Seldom has a book left me more apprehensive as to its merits than Killing Mr. Griffin. Good mysteries are always welcome, and today's young reader enjoys a psychological twist. After all, his favorite geography is that of the inner "me." Points in favor of the book include: fairly decent language, the bad guys get their just desserts, and families work out their problems. The teacher's (Mr. Griffin's) philosophy—"students should be challenged to do their best"—is viewed first from the side of the student and then, in a most perceptive chapter, from the teacher's side—"by the time they're in college it's too late to teach them to study … they expect to be entertained not educated. [As a high-school teacher] I wouldn't baby them or play games with them. I'd push each one into doing the best work of which he or she was capable…."

This very...