The novel "Killing Mr Griffin" by Lois Duncan is about a group of teenage high school students who are sick of their English teacher and decide to play a prank on him. They want to just scare him, but when they find he has died from what they did, they have to come up with a plan to cover up what they did. With the fear of going to jail entering their thoughts, they scramble to come up with a plan to cover up what they did and how to make it so no one ever found out.
2. For what audience(s) is this book intended, and how can you tell? (In other words, for whom would you recommend this book?
I feel like this book was written for people about the same age as the people in the book. So pretty much anyone around the age of 14-20 who faces drama during their school year from their teachers. A real moral from this story is to not let the drama and all the things that happen to everyone get to you. You just have to find a way to get through it and deal with it and don't let it dictate your life.
"'That Griffin's the sort of guy you'd like to kill"
This quote is about what a student in the story is feeling because he feels he has had enough of his teacher. There is just one thing that really pushes him over the top into saying that. Sure everybody over reacts, but I don't know many people who would go this far as to say they would want to kill one of their teachers. The only thing is, at the time, he didn't really plan on killing his teacher, just scaring him into begging for his life like Mr Griffin made one of his students beg to retake the class. At an age like being a teenager, it is critical to keep your emotions under control. A lot of teenagers are going through puberty, so their hormones are rushing. As a teenager, it is important to understand that you won't always be happy, it is just about not sinking too low when you are down.
I would recommend this book for anyone who is going through high school and feels like they are never feeling their best. So pretty much, anyone who is going through school, it is normal to not feel your best, just don't let it hold you down for too long or over reactions like this kind of story can happen. It is also not that bad of a book for people who have already gone through this sort of thing, or anyone who over reacts, as this is a real wake up call for them.
1. What was the author's purpose(s) in writing this book, and how can you tell? How well was this purpose achieved?
This book, I think, was written to let people know that everybody goes through difficult times, it is just that the successful ones are the ones who can cope with it, get through it, and move on with their lives. You just have to take punches as they come, and hope it all turns out for the best. Something that really helps me get through things is thinking, "OK, my situation is bad, but there is someone out there in a much worse position than me, so I can live and get through it."
So the next time you feel like your life can not get any worse, just think, there is someone out there without a roof over their head, without a guiding person in their life, going through probably ten times worse of things than you are. Suddenly your problem doesn't seem so bad.
"'Hell no. Just scare him. Shake him up some.'"
This quote is about the thought process that the students were going through due to them over reacting. If they thought things out and tried to fully understand what they were talking about doing, they might have actually realized that they were crazy for thinking that they could get away with something like that.
So this is my advice as a fellow teenager who goes through crazy things, take it all in YOUR stride and realize that things could be much worse. I think I can tell that this was the author's purpose, because I read it all, and truly felt that this was the meaning of the book. The author puts a lot of detail into the regret that some of the students have after going through with what was meant to only be a prank, but turned out to be cold blooded murder. While the author does exaggerate a little, sometimes that is necessary to fully get a point across. I mean, just look at some politicians, they over exaggerate with statistics for themselves and against their opponents for their own personal gain. The author of this book is no different, expressing their ideas in a book and sometimes using a bit of over exaggeration to get their point across.
I think the author was very successful in this, well at least with me. I feel like I will never over react (of course I will eventually) when something bad happens, because I will always think first,"Hey, it could be worse". I just hope either the book, or my review will open some people's eyes about how truly lucky and blessed they are to have what they have in life, and to really not take it for granted. So if you feel like your life can't get any worse, stop, think, and realize how blessed you are.
So overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it for people who know what I am talking about when I say that everybody over reacts, and it is just how you deal with it. I enjoyed the fact that the book had pretty short chapters and each chapter focused on someone different, but still linked them to the main plot of the story. So my suggestion is, if you are in the mood for an eye-opening book, go pick this one up.
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