would not go to the point of killing their teacher because of strict rules and unfair teaching; because of this one never really believes what is going on. Lois Duncan isn't really making the reader believe what is happening. The characters are all very disappointing and unlike real teenagers. They are mostly chaotic and unintelligent. I was frustrated when the female lead, who was supposed to be a smart sensible girl, made a foolish choice because of a boy. Another example of an unrealistic part is when a character drugs his grandmother just to get out of the house. The characters were also underdeveloped. The plot in this book is truly predictable. Killing Mr. Griffin had barely any surprises and no suspenseful parts. Although the theme was true, it was presented in an undesirable and dull way. I was let down by this book and unless sifting through a predictable distasteful book is enjoyable to you, do not read it. Killing Mr. Griffin was also a book that dragged on for large amounts of time. There was major action in the book but it was presented in a way of tedious and confusing text. The dialogue was unrealistic and was not how teenagers talk to each other or to other people. I also thought that Lois Duncan could have found a title that did not give away what was going to happen. The plot was unlikely to happen and very random. Killing Mr. Griffin is not an enjoyable book to read and I highly recommend anyone to avoid using this book as classroom requirements.

I had to do a book report recently and was hoping to read I Know What You Did Last Summer, also by Lois DUncan. The Library didn't have it, so i picked up Killing Mr. Griffin. It was one of the best books i have ever read. Each chapter fed me something else, and kept me wondering. If i was reading late at night, it was soooo hard to put down the book. At 223 or so pages it only took about 2 or 3 days to finsh, but is a good read and is worth it. I haven't seen the movie and can only hope that they do the book dignity and do not add any crazy story twists or side plots that make no sense.

PS: I still have one question, though, even after finishing the book. Duncan hinted at it through out the novel, and i hoped she would resolve this before the end but no. Is there a sequel??? I sure hope! I'm rambling, but anyway, READ THIS BOOK!

I am 36 and still re-read Lois Duncan's books (tell you anything, people??). Why? She's a really great writer and they are as entertaining now as they were when I was still an adolescent. I have read almost all of her books, including the very sad one about her daughter's murder (which I highly recommend - it's fascinating and absorbing). She is skillful, entertaining, and manages to convey depth with very few words. Killing Mr. Griffin is perhaps not my favorite of her books (Summer of Fear would probably be my favorite), but the premise is irresistible. Basically a bunch of insecure students get their vulnerabilities exploited by the sociopathic friend in their midst. He hatches a plot to kill Mr. Griffin, something they all agree to do - all of them have felt their perfectionist teacher's sting one time too many.
This is a good read, and it was written in 1978 - Duncan's books are far finer than anything more current in "YA" fiction so far as I'm concerned!
A good read, like all her books.

This book was honestly one of the greatest books I've ever read in my life. I opened it to the first page one day, and closed it on the last page only two days later. Just like she does with all her other phenomenal books, Lois Duncan wrote Killing Mr. Griffin so beautifully and included all sorts of figurative language in it. One of the best talents of this author is including lots of extended imagery, which appeared many times throughout this particular book. The way all the events were secretly interconnected greatly amazed it, though I didn't discover the secrets till the end of the story, of course. Every incident flowed nicely into another incident, and some of them created a chain reaction of unfortunate outcomes for the main characters. There were absolutely no flaws in the writing of this sad-themed book.
The entire idea of the book is so incredible itself. It's a story about a group of students who loathe their English teacher, Mr. Griffin, and decide to scare him into thinking that they were going to kill him. The teacher, who had coronary problems, ended up dying anyways from fright and lack of a certain medicine he had to take. Therefore, the students were held very responsible and got into even stickier situations trying to cope with the already existing problems at hand. I'd recommend this book to any mystery lover in the world, especially young adults. I'm sure that as soon as anybody reads the extraordinary synopsis at the back of the book, they'll find themselves already beginning the book anyways. :)

Even years later, there are lines from this book that still haunt me. I never did get around to seeing the movie version of this book, but I only hope it was as spine-tingling as the story. Duncan is true to her characters all the way through as she deals with a group of familiar and understandable teenagers who simply aren't happy with their teacher. Through a logical plot that is still driven by its characters, Duncan takes the reader through the plotting, the accident, and the terrifying guilt that follows.