Killing Mr. Griffin

Killing Mr. Griffin is a 1978 suspense novel by Lois Duncan about a group of teenaged students at a New Mexico high school, who plan to kidnap their strict English teacher, Mr. Griffin. Duncan developed the story from the character of Mark, who is involved in the kidnapping plan and is based on the first boyfriend of Duncan's oldest daughter. Mr. Griffin was based on the personality of a teacher one of Duncan's daughters had in high school. In 2010, the novel was reissued with changes to modernize the content, making it more age appropriate and appealing to readers. The book won several awards and honors, including the 1982 Massachusetts Children's Book Award and the 1982–1983 Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award. Killing Mr. Griffin was adapted into a television film of the same name that aired on NBC on April 7, 1997. The film starred Jay Thomas, Amy Jo Johnson, Mario Lopez, and Scott Bairstow, and was first released on DVD and VHS on March 7, 2000. Plot Brian Griffin is a strict high-school English teacher at Del Norte High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who never accepts late homework and is demanding of his students. When Mark Kinney, one of the students in his class, plagiarizes a paper, Mr. Griffin makes him beg to be allowed back into the class. Instead of allowing him back in, though, Mr. Griffin decides to make him repeat the class next semester. Fellow students in the class he is repeating include David Ruggles, Jeff Garrett, and Betsy Cline. Susan McConell is an A+ student on average, but is constantly receiving below-average B's in his class. Mark suggests kidnapping Mr. Griffin, and convinces David, Jeff, and Betsy to join in on the plan as a way of scaring him and getting revenge because they feel he has treated them poorly. The group decides to use Susan, who is least willing to participate in the plot, to distract Mr. Griffin by requesting a conference with him after school. Since Susan is one of his better-performing students with a serious approach to her studies, Mr. Griffin willingly does so, allowing her to walk him to his car afterwards. Jeff, David, and Mark forcibly place a bag over Mr. Griffin's head and tie him up, replacing the bag with a blindfold as they take him to a remote spot in the mountains. Betsy, due to a speeding ticket, arrives in the parking lot after the boys have left with Mr. Griffin.