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Read Killing Mr. Griffin (1990)

Killing Mr. Griffin (1990)

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Genre
Rating
4.3 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0440945151 (ISBN13: 9780440945154)
Language
English
Publisher
laurel leaf

Killing Mr. Griffin (1990) - Plot & Excerpts

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.

I read "Killing Mr. Griffin" by Lois Duncan. I thought the book was good. It was laid out nicely, but it took too long to get rolling. A great majority of the book was them planning and no real action happening until the last few chapters of the book. They took at least two chapters just planning how they were going to kidnap Mr. Griffin. Once it got to about the last four chapters of the book, I was interested and wanted to keep reading, but by that time, it's to late. Most readers would have gone back and picked a different book. The main characters of the book are Susan, David, Mark, Jeff, and Betsy. Susan is a junior at Del Norte High School. She lives with her parents and three brothers. She thinks of herself as a nobody with no friends. She has a crush on David, and that is what gets her tied up in this mess. David is a senior at Del Norte, the president of the senior class. He lives at home with his mother and grandmother. Mark is a quiet kid. He killed his dad in an "accidental" house fire and is the mastermind behind this entire thing. Mark also kills David's grandmother and almost kills Sue. Jeff is the star basketball player who just goes along with everything he is told to do. His is dating Betsy. Betsy is the head cheerleader. She always has a smile on her face and is kind of stuck up. I would say the book takes place in the 1990's in a small town. I would say the 90's because of the clothes they wear in the book. David wears a windbreaker and Mark wears a sweater, those clothes were kind of popular back then. I say the stting is a small town because throughout the book they talk about the bigger cities around them, and they live near a reservation. The thematic connection I got from this book is just because something seems harmless, doesn't mean it is. Also, pick your friends wisely. Some people are not who they appear to be. For example, in the book they thought kidnapping Mr. Griffin would be harmless and that they would get away with it. Their friend Mark to turns out to be a psychopathy.I would recommend this book to anyone 12 and older of any gender. It could be a little out there or hard to follow and understand for younger readers. I rate this book four out of five stars.

What do You think about Killing Mr. Griffin (1990)?

Can someone explain why some punk kid that is half illiterate gets to describe the books here? Its painful to read the descriptions, and they are not short of poilers. I kind of doubt that whoever it is(obviopusly a girl, boys are usually less emotional) is too brainwashed by watching things like Buffy and the Hunger Games to have any objectivity about life or literature. Someone PLEASE put another review up instead of that awful "book descrition"
—Martine

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.
—Erin (Paperback stash) *is juggle-reading*

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I like how the author shows us Mr. Griffin from the kids' point of view, so we understand why they dislike him so. And I like how she then shifts to show us Mr. Griffin's world, so we understand what motivates him, and realize how wrong the kids are about him. I liked the build-up to the event and then how the author shows us how different the kidnapping is than what the gang thought it would be, and how the cover-up slowly unravels around them. What I didn't like was the publisher's attempt to update the story. According to the interview at the end of the book, Lois Duncan herself did the updating, but that didn't make it work any better. I think the whole idea behind updating these re-issued stories is that today's readers won't understand the world of 1978, but that's just insulting. Young readers today understand the world has changed--just as readers in 1978 understood that books written in the 1940s reflected a very different era. And I've just got to wonder why, when the author and publisher undertook to update these books, they didn't realize what a hopeless task it was? Mores, attitudes, lifestyles, families, etc., are completely different now. You can't just throw in a few references to cell phones and DVDs and expect the story to feel updated. Not when you've got scenes like a daughter coming home after school and calling the neighbor's house where her mom is playing cards with a group of friends in the afternoon--normal for 1978, but not so now. Or a police officer asking Mrs. Griffin if Mr. Griffin was in the service and what his service number was. Reasonable question for 1978, but not now. My favorite update, though, was when a character began a conversation on a cell phone and ended it when she "replaced the receiver on the hook." (Oops!) The distracting "updates" were the difference between a four-star and a three-star review for me. The publisher and the author should have trusted these stories to stand on their own--and trusted the readers of today to understand them regardless of dated references.
—Sophie

Five teens decide to kidnap their overdemanding, taskmaster English teacher so that he gets a taste of the anger he inspires in his students (who are unappreciative of the fact that Griffin, in his own rough way, really just wants them to be prepared for college). But the plan goes awry. Griffin, who suffers from a heart condition, has a heart attack and dies. Relying on the guidance of Mark, the mastermind of the original scheme, the group decides that they're in too deep for honesty. Instead, they bury Griffin and try to get rid of any evidence that would come back to them. But new complications keep arising, and the group unity is falling apart--leading to murder of a more deliberate kind.Unfortunately, the novel doesn't use its strong premise to go beyond being mediocre, plot-driven suspense. The characters have little depth and the writing style is mediocre at best. Too often the dialogue feels inauthentic and the description vague and cliched. The novel hasn't aged particularly well, either.If one doesn't expect much from Killing Mr. Griffin other than a quick read and quickened pulse, then one won't be disappointed. Anything more might be a stretch.
—Scott Volz

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