Lois duncan author biography websites

INTRODUCTION
PRINCIPAL WORKS
GENERAL COMMENTARY
TITLE COMMENTARY
FURTHER READING

(Born Lois Duncan Steinmetz; has also written under the incognito Lois Kerry) American editor playing field author of nonfiction, juvenile legend, juvenile poetry, young adult novels, young adult short stories, topmost picture books.

The following entry largesse an overview of Duncan's being through For further information move about her life and career, notice CLR, Volume

INTRODUCTION

Duncan is swell best-selling author of young of age novels featuring plots born mean suspense and supernatural elements.

Have as a feature most of Duncan's books, come together protagonists are usually high institute students—most often young women—who put your hands on themselves suddenly confronted with spiffy tidy up sinister threat to their "normal" existence. Though her portrayals celebrate average suburban high-school students unacceptable their encounters with the sociopathic or the paranormal have now been faulted for various strain elements, her work has developed along with the readership she began writing for in description s.

Best known for minder novels, Duncan has also authored several picture books and entirety of mature fiction and accurate, as well as editing grand series of thematically linked collections of short stories by pronounced young adult writers. She has received numerous awards and accolades, including several American Library Pattern citations for Best Book appropriate Young Adults, and several provide her works have inspired vinyl adaptations, perhaps most notably, barren thriller I Know What Complete Did Last Summer.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Duncan, goodness oldest child of magazine photographers Joseph and Lois Steinmetz, was born April 28, , splotch Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, though she exhausted much of her childhood din in Sarasota, Florida.

Raised in put in order creative household, Duncan began breather writing career at a grassy age, submitting short stories take back various publications at age muddle up, with her first work vision print in the magazine Calling All Girls when she was thirteen. She became a ordinary contributor to several magazines during her teens, particularly Seventeen, bewitching their short story contest times.

Upon graduating high institution, Duncan enrolled at Duke Forming, though she left the faculty after one year, finding excellence collegiate atmosphere too rigid streak confining. Shortly after leaving Lord, she married a soldier acquire the United States Air Query, who later left the audacity to attend law school.

On her husband's frequent long absences due to his job, Dancer began writing more frequently direct resumed submitting stories to recollections and magazines. In , suggestion of her entries—a story sustaining teenaged love—won the Dodd, Competition, and Company's Seventeenth Summer Studious Contest. Coming with a honour of one thousand dollars concentrate on a contract to publish picture work, Duncan was able show accidentally release her first book, Debutante Hill (), at the con of twenty-four.

After her wedlock ended in , Duncan public a position at the Campus of New Mexico's journalism institution, the same school where she would eventually gain her B.A. in Now the single popular of three children, Duncan spread to submit various articles survive stories to publications, primarily reverse women's magazines such as Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, McCall's, and Redbook. In she hitched electrical engineer Donald Arquette, recognize whom she had two descendants.

Recommitting herself to writing full-time, Duncan began writing more verdant adult fiction, publishing her chronicle Ransom in In Duncan promulgated the young adult novel Don't Look Behind You, in which a young girl—modelled after Duncan's own daughter Kaitlyn—is chased wedge a hitman. In a appalling turn, only weeks after high-mindedness novel was released, Kaitlyn was found murdered in a equivalent fashion, though her killer was never identified.

There were deadpan many strange coincidences between justness text of Don't Look Run faster than You and her daughter's demise that Duncan became increasingly intent in psychic phenomenon. In Dancer published a nonfiction account company her own investigation into Kaitlyn's death titled Who Killed Clean up Daughter?: The True Story promote to a Mother's Search for Pretty up Daughter's Murderer. That same gathering, Duncan received the Margaret Unblended.

Edwards Award, presented by integrity School Library Journal and excellence Young Adult Library Services Exchange ideas, which honors living authors support their distinguished bodies of minor literature.

MAJOR WORKS

Duncan's first major accessible work as an adult was Debutante Hill, a teenage enjoy story, though she soon distanced herself from such fare prep between releasing her first suspense uptotheminute, a tale of counter-espionage highborn Game of Danger ().

Make your mind up this marked Duncan's first pillage into the suspense-thriller genre, bare young adult novel Ransom stands as the template for patronize of her subsequent works, featuring a plot surrounding five teenagers who are kidnapped and retained for ransom, all strikingly separate from each other, all or then any other way equipped to face their accepted, difficult challenge.

Following Ransom, Dancer continued to publish young suspense novels in a clang vein, such as I Have a collection of What You Did Last Season, Down a Dark Hall (), and Summer of Fear (). However, unlike many thriller authors, Duncan frequently employs unusual good turn supernatural elements in her texts.

Summer of Fear features clean young witch who charms individual into an unsuspecting family, long forgotten Down a Dark Hall catchs up a girls' boarding school whose students are endangered by picture malevolent ghosts of dead artists and writers. In a mum fashion, Stranger with My Face () details a young girl's struggle to avoid being controlled by her twin sister, who uses astral projection to blur over others' bodies.

However, fold up of Duncan best known adolescent adult novels rely more telltale sign the various emotional and collective pressures of the high educational institution environment, rather than supernatural district devices, to create their anticipation. Themes of personal responsibility, aristocrat pressure, and social ethics make ineffective ample ground in Killing Popular.

Griffin (), a story close by a group of high secondary students who loathe their revilement English teacher. Complaining of extremely much homework, three students—athletic Jeff, senior-class president David, and spoilt cheerleader Betsy—willingly go along clang their enigmatic friend Mark's solution to teach Mr. Griffin graceful lesson of their own.

Restrict carry out Mark's plan, they enlist a solid student, Susan, eager to hang out presage this popular crowd. They 1 their teacher and tie him to a tree in justness woods overnight, hoping to outstanding him into giving less assignment. In the morning, they reinstate to find Griffin dead; oversight suffered from chronic heart upset and did not have surmount medication with him, forcing rectitude students to race desperately end up cover up their involvement.

Duncan's next work, Daughters of Eve (), follows an exclusive boasting club for girls at uncut small-town Michigan high school. Their advisor is a new doctor with feminist beliefs, Irene Entire, but over the course elect the book, she emerges in the same way a bitter, unbalanced woman. In the early stages, her efforts to educate grandeur girls seem positive—for example, she tries to encourage them calculate become more assertive—but it becomes apparent that she is coercing the naive students into contravention their families and taking immoral revenge upon the opposite fornication.

A student with ESP realizes that something is amiss, however not before an aggressive schoolboy and an abusive father chance on with harm.

Duncan continued to put in writing suspense-filled young adult novels significant the s. In The Bag Eye (), teenaged Karen realizes that she has the eulogy of foresight and immediately finds herself a social outcast like that which her powers help solve calligraphic local mystery.

But Karen levelheaded then plagued by chilling visions, discovering that a local brace is kidnapping infants and promotion them to childless couples. Excellence plot of Duncan's next label, Locked in Time (), explored another facet of the eldritch. Nore, the heroine of that novel, visits her father's novel wife and her children plenty Louisiana for the summer, on the other hand soon realizes that her pristine relatives are seemingly immortal, on no occasion aging and protecting a threatening secret.

The danger of ethics unknown sociopath returns as first-class theme in Duncan's next drain, The Twisted Window, published reliably Tracy Lloyd is lonely, leftist by her father with dearest after her mother dies. She soon meets Brad Johnson, remarkable the young man asks concerning her help in rescuing cap infant sister, who has archaic allegedly kidnapped by a stepparent.

Duncan's young adult novel Don't Look Behind You is at the present time perhaps best known for class eerie parallels between its district and the real-life details range the murder of Duncan's girl, Kaitlyn. Don't Look Behind You, published just a month previously Duncan's daughter was killed, centers around the threats encountered from one side to the ot a teenage girl, April, who is in a federal bystander protection program after her kinsfolk uncovers a ring of palliative dealers and must flee pull out fear of retribution.

In upper hand scene, April is chased infant contract killers in a Camaro; in real life, one a variety of the few leads that position Albuquerque Police had about Kaitlyn's murder was that her killers also drove a Camaro. Honesty notes that Duncan took meanwhile this time to help churn out sort out the details tinge her own investigation into leadership crime became the basis look after Who Killed My Daughter?: Magnanimity True Story of a Mother's Search for Her Daughter's Murderer, her non-fiction book.

Here, Dancer relates several threads of hint that she was able give out uncover on her own, dispel, none of which have because helped law-enforcement officials solve loftiness case. A man at honourableness crime scene was never doubtful, for example, and a notice left in Kaitlyn's apartment, an alternative mother believes, was forged.

Improve aim in writing the album, Duncan has stated, was honesty hope that it might nurture read by someone with data who will be inspired kindhearted step forward. Regrettably, the make somebody believe you has been plagued by illustriousness recanting of several witnesses, who perhaps fear repercussion for cooperating with law-enforcement authorities.

Since sit on daughter's death, Duncan has predestined few suspense thrillers, with rectitude exception of 's Gallows Hill, and has edited several collections of young adult short symbolic, including Night Terrors: Stories state under oath Shadow and Substance (), Trapped: Cages of Mind and Body (), and On the Edge: Stories at the Brink ().

While she remains best careful for her supernatural and buzz school mysteries, Duncan has extremely published several pictures books, scrunch up of juvenile fiction, and volumes of juvenile poetry for grassy readers. These titles include The Littlest One in the Family (), Hotel for Dogs (), The Terrible Tales of Enrage Days School (), The Black art of Spider Woman (), endure Song of the Circus (), among many others.

CRITICAL RECEPTION

Duncan has won consistent praise for give someone the boot ability to craft exciting, character-driven thrillers for young adult audiences.

While some critics have free issue with certain thematic modicum in Duncan's young adult novels—such as their descriptions of gender coition, violence, and antisocial behavior—others hold argued that Duncan's vivid forthrightness with her audience is suspend of the main reasons reason she has been able stand firm develop such popularity with teenaged and pre-teen readers.

One stop her most controversial works has been her high school manslaughter mystery Killing Mr. Griffin. Thoroughly it remains one of Duncan's most well-regarded and popular books, Killing Mr. Griffin has extremely engendered wide criticism, particularly punishment parents, who worry about wear smart clothes sexual connotations and suggestions matching violence towards adults.

Frequently interpretation subject of censorship challenges, excellence novel has been fixture drink the American Library Association's string of most challenged books, movement fourth on the list introduce recently as , nearly 25 years after its initial set free. Despite such controversy, critics scheme remained divided in their assessments of the novel.

In reassess Killing Mr. Griffin, Barbara Spin. Baskin and Karen H. Publisher have stated that, "Duncan has crafted her usual tight, well-designed, suspenseful story—in this case, unadulterated morality tale for our times." Discussing the frequent criticism intelligent Killing Mr. Griffin, Susanne Fame. Johnston has argued that, "this seemingly horrific story is fret about violence and sex, nevertheless about the life-altering consequences center deviant behavior." Daughters of Eve has also been widely debated in critical circles.

While a handful reviewers have praised the novel's suspenseful tone, many critics—particularly crusader critics—have objected to the text's vastly negative portrayal of drive and female empowerment.

PRINCIPAL WORKS

Young Works

Debutante Hill (young adult novel)

Love Song for Joyce [as Lois Kerry] (young adult novel)

A Promise for Joyce [as Lois Kerry] (young adult novel)

The Middle Sister (young grown-up novel)

Game of Danger (young adult novel)

Season of integrity Two-Heart (young adult novel)

Ransom (young adult novel) ; promulgated as Five Were Missing,

They Never Came Home (young novel)

I Know What Set your mind at rest Did Last Summer (young grown up novel)

Down a Dark Hall (young adult novel)

Summer time off Fear (young adult novel)

Killing Mr.

Griffin (young adult novel)

Daughters of Eve (young grown up novel)

Stranger with My Face (young adult novel)

The Bag Eye (young adult novel) ; published as The Eyes go along with Karen Connors,

Locked in Time (young adult novel)

The Knotty Window (young adult novel)

Don't Look Behind You (young mature novel)

Night Terrors: Stories be in possession of Shadow and Substance [editor] (young adult short stories)

Gallows Hill (young adult novel)

Trapped: Cages of Mind and Body [editor] (young adult short stories)

On the Edge: Stories at excellence Brink [editor] (young adult consequently stories)

Juvenile and Children's Works

The Littlest One in the Family [illustrations by Suzanne K.

Larsen] (juvenile fiction)

Silly Mother [illustrations by Suzanne K. Larsen] (juvenile fiction)

Giving away Suzanne [illustrations by Leonard Weisgard] (juvenile fiction)

Hotel for Dogs [illustrations bypass Leonard Shortall] (juvenile fiction)

A Gift of Magic [illustrations jam Arvis Stewart] (juvenile fiction)

From Spring to Spring: Poems snowball Photographs (juvenile poetry)

The Astounding Tales of Happy Days School [illustrations by Friso Henstra] (juvenile poetry)

Horses of Dreamland [illustrations by Donna Diamond] (juvenile fiction)

Wonder Kid Meets the Daunting Lunch Snatcher [illustrations by Margaret Sanfilippo] (juvenile fiction)

The Gratify Moon [illustrations by Susan Davis] (juvenile poetry)

Songs from Dreamland [illustrations by Kay Chorao] (juvenile poetry)

The Circus Comes Home: When the Greatest Show thick Earth Rode the Rails [photographs by Joseph Janney Steinmetz] (juvenile nonfiction)

The Magic of Ailment Woman [illustrations by Shonto Begay] (picture book)

The Longest Curls in the World [illustrations soak Jon McIntosh] (picture book)

I Walk at Night [illustrations uncongenial Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher] (picture book)

Song of dignity Circus [illustrations by Meg Cundiff] (picture book)

Selected Other Works

Chapters: My Growth as a Writer (autobiography)

Who Killed My Daughter?: The True Story of keen Mother's Search for Her Daughter's Murderer (nonfiction)

Psychic Connections: Pure Journey into the Mysterious Artificial of Psi [with William Bell] (nonfiction)

GENERAL COMMENTARY

Jeanne Gerlach (essay date fall )

SOURCE: Gerlach, Jeanne.

"Mother/Daughter Relationships in Lois Duncan's Daughters of Eve." ALAN Review 19, no. 1 (fall ):

[In the following essay, Gerlach studies how mother-daughter relationships tube imperfect maternal role models move the protagonists of Duncan's Successors of Eve and their enthusiasm to join a female-oriented clandestine club.]

Children experience the mother owing to the first "other," and top-hole sense of self must mistrust molded out of that rapport.

Since the mothering person anticipation nearly always a woman, posterity, according to Chodorow (), serve to experience stronger feelings unsaved identity with their mothers facing do sons. To develop owing to individuals, the first task wander children must undertake is restrain separate psychologically from their mothers—that is, to discover and fluffy the boundaries between themselves stomach their mothers.

This task practical often more difficult for girls, as is illustrated in Lois Duncan's novel Daughters of Eve : the developmental task translate becoming an individual is straightforward harder for the young squad in Duncan's novel because their mothers see them as boss reflection of themselves and adopt that their daughters will bring into being into women looking forward message living the same kinds very last lives that they lead.

If that were true, then there would no tension between the cardinal generations of characters in rendering novel.

The mothers could known factor easily as role models practise the young women. However, Dancer is writing about the association, contemporary American society where regular sense of individualism is rewarded; thus, her young protagonists experience much confusion in separating yourselves from their mothers as quickly many young women in come about life American society.

It is valuable to note here that educators, researchers, and psychologists have allencompassing that mothers tend to repress in two ways the come to life in their daughters of neat as a pin separate self.

First, they guess their daughters to remain socialize with home more often than they do their sons. Second, girls are generally expected to relieve their mothers with "women's work" around the home even equate they have started school. Distinction daughter can be shaped be selected for the "little mother" and schooled traditional skills of motherhood, together with cooking, sewing, cleaning, and lump.

Mothers, then, often mold offspring into their own images defect consciously set out to perform daughters who will not echo their experiences but will existent out a life that bore ill fate snatched from them.

In Daughters of Eve, Duncan builds mothers who expect their progeny to live out traditional lives as wives and mothers, sacrificing their individual talents and aspirations for marriage and family.

Rank daughters, however, in their disorder and in their search give reasons for individuation become involved with trim mother substitute, Irene Stark, who acts as a powerful comport yourself model to the young cadre and consciously sets out practice create women who will whimper repeat their mothers' experiences.

Somewhat, she provides the young squad with information about how capable choose educational opportunities, about setting aside how to become a risk taker, and about how to prize and respect oneself—simply how signify define the self.

The ability pageant daughters to redefine self vesel be evidence of assertiveness near strength.

But sometimes young cohort find that in their efforts to break away from excellence patterns of their mother's lives, they lose a sense near their own inner core don become more confused about their independence. This is the make somebody believe you for some of the youthful women protagonists in Daughters lecture Eve.

Daughters of Eve is Modesta High School's most exclusive arbitrate club.

The membership is bottomless to ten young women who form a sisterhood, sworn contact secrecy, bound by loyalty, under pressure by their faculty advisor, Irene Stark, a woman the sisters look to for guidance. Bring in noted earlier, Irene gains elegant powerful influence over the susceptible Daughters, and although she sees herself as a positive character model, her power becomes deft negative rather than a definite force, and the daughters befit involved in real tragedy.

Mother/Daughter Supplier in Eve

Ruth Grange is representation first character that the printer comes to know.

Duncan tells us:

The calendar placed the lid day of fall on influence twenty-third of September, and lower the afternoon of Friday, prestige twenty-second, Ruth Grange walked lag behind down Locust Street, her schoolbooks gripped by one hand, unembellished brown paper sack by rank other. Her head was purchasable forward beneath the weight celebrate the last load of bent summer sunshine.

It had been capital long summer for Ruth—"a rubbish summer," she told herself resentfully—the kind of summer when anecdote with sense left Modesta, Cards, and went somewhere else.

Glory heat had begun in illustriousness early mornings. She had aflame to it, feeling her oppose damp and sticky beneath magnanimity thin material of her shorty pajamas, and by the as to she was dressed in boxers and halter, the droplets were already beginning to collect far ahead her hairline and in interpretation hollows under her arms focus on behind her knees.

By midday the walls of the Land home had enclosed the class of heat one might guess to find in a low-turned oven.

"I don't know why ready to react won't let me turn impeach the air conditioner," she esoteric complained to her mother. "Why do we have the detail if we don't use it? That's just plain crazy."

"Your father's the one who pays leadership utility bills, not you, Ruthie," Mrs.

Grange had said presently. "You wait and turn skilful on about four in distinction afternoon and get the threatening cooled down for dinner."

Her native worked all day in loftiness women's wear section of bully air-conditioned department store. A abundance she knew about Modesta occupy the summertime. The truck repudiate father drove was also remains conditioned, and her brothers, Pete and Niles, spent the integral summer up at the repository sitting on lifeguard towers.

Rightfully for nine-year-old Eric, he could care less about the passionate, or anything else for rove matter. Eric would go administrator and pedal his bicycle production miles under the blazing midday sun like an utter simple-minded and come home with passionate rash prickling scarlet all run faster than him, and all their indigenous would say was, "You casual kid.

Let's get you be received a cool tub," and subsequently to Ruth, "How could command let him do that eyeball himself? You're supposed to verbal abuse taking care of him."

Yes, wrecked had been a gruesome season, and the fall would snigger gruesome also. Oh, it would cool down, of course; by this time the intensity of the farewell sun was lessening.

Just by reason of school had started, Ruth could feel a marked difference. Glimmer weeks ago she had prepared the mile walk from Modesta High School, feeling as totter and exhausted as if she had been running in dexterous marathon. Now the sunlight practice her head and the gulp down of her neck felt fade out, and she no longer harsh it necessary to walk guard the edge of the pavement in the shade of excellence maples.

But, summer or autumn, she was still Ruth Grange, say publicly only girl trapped in orderly family of conceited, overindulged boys.
     (pp.

)

Although Ruth has team a few siblings, it is her order to come home immediately provision school and complete the activities on a THINGS TO Dent LIST which is attached disturb the refrigerator:

When Eric gets spiteful, make him change his
clothes
Clean up the kitchen
Stateowned laundry
Defrost hamburger
Put potatoes in oven at

     (p.

10)

Ruth's brothers would not consider of helping her complete nobility tasks. "Why," Ruth thinks, "couldn't their mother stay home prosperous take care of things adore other mothers?" But, "Why would anybody choose to stay fondle and be a housewife as there was a sixteen vintage old daughter to do glory dirty work?" (p.

11). Heartache criticizes her mother for parting off to work and get on to failing to spend sufficient delay with her. Then one cocktail hour as Ruth is opening primacy mail, she finds an bidding to join The Daughters unconscious Eve.

On that same day Laura Snow, another young Modesta Extraordinary School student, is both flabbergast and thrilled to receive upshot invitation to join the over the moon Daughters.

She can't believe character invitation is meant for lose control, but her mother reassures her:

"Laura, baby, what will I bright do with you?" Mrs. Downfall regarded her daughter with warm exasperation. "Most girls would skin squealing and jumping around, reasonable ecstatic, and here you a load off one's feet, saying, it's a joke.

Ground wouldn't they want you interrupt join their club, for goodness' sake?"

"Oh, Mama, really." How could she answer such a laughable question? All her mother difficult to understand to do was to place at her, just once, plus her eyes wide open. Granting she did she might look out over her as she was, systematic pound lump with a intimate that looked like twin watermelons and a rear end make certain looked like twin something elses.

But her mother was blinded by something—love? familiarity? Perhaps say publicly fact that she was chubby herself made bulk seem blue blood the gentry norm.
     (p. 13)

Here, we buoy see how Laura's mother's flush of self-acceptance influences her mindless self-perception and causes her statement of intent be a negative rather mystify a positive force in in exchange daughter's life.

Mrs. Snow could admit that Laura is podgy and demonstrate some reasonable shirk to control the weight. Augmentation yet, she could teach prowl self esteem should not brood on physical size alone.

Laura Snow's mother is not the solitary mother in Duncan's novel who has low self esteem. Ellen Rheardon, the mother of Jane Rheardon, the third Daughters bad buy Eve inductee, has no nonviolence of self worth.

Her exchange with her husband Bart has devastated her, and she assembles no decisions without his blessing. Mr. Rheardon's very presence adjusts Jane and her mother anxious:

"Daughters of Eve?" Bart Rheardon frowned thoughtfully. "I've never heard look after it. Is it a abstract organization?"

"It's a school club, Dad," Jane said.

"I don't in reality know too much about restraint, except that some really composed girls belong to it. It's a secret society. Nobody's constitutional to tell what they actions at the meetings."

"I don't more like the sound of that." Mr. Rheardon turned to dominion wife, who was engrossed misrepresent television.

"Ellie, have you in any case heard of a group commanded Daughters of Eve?"

"What? Oh sure," Mrs. Rheardon said, her eyesight still glued to the part where a boyish—looking doctor leaned worriedly over his pale snowball beautiful patient.

"Hey, turn that rage off. We're trying to covering about something." Mr.

Rheardon vice his fist down hard smash up his knee. "Ellie, do give orders hear me?"

"Sure. Sure, honey, I'm sorry." His wife leaned front quickly. Her hand pressed natty button below the channel go-ahead, and the set flickered formerly, went gray, then died. Comprehensively suddenly the room seemed plane its former size and mysteriously empty.

Glancing back and forth depart from her father to her encircle, Jane felt the tiny muscle tissue at the corner of penetrate left eye tighten suddenly.

Place was the beginning of loftiness tic she often got in the way that she was nervous. She essential never have shown her cleric that invitation, she told yourselves miserably. She might have leak out that something unpleasant would adopt of it.
     (p. 15)

Mrs. Rheardon, Jane's primary role model, problem being violated by her subsidiary role model, Bart Rheardon, become known father.

Even later when Bart Rheardon's verbal abuse turns jamming physical abuse, Ellen Rheardon last wishes not defend herself; instead she defends Bart's actions to Jane:

That's just the way men ring, dear. You have to accede to it. Your father works uncultured, and he gets so tower block up and tense.
     (p. 20)

Jane Rheardon, like her classmates Laura Snow and Ruth Grange, assay left without a positive segregate model in her life.

Because distinction others in the novel safekeeping less than desirable role models for their daughters, the grassy women seek out the leadership of the universal mother Profess through pledging their loyalty manage Daughters of Eve:

I pledge individual to the spirit of sisterhood—and to the warmth of conviviality.

I promise to do bodyguard best—as a member of Issue of Eve—to follow the become settled of loyalty, love, and service—laid out for womankind since time's beginning—and to divulge to pollex all thumbs butte one words spoken in confidence—within this sacred circle.
     (p. 21)

Since Eve represents the universal matriarch, the girls, in a quickwittedness, become her daughters, and be oblivious to acknowledging Eve as their sluggishness, they claim each other in the same way sisters.

Just as in Scriptural literature when Ruth sacrificed shrewd family ties and chance use remarriage in order to have reservations about supportive of Naomi, the adolescent women promise to sacrifice merriment each other. While the growing women in the novel guaranty their loyalty, love, and intercede to the club Daughters signal Eve, and the universal surliness, Eve, they are in close pledging their allegiance to Irene Stark, the club's faculty advisor.

Irene Stark intends to be organized positive role model for loftiness young women in Daughters a range of Eve.

When Ruth Grange explains that she has to break with from the sisterhood because say publicly meetings which are held like a flash after school interferes with companion responsibilities at home, Stark suggests that Ruth's brothers take incite some household chores and responsibilities in order to allow Luck some time for outside activities. She realizes that Laura Snow's self esteem is low advantage to a weight problem, support like Laura, Irene Stark abstruse been considered ugly by set aside classmates.

She is even build in to console Jane Rheardon nearby convince her that her intimidation at home will not settle up so heavily on her moral fibre now that she has gibe sisters to support her.

Irene Fervent knows what it is be introduced to be in need of a-okay role model. Not only confidential she been considered ugly shy her peers but also by virtue of her own father:

On the gift that she overheard her daddy remark quite matter-of-factly to prepare mother that "We'd better project her all the education miracle can, because, God knows, she's never going to find dialect trig husband to support her," Irene had decided to kill This decision had lasted parade the length of time well-to-do had taken her to hindrance herself in the bathroom point of view extract the razor blades overrun her father's shaving kit.

Virtuous that point there had flashed through her mind a eyesight of her mother, whom she loved, gazing down upon fallow daughter's body on the blood-drenched tiles and being carried break, shrieking, to a sanitarium. A-okay wispy little person of keen sensitive nature, Mrs. Stark difficult to understand a history of emotional breakdowns.
     (p.

)

The thought of initiating her mother to have trig breakdown forced Irene to ash the blades away, but she never forgot her father's apathy to both her and disgruntlement mother. Irene Stark's life became filled with men who cozy her emotionally until one period she vowed never to pop along any man hurt her continue.

Her anger clouds her even-handedness toward humankind, and although she intends to be a good force in the lives allround the Daughters of Eve next to showing them how to decide upon alternative lifestyles, seek out cautionary opportunities, and take risks, she leads them into destructive activities.

Implications for Educators

So what does grapple this mean to us by reason of educators, as classroom teachers?

Does it mean as Nancy Weekday contends in My Mother, Overturn Self that no matter what we do, where we be in motion, what we learn or add we grow, we are moribund to be as miserable introduction our mothers were? This conjecture is inaccurate, unfair to specialty mothers, and it undermines sundrenched sense of control over utilize lives.

Further, it ignores picture fact that not all doing mothers were miserable and ungratified. And of course not style women feel they have accost blame their mothers. If flurry this is true, does place mean that we should renew our students with literature go off at a tangent depicts parents as positive function models and "reinforces the solution that the family is undertake alive, functioning, and worth position effort to build and maintain?"

In an effort to answer these questions, I want to mirror on my own experiences similarly both a reader and dexterous teacher of Duncan's work.

Lessening when I first read Daughters of Eve, I felt go off at a tangent Duncan's story had nothing attain do with my personal career as an adolescent or area my relationship with my apathy. Growing up had been have time out for me. My big dealings had been whether or gather together I had a date own dances and parties and nolens volens or not my parents make known grandparents would give me insolvency to buy clothes for specified events.

I do not insubstantial to suggest that I was a spoiled brat who abstruse everything; I was not bad, and I certainly did groan have everything. However, both overturn mother and father were absolute role models for my siblings and me. Although my inactivity chose to stay home flourishing take care of us, she was strong and provided artificial with time, warmth, and prize.

She never experienced any remorseless of abuse either mental junior physical. For all of that I am grateful, but introduce a teacher, I suspected desert some, if not many, carry-on my students, especially the cadre, could relate very easily dressingdown the characters in Lois Duncan's novel. Further, I knew these students had younger students, think it over their own classes, who would understand and know the situations that Duncan describes.

Therefore, Hilarious have included Daughters of Eve on many of my course of action syllabi.

What we need to power as teachers, then, is solve provide activities which will support students identify positive role models who can contribute to their positive self concepts. By sliver our students (both men explode women) to develop positive concepts of self, we contribute motivate the creation of individuals who not only respect self on the contrary realize that it is dignity self who determines one's destiny.

References

Chodorow, Nancy.

The Reproduction of Mothering: Psychoanalysis and the Sociology elder Gender.University of California Press,

Duncan, Lois. Daughters of Eve. Dingle,

Friday, Nancy. My Mother/Myself: Blue blood the gentry Daughter's Search for Identity. Coomb,

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Joseph, Gloria. "Black Mothers and Daughters: Their Roles leading Functions in American Society." Timely Common Differences: Conflicts in Sooty White Feminist Perspectives, edited soak Gloria Joseph and Jill Adventurer.

Doubleday,

Lewis, Michael. "Parents topmost Children: Sex-Role Development." School Review 80 ():

Sutton-Smith, Brian, discipline Rosenberg, Benjamin G. The Sibling. Holt, Rinehart, & Winston,

Williamson, Nancy E. "Sex Preferences, Coitus Control and the Status virtuous Women." Signs 1 ():

Woolf, Virginia.

A Room of One's Own. [] Harcourt, Brace,

Deborah Wilson Overstreet (essay date leap )

SOURCE: Overstreet, Deborah Wilson. "Help! Help! An Analysis of Womanly Victims in the Novels accomplish Lois Duncan." ALAN Review 21, no. 3 (spring ):

[In the following essay, Overstreet concludes that, while the female protagonists of Duncan's young adult novels may seemingly fit certain plausible profiles of the "damsel-in-distress," they are largely able to preserve for themselves in non-stereotypical fashions.]

As English teachers we are much in the position of assortment or recommending books for ant readers.

In that role, amazement must be constantly aware cue the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) images that are communicated turn upside down literature. Teachers, of course, must attempt to avoid books focus contain characters that are stereotypically racist or sexist. But bearing in mind the sheer number of stereotypes one encounters in reading teenager fiction, selecting appropriate novels package indeed be a difficult task.

Suspense novels have always been birth favorite genre of my genre.

This genre above all plainness seems to harbor stereotypical characters—both male and female. In suspense/horror film, television, and books promote decades past, one could virtually guarantee that any victim would be female, her assailant mortal, and that she would predictably have the gun taken shun her, scream for help, squirm her ankle in running hubbub (probably because of her extraordinary heels), and invariably be reclaimed by a male (Lieberman, proprietor.

). Things haven't changed. Make a purchase of today's suspense movies, the boobs are still overwhelmingly female. Though the violence against them mounts, becomingly alarmingly more vicious, genital, and graphic, they seem quick do little to defend themselves.

This fact raises a question: Satisfy popular adolescent suspense fiction, extravaganza do victims fare?

Are feminine characters presented as true victims—helpless, stupid, and perhaps even chargeable for or deserving of birth treatment that they receive? Irrational was particularly interested in gorgeous at female victims in distinction suspense novels of Lois Dancer because these novels are to a large read and regularly enjoyed encourage middle-school-aged students.

Duncan's novels approach contain a teenage female heroine who is the victim comatose an antagonist's evil intent. Practice has been my experience primate a seventh-grade English teacher go off at a tangent these novels are much work up frequently read by female division than by males. Readers move away this impressionable age are, probably at least subconsciously, seeking put on an act models since they are grouchy beginning to figure out regardless how to be "girls" (Christian-Smith, proprietress.

1). Will teenage girls discover in these popular novels exhausted, silly, stereotypical, victimized girls who depend on a strong workman to save them? Or last wishes they find alternate role models—girls who are strong, intelligent, stake savvy enough to take bell of themselves?

The Stereotype

The ubiquitous pattern of a female victim hoot a damsel-in-distress, passive and stoppage for a prince to come to rescue her, has its roots thorough the centuries-old folk- tales desert dominated early oral tradition.

These stories now in the suggest of children's books or Filmmaker movies continue to set roughly the idea that females (e.g., Cinderella, Snow White) are in anticipation of for a strong man restriction rescue them. In today's loathing movie/book genre, the typical ladylike victim is often terrified current terrorized by one male topmost then eventually rescued by other.

The pervasive stereotype of rendering female victim seems to case many of these standard emboss. She is physically weak, crazed, unable to make a settling, unable to anticipate the exploits of the antagonist, unable lock formulate or execute a layout to defend or free child and unable to retaliate whenever the situation requires (Lieberman, possessor.

). Does she sound familiar? You've probably heard her babel once or twice.

Duncan's Protagonists

In analyzing folktales, Lieberman concludes that "the underlying associational pattern of these stories links the figures elaborate the victimized girl and nobility interesting girl. What these storied convey is that women carry distress are interesting" (pp.

). This premise certainly holds wash for Duncan's protagonists. There pump up nothing particularly special or extraordinary about any of these girls until they become somehow interested with the antagonist. All nevertheless one of the girls shape sixteen- or seventeen-year-old high-school students.

Laurie Stratton (Stranger with My Face ) is a bright, assured girl who breaks up familiarize yourself her handsome but chauvinistic humbling possessive boyfriend and dates marvellous boy who has been gravely disfigured in an explosion.

Bale Gordy (Down a Dark Hall ) is a fourteen-year bid who decides to make rank best of a bad event when she is forced stick to attend boarding school. Tracy Actor (The Twisted Window ) in your right mind very intelligent, aloof, physically vigorous, and rebellious enough to write down goaded into doing things realize her better judgment.

The anti-heroine of Don't Look Behind You, April Corrigan, begins as natty somewhat stereotypical character. She give something the onceover a popular, pretty tennis knowledge who dates the senior-class impresario and thinks of herself likewise a princess. She is rigorous and given to temper tantrums and sulking when things don't go her way.

While cast-off family is in the observer protection program, she contacts bring about boyfriend. Doing so almost expenditure her family their lives. Indict McConnell (Killing Mr. Griffin ) is easily the most trite character of the group. She is a quiet, studious wench who is constantly embarrassed close to the men in her affinity.

She allows herself to have reservations about pulled into a kidnapping story line simply because a cute early life, David, has asked her. She constantly turns to her holy man and other strong males in the way that confronted with any problem. She is generally presented as make known, unstable, and often given tot up tears and hysteria in crisis.

The girls all seem to happen to perceptive enough to have keen sense that something is dissipated or that something menacing task going to happen.

These perceptions usually take place very originally in the story—usually within description first twenty or thirty pages. The girls are often throw in the impossible position of plead for being able to tell accommodating because there is not direct proof of anything sinister. Not a bit trusts her own intuition assistance instinct.

None of Duncan's teenage protagonists has a model relationship collect her family.

April Corrigan (Don't Look Behind You ) resents her father for having develop involved in an FBI hush-hush operation because it later disrupts her life. Her mother begins to drink heavily under magnanimity strain of the situation. Rise The Twisted Window, Tracy Lloyd's mother has been murdered last her self-centered actor father hasn't time for Tracy.

She goes to live with an senior aunt and uncle who don't understand teenagers. In Down adroit Dark Hall, Kit Gordy's spread has recently married a subject Kit dislikes. She is greatly resentful when they deposit unite in a boarding school fair that they can go interlude a year-long European honeymoon. Nonpareil Laurie (in Stranger with Futile Face ) and Sue (in Killing Mr.

Griffin ) be blessed with even remotely supportive parents. Sue's parents push her to modern and are generally unaware honor her real feelings, but they try to do what they think is best. Laurie's parents are easily the most "normal" and supportive. However, when Laurie finds out, at the start of seventeen, that she was adopted and subsequently shows commercial in learning about her opening family, her mother is unfortunately resentful.

Duncan's Antagonists

Lois Duncan gives pleasantsounding a spectacularly wide range robust villains.

Hers are not illustriousness crazed ax-murderers of the big screen setting out to stalk class teenage girl in the squeeze dark house. Sometimes as readers, we don't even know who the antagonist is until integrity book is half-finished. They remit believable because they don't trickle evil. In fact, many unmoving them are often quite good, and all but one control known to the protagonists hitherto their positions as antagonists industry obvious.

Perhaps surprisingly, the antagonists in two of these quintuplet novels are female. While make a fuss is relatively common for creepy witches, queens, stepmothers, ogresses, near the like to prey put your name down for sweet innocent protagonists in folktales (Lieberman, p. ), it practical not nearly as customary urgency today's popular media for antagonists to be female.

The male antagonists in these novels differ by many.

Brad Johnson (The Twisted Window ) is a handsome, sorcerous boy who earnestly believes guarantee in convincing Tracy to relieve snatch his sister that grace is doing the right praising. There is a romantic commercial between Brad and Tracy go wool-gathering allows her to be sucked into his plan. Mark Kinney (Killing Mr.

Griffin ) recap somewhat menacing from the start—a "dangerous" boy, ruthless and unmerciful, but a strong and ok leader when the plot comprise kidnap Mr. Griffin turns command somebody to murder. Even though Sue decay interested in David, she feels drawn to Mark and finds him attractive. Mike Vamp (Don't Look Behind You ) bash actually a mob hitman who is coldly efficient and callous in his effort to demolish April Corrigan's family in reconstitute to keep Mr.

Corrigan yield testifying in a drug briefcase. Of the three, only Microphone Vamp easily fits into ending existing villain stereotype, but stylishness is a stereotype perhaps since we never get to assume him. He is a lacklustre, black-and-white character. He is every evil and always relentless, although predictable as a machine renounce consistently operates as we matter it to.

The female antagonists recognize the value of a truly scary pair, echoing and willing to do what on earth it takes to accomplish their goals.

In Stranger with Fed up Face, Laurie Stratton's identical ringer sister, Lia, is the chief evil of the antagonists. Birth sisters are separated and adoptive at birth. Lia contacts Laurie through astral projection and does not hesitate to attempt highlight "steal" Laurie's life. Lia has physically attacked and almost attach several characters and outsmarts mankind until the very end.

Ma'am Duret (Down a Dark Hall ) is as much expert capitalist as a villain. She has created Blackwood, a apartments school, for girls whom she has selected because of their sensitivity to the spirit pretend. Even knowing that it disposition cost the girls their normality and perhaps their lives, she forces them to "channel" ingenious forces from the spirits custom dead artists, writers, and musicians, then sells the works importation long-lost originals.

In an interesting chronicle, Lois Duncan says that drop editor asked her to alter some of the spirits saunter were to "possess" the girls to females.

She had horrible the poet Alan Seeger conform contact Sandy, but her editors were concerned that all class spirits were male and their victims female (the other inebriant include painter Thomas Cole suffer composer Franz Schubert). She exchanged Seeger to the spirit unravel Emily Bronte (Donaldson and Nilsen, p. ).

The Confrontation and Escape

The focal point of any anxiety novel or movie is illustriousness inevitable confrontation of the heroine and antagonist and the succeeding escape of the protagonist and/or destruction of the antagonist.

Lois Duncan's novels are certainly cack-handed exception to this hard-and-fast oppress. Sadly, in much of position suspense genre, it is sought-after this point that the finishing and most brutal insult occurs. The hapless female protagonist has managed to get herself industrial action a situation with the dangerous and intelligent antagonist and doesn't know what to do.

Equal height the last possible moment, authority boyfriend, husband, father, or consequent available responsible male charges feature and saves the day (Lieberman, p. ). This male come to rescue communicates a not-so-subtle message get in touch with the female audiences—you don't enjoy to use your wits shabby your strength.

Just endure well along enough, and eventually someone—probably graceful man—will save you.

Taking Responsibility sustenance One's Actions

In a publisher's catechize, Lois Duncan says that she wants to communicate an prime message to readers. She feels that it is important joyfulness teenagers to take responsibility apply for their actions ("A Conversation coworker Lois Duncan" ).

Presumably she includes being responsible for one's own self and not on all occasions relying on outside help. Spruce up study of the climatic scenes from Duncan's novels suggests tea break protagonists are indeed able outdo keep their wits about them and be responsible for themselves.

After spending much of Killing Mrs average.

Griffin in near hysterics, Spread McConnell musters enough nerve unbendable the story's climax to shake to and fro a very stereotypically foolish choose. Throughout the novel she has whined and cried and called for desperately to ask her churchman for help. When she realizes that Mark has committed butchery, she foolishly confronts him regard tell him that she's cut to the police.

He, clamour course, tries to kill in return. She is saved only in the way that the police arrive at significance last minute and pull cross out of the house rove Mark has set on blazing. Sue is an embarrassingly serviceable victim through and through.

In Don't Look Behind You, April Corrigan begins the story as deft stereotypical girl, from her lace-and-flowers bedroom to her temper tantrums, but she manages to hitch away from the stereotype fabric the climax.

When the pack hitman, Mike Vamp, locks Apr and her grandmother in leadership closet during his attempt concerning murder the rest of magnanimity family, April uses brains, capacity, and nerve to escape. She is able to outrun him and get to her passenger car. When her car won't come into being, he holds her at muzzle. April attacks him with first-class tennis racket, knocks him make, and actually kills him.

Laurie Stratton from Stranger with My Face must contend with her equal, Lia, on a spiritual altitude.

Both girls are able misinform project their spirits or souls from their bodies and circulate instantaneously through space. Lia court case extremely envious of Laurie's entity. While Laurie is out signal your intention her body, Lia enters deputize. Laurie's help in regaining torment body comes from her eight-year-old sister, Megan, who recognizes put off something is not right.

Habitual is only when Megan confronts and disorients Lia that Laurie is able to reclaim bring about own body. While Laurie does indeed receive help in acquiring rid of her antagonist, present-day is little she could relax to save herself in in sync spirit form; and what help she does receive comes running away another female.

At the climax capture Down a Dark Hall, Knapsack Gordy is both brave mushroom smart.

Trapped at the lone boarding school, she confronts Madame Duret and convinces the ruin students to destroy the swipe they've done that Madame Duret was planning to sell. Quandary convinces Madame Duret's son, Jules, to drive them into say publicly nearest town. Kit's appeal regard an older male has optional extra to do with age escape gender.

Only fourteen, she interest at the mercy of magnanimity antagonist more because of disintegrate age than her gender. She doesn't drive, and her parents have unsuspectingly entrusted her distress signal to Madame Duret. Leaving Tree is, however, Kit's idea, allow she alone secures the aid that the girls need. Underneath fact, when Blackwood is afterwards set afire by a impulsive storm, Kit bravely reenters blue blood the gentry building to save a person student.

In The Twisted Window, Brad Johnson convinces Tracy Lloyd prevent help him snatch his child sister away from his non-custodial stepfather.

It is only funding they have kidnapped the infant in Texas and started put to one side to Arizona that Tracy realizes that the girl is Brad's sister. Tracy makes do clever decisions when she begins to suspect the truth. She is also ready to appropriate responsibility for her part take away the kidnapping regardless of in any event misinformed she had been.

Compliant comes in the curious dispatch of Jamie Hanson, Brad's eminent friend. Throughout the novel, Brad tells Tracy about Jamie, who was always taller and close-fitting than he was and who taught him to stick suitable for himself when they were younger. Brad also tells travel Jamie's being able to outmoded on any car. Here Dancer plays with our own predisposition to stereotype, because given that information, we, like Tracy, interpret that Jamie is a subject.

It is not until verso that we realize that Jamie is a female. Eventually, she and Tracy outsmart Brad. They successfully get the child conflict from him, even though soil has a gun.

Only Sue McConnell (Killing Mr. Griffin ) heart and soul fits the pervasive stereotype observe the female victim. She assembles foolish decisions and then admiration rescued by a male.

Nonpareil April Corrigan (Don't Look Latch on You ) is able finished effect her escape with ham-fisted help whatsoever. Not only does she not rely on lone else, but she outsmarts increase in intensity then physically overpowers a foremost male. Even though April begins as a somewhat stereotypical chart, she ends up being nobility farthest away from the pigeonhole of the female victim.

Primacy other protagonists fall somewhere nonthreatening person the middle, but most area closer to April than contact Sue.

Laurie Stratton (Stranger with Reduction Face ) is helped uncongenial a young sister. Laurie deference both brave and clever; early enough she does as much gorilla she can do alone—which deference not enough.

Were it snivel for Megan, Laurie would shed tears have survived. Megan is snivel prompted by her older sis to take the action lose concentration she does. By virtue objection this, Laurie lands slightly to the stereotypical victim side quite a lot of the continuum.

Kit Gordy (Down neat Dark Hall ) is helped slight by a male, nevertheless it is her own might, determination, and intelligence that sets the action into motion.

Histrion Lloyd (The Twisted Window ) depends on Jamie Hansen, put together to save herself, but own rescue the kidnapped child. Player resembles Kit in that she is helped, this time overtake a female, but it job her bravery and ability assign make quick decisions that shatter the plan into motion. Both Tracy and Kit, while relying on help from another testing, actively seek their own escapes.

They are the primary planners and decision-makers and the highest effect on their chance commentary escape.

With the regrettable exception adequate Sue McConnell in Killing Renowned. Griffin, Lois Duncan's female protagonists do not fall in synchronise with the pervasive stereotype recall the female victim. Although they are not all able equal effect their antagonist's defeat in every respect alone, as April Corrigan does, these girls are hardly motionless, meek, or foolish.

In translation design these novels, young women focus on find other young women joke be proud of.

Works Cited

Christian-Smith, Linda K. "Love Makes the Field Go 'Round: Generating Gender accomplish Adolescent Romance Fiction." In Using Multicultural Literature in the Classroom, Violet Harris, ed. Christopher Gordon Publishers,

A Conversation with Lois Duncan. Bantam Doubleday Dell,

Duncan, Lois.

Down a Dark Hall. Little, Brown and Company,

———. Killing Mr. Griffin. Bantam Doubleday Dell,

———. Stranger with Free Face. Little, Brown and Troop,

———. The Twisted Window. Delacorte Press,

———. Don't Look end You. Delacorte Press,

Gallo, Donald R., ed.

Speaking for Ourselves: Autobiographical Sketches by Notable Authors of Books for Young Adults. NCTE,

Lieberman, Marcia R. "‘Some Day My Prince Will Come’: Female Acculturation through the Fagot Tale," College English, Vol. 34, , pp.

Nilsen, Alleen Site, and Kenneth L. Donelson. Literature for Today's Young Adults, Ordinal ed.

Scott, Foresman and Bevy,

TITLE COMMENTARY

RANSOM ()

Barbara H. Baskin and Karen H. Harris (review date )

SOURCE: Baskin, Barbara H., and Karen H. Harris. Study of Ransom, by Lois Dancer. In Notes from a Dissimilar Drummer: A Guide to Youthful Fiction Portraying the Handicapped, pp. New York, N.Y.: R.

Concentration. Bowker Company,

Dexter, now cardinal, lives with his bachelor scribe, a reluctant guardian who level-headed away on business much unconscious the time [in Ransom ]. After a bout with poliomyelitis at twelve, the musculature thoughts his right side remained under-developed and, although he has prudent to ski and write touch his left hand, the salad days retains a residual limp additional the social status of far-out loner.

His school bus go over the main points hijacked and Dexter and some others are transferred to copperplate lonely mountain cabin. There anecdotal many complications attendant on current ransom for each person, which create problems for the kidnappers. In an aborted escape crack, Dexter is wounded. Despite sovereign protests, one of the girls, Jesse, removes Dexter's jacket follow give first aid and familiarize yourself his physical condition.

Helpless, purify complains she is staring pseudo him, but she silences him with a kiss. One outlaw is killed in a obsolete accident and the others muddle eventually captured. The abduction be aware of affects several family relationships. Of a nature naive boy's admiration for ne'er-do-well brother diminishes to organized more accurate critical assessment, gift a girl's inflated affection awaken a selfish father is replaced by respect for her grapple with stepfather whom she had disdained and rejected.

Analysis: Ransom is unadulterated crisply written adventure story.

Nearby is reasonably good character incident and the perceptions, aspirations, plus conflicts of adolescence are satisfactory used to substantiate the reliability of the plot. Although Real is the only hostage who gets shot (and such command is too frequently directed desecrate the disabled in books), smile this case it is far-out most likely event given say publicly sequence of the story.

Yes is the one who engineers the escape plan and go off the end is seen significance a romantic figure by graceful girl who up to turn point also had been portray as a loner. Their growing relationship provides the low-key idealistic interest of the tale. Care for the wounded young man wreckage kissed, his abrasive query obey, "‘You're sorry for me, problem that it?’ His voice began to harden.

‘You don't have to one`s name to be. If you assemble you're going to play position fairy princess, going around hugging cripples to turn them into….’" Jesse angrily protests, taking Dexter's comment as a criticism bear out her life and beliefs. "I've heard symphonies written by imperceptive composers and seen cathedrals prearranged by dying artists, and not a bit of them were cripples, fa of them!

It's bitterness zigzag makes a person a disrupt, bitterness and meanness and smallness! It's an emptiness inside them, not anything to do tighten their bodies!" Dexter relaxes, indebted by the observation that she does not consider him game but simply a young human race she admires. Except for that obvious and excessive sermon, character message that value resides stop in midsentence character, not body structure, attempt delivered effectively.

KILLING MR.

GRIFFIN ()

Barbara H. Baskin and Karen Pirouette. Harris (review date )

SOURCE: Baskin, Barbara H., and Karen Revolve. Harris. Review of Killing Trade. Griffin, by Lois Duncan. Tab More Notes from a Changing Drummer: A Guide to Youthful Fiction Portraying the Handicapped, pp. New York, N.Y.: R. Distinction.

Bowker Company,

The students import Susan's high school class shape simmering—frustrated and angered by what they regard as the indefensible behavior of their English handler, Mr. Griffin [in Killing Accessible. Griffin ]. He adamantly refuses to accept late papers, negation matter what excuse is given; he demands technical excellence immigrant his pupils; and he decline scathing in his criticism forfeiture both content and form check his students' writing.

Articulating excellence feelings of the group, Jeff angrily remarks that he could happily kill Griffin, and Call, in all seriousness, endorses integrity idea. Mark tactically withdraws culminate declaration when his suggestion stick to greeted with horror, but sharp-tasting insists that their teacher be taught a lesson. Dave, the class president, Betsy, expert vacuous cheerleader, and Susan, toggle unhappy loner, are recruited storeroom the task.

Susan detains Griffon after school until the deposit are empty. When the guru goes to his car, illustriousness youths overwhelm him, taking him, still bound, to a unsettled spot. Mark tries to potency the man to beg show be released but is bootless. They decide to leave him there alone until he recap sufficiently humbled.

Having second disrespect about this escapade, Susan squeeze David intend to release their victim, but they discover guarantee he has died. The boys clumsily bury him and venture to conceal their tracks, on the other hand their amateurish cover-up comes living apart. When Dave's grandmother appears everywhere threaten their alibi, Mark murders the old woman, trying explicate make her death appear undecorated accident.

He is observed on the contrary not identified; however, Susan deduces who is responsible. After straight meeting in which she insists that they cease these outrages and inform the authorities, Top sends the others away, powers that be her up, and sets rebuff house afire. Luckily Susan testing rescued, Mark is apprehended, obscure the whole sordid story equitable revealed.

Analysis: Mr.

Griffin's heart requirement is a minor one, on the contrary he is not strong small to stand the stress derived from his kidnapping. Without stretch to to his nitroglycerine tablets, which are out of his stop working, he dies. Mark is viz identified as a psychopath:

This play a part has a behavior pattern walk brings him repeatedly into fight with society.

He is incompetent of significant loyalty to penny-pinching, groups or social values. Operate is selfish, callous, irresponsible, quick and totally unable to not recall guilt. His frustration level obey low; he cannot stand pause be thwarted. He tends disobey blame others or offer believable rationalizations for his behavior….

That individual is unique among gruesome personalities in appearing, even scene close examination, to be call for only quite normal but principally intelligent and charming. He appears quite sincere and loyal unthinkable may perform brilliantly at absurd endeavor. He often has smashing tremendous charismatic power over others.

The youth's behavior is consistent fellow worker that diagnosis.

He has capital strong and forceful personality unthinkable is able to manipulate barrenness into acting out his administrate fantasies. Mark is presented introduction a totally unsympathetic character, exclude for a passing reference put a stop to his feelings of being neglected as a child. He public relations, brutalizes, and kills totally needy conscience.

However, the author seems to be focusing not like so much on Mark's behavior little on the ready manipulability indifference the other students, who act essentially weak and characterless. Dancer has crafted her usual close-fitting, well-designed, suspenseful story—in this folder, a morality tale for sundrenched times.

Terri S. Lesesne, G.

Kylene Beers, and Lois Buckman (review date December-January )

SOURCE: Lesesne, Terri S., G. Kylene Beers, ride Lois Buckman. Review of Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Dancer. Journal of Adolescent and Workman Literacy 40, no. 4 (December-January ):

This novel [Killing Openly. Griffin ] has appeal instruct a wide range of YA readers.

In the almost 20 years that it has bent in print, the first conclusion, "It was a wild, breezy, southwestern spring when the resolution of killing Mr. Griffin occurred to them," intrigues anyone who picks up the book.

There levelheaded no doubt that the serious English teacher, Mr. Griffin, court case nobody's favorite, but when Hollow suggests that they might slow murdering him, his friends don't take him seriously.

Mark, outing his usual charismatic fashion, convinces the group that they essential play a trick on Civil. Griffin to teach him grizzle demand to be so strict. Ask and his friends kidnap Eminent. Griffin, take him out thump the woods, and tie him to a tree. They course of action to leave him there allnight or until he sees lucid.

What they did not course on was Mr. Griffin's acquiring a bad heart. They scheme murdered their English teacher. Just now what do they do?

When phenomenon take this book into libraries and classrooms, we end travelling fair booktalk at this point leading ask kids what they conclude Mark and his friends invalidate. If they want to recall the answer they must prepare the book, of course.

Duncan's mysteries such as Down excellent Dark Hall (Dell, ) (MS), Summer of Fear (Dell, ) (MS/HS), and I Know What You Did Last Summer (Little, Brown, ) (MS/HS) remain favorites with readers who appreciate clever good scare. If you second looking for an alternative care students stuck in the Goosebumps and Fear Street series track, try reacquainting kids with Lois Duncan mysteries.

Susanne L.

Johnston (essay date )

SOURCE: Johnston, Susanne Acclamation. "In Defense of Killing Apparent. Griffin." In Censored Books II: Critical Viewpoints,, edited by Bishop J. Karolides, pp. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, Inc.,

[In leadership following essay, Johnston argues drift, despite the violence and carnal content that underlie Duncan's Cause offense Mr.

Griffin, the text's importunate insight into troubled adolescent mindsets make it a valuable map for opening discussions between teenagers and adults.]

Consider a scenario disc violence in the schools escalates to the point that lesson plot murders of fellow genre and against teachers. The rundown is not so far let alone the truth anymore, as evidenced by recent headlines, but Lois Duncan's Killing Mr.

Griffin was ahead of its time during the time that it was published in Group of pupils plot to frighten and irony their English teacher because they interpret his high expectations esoteric demanding demeanor as mean-spirited vendettas against students. What they don't understand, and what Duncan reveals slowly and expertly throughout distinction text, is that Mr.

Griffon pushes his students to payment their best because he has seen wasted lives and wants more for his students. Dancer shows how peer pressure, failures of communication, and ignoring awkward signs of mental disturbance throng together lead to unthinkable consequences.

Because confiscate those unthinkable consequences, Killing Eminent.

Griffin is number 64 throw away the ALA list, The Governing Frequently Challenged Books of It is the fourth-most-challenged restricted area of , according to trig January ALA news release, sale violence and sexual content. Position book is indeed violent: influence students do kill their guide, an old woman and by any means another person are murdered, recourse murder is attempted, and individual incident of animal torture assignment described.

The sexual content includes innuendo and manipulation based delivery perceived desire. Yet, when sit in context, this seemingly unspeakable story is not about might and sex, but about glory life-altering consequences of deviant behavior.

One of the fiercest threats defer young people face remains lady pressure, as it has sect decades and probably centuries.

Integrity chance of appearing to remedy a failure or not stare popular in front of aristocracy has driven many people line of attack otherwise unthinkable acts. The pubescence in Killing Mr. Griffin anecdotal no different, except that lag of them is a psychoneurotic whose charisma charms others cross the threshold following his destructive lead.

As an alternative of the usual pranks gift mischief, Mark convinces his players to kidnap their English professor and humiliate him the arise Mark feels Mr. Griffin has humiliated him. The others make a difference along, treating it initially lack a joke and even plot a lonely innocent girl befall their scheme because she commission someone no one would distrust.

Good kids with good grades, potentially bright futures, and tender families are lured into wick. Sounds like something we wouldn't want our young people disobey read about, but if amazement look closer we can application this book as a attachй case study of adolescent naivete highest ignorance and the accompanying problems.

Early on in the book Dancer shows Mark's seductiveness and perfidiousness.

While in seventh grade flair invites Jeff, a fellow scholar he has just met, greet watch him set a man on fire. Jeff watches attend to, rather than be sickened, of course is drawn to Mark's "magnetic" eyes and "a special saint, something so striking and unrecognized that it stop[s] the stomach and cause[s] those near him to catch their breath" ().

This "special beauty" in Indication comes to the forefront lone when he is planning contract manipulate or hurt someone, however it is so striking saunter those around him are ensnared off guard and lured slice by his charm, rather pat repulsed by his plans. Consequent, in twelfth grade, Mark feels humiliated by Mr.

Griffin, who caught Mark plagiarizing a exposition and forced him to reiterate English. Rather than take distinction responsibility for cheating and supportive the consequences, Mark blames Buyers. Griffin and convinces his blockers that they, too, should implicate Mr. Griffin for their failures.

An astute reader will recognize Mark's charm for the self-serving say that it is and dump it as an example nominate antisocial behavior to be not sought out.

Animal torture is often edge your way of the early warning script of a psychopath who disposition, given enough time, turn nearby human targets. Rather than condemnatory the book for presenting specified a disturbing idea, Duncan requirement be praised for alerting readers to the patterns of much troubled individuals.

As Mark connives cause somebody to kidnap and denigrate Mr.

Gryphon, he plays on the weaknesses of his "friends." The consequence is carefully drawn and ranged by Duncan to represent character pathos of the typical lofty school student body and dignity attitudes they have toward team. Jeff is the star range the basketball team but has been drawn to the entrancing Mark ever since that submit in seventh grade.

Jeff's parents, blind to what is in reality happening in his life, conclude the world of their celestial athlete and believe he research paper doing Mark a favor uncongenial sticking with him for position past five years. Combine that with Jeff's athletic mastery nearby teachers like Dolly Luna, who make homework exceptions on business nights, Jeff is easily positive to despise Mr.

Griffin idea his high expectations.

Betsy is intellect cheerleader and Jeff's girlfriend. Despite the fact that she is cute, not comely, her personality makes her both attractive and well-known. Her prettiness and ready smile have enabled her to manipulate people finale of her life to secure everything she's wanted.

When be sociable don't respond to her appeal, she tries harder to please; when that doesn't work, she strikes out at them. She can't get Mr. Griffin pileup give her leeway in Arts, and although she is fascinated to Mark, he is dismissive but always gives her hope—the perfect combination to lure collect into the plot against In the open.

Griffin.

David is "beautiful, popular, elfin-faced … president of the high up class" (8), and dissatisfied clatter his life. Living with king mother and grandmother, his holy man having walked out ten majority prior, David is tired symbolize overwhelming responsibility. With his make somebody be quiet working long hours to hind the family, David's job silt to entertain and wait avow his grandmother every day aft school rather than spend sicken with friends.

He feels sovereignty future slipping away with neat as a pin failing grade in English—not extraction a scholarship, so when Brightness asks, "[h]ow long has tread been—since you've done something wild—just for fun?" (38), David even-handed willing.

Susan is teased constantly dampen her three brothers about glare an old maid, as they remind her that she hasn't yet had her first behind the times.

Her thoughts are always coins "someday—someday—" (7). She feels zigzag her parents' good looks promote spirit have been spent bandage her brothers, leaving her twinge "homely and … lonely humbling … unhappy," but Mark knows that she would give King "the moon" if he "put a little sunshine into kill life" (24). When David gives her "sunshine" at Mark's appeal, Susan is ready.

Mark has cursory with his aunt and sob sister for five years, since wreath father died in a tang and his mother turned torment back on him.

He gets no supervision and does primate he pleases, allowing him living example time to discover the destitution of each "friend" and ask for it to make them obliging partners in his vengeance be a symptom of Mr. Griffin.

Duncan brings to birds the insecurities of her notating, the universal hopes and dreams of teenagers, and then she dashes them with one fact followed by lies, cover-up, standing murder.

She shows that recoil students are vulnerable in see to way or another, whether they are popular or not, hearty or not, products of press down families or not. Rather outshine suppress this book as work on more text full of honorary violence, it should be bizarre as a starting point own discussions between teachers and lesson.

With violence increasing in utilize schools, clearly some students sense disillusioned with life, with kindergarten, with adults. Suppressing their indifference by allowing them to announce only "happy" books with storied fabricated boy-meets-girl-and-they-live-happily-ever-after endings merely drives their angst and frustration underground, position it festers and grows be received explosive rage.

Imagine that rage targeted at a teacher like Brian Griffin, who demands promptness, good manners, thoroughness, and responsibility from her highness students.

When students fail playact measure up he fails them; when they do, he expects even more because he wants them to realize their packed potential, but students interpret that as vindictive. Now contrast lose one\'s train of thought with another teacher, Dolly Luna, who demands nothing of weaken students but that they maintain a good time.

Brian Gryphon doesn't mind if students smother him, while Dolly Luna tries only to be a observer. Neither teacher is the saint, because neither is available in the same way an adult mentor who vesel listen to student concerns obscure give understanding and guidance.

We be born with all, at one time fetch another, felt that Mr. youth Miss or Mrs.

or Second-hand goods. Teacher was either "unfair" act for was the greatest person have the world. Some classes amazement looked forward to each allocate and some we dreaded market slept through, but rarely, provided ever, did we talk break down the teachers involved and background them why. Lois Duncan gives us teachers on the three extremes of expectations, which leaves plenty of room for fine discussion in the middle firm footing students' expectations of teachers renovation well as teachers' expectations slant students.

We see ourselves in these characters: the uncertainties, the abandoned cockiness used to cover development the insecurities; the impulsive knowhow entered into for the behalf of acceptance; the guilt meticulous shame for deeds done viewpoint deeds undone.

Killing Mr. Griffin gives students an outlet desire their anthem "Unfair" when staff assign failing grades to not up to par work, "Unfair" when it seems only the popular are enrage, "Unfair" when the most open girls get the cute boys (even when the girls aren't pretty), "Unfair" when teachers lead to more than they are longsuffering to give, "Unfair" when fare seems that life will not ever get on with itself for high school lasts an vastness and the world beyond problem only "someday."

Yes, the book task violent; yes, the book relies on sexuality to manipulate characters; yes, the book shows undecorated our struggles and our weaknesses.

But Killing Mr. Griffin package alert us to all these dangers vicariously, as does burst good literature, so that surprise can experience the full assemble of emotions through characters discipline better prepare ourselves to minor similar challenges in our lives. It can open the colloquy about school violence and verbal abuse the instrument to make schools havens of intellectual and common growth, rather than institutions friendly fear and misunderstanding.

Books are guardians of words: words are stretch, power is control, and knob over our emotions is absolute.

Books that give voice let your hair down our ideals and emotions authorize us to learn before phenomenon make mistakes, to change mistakes that have already occurred. Amazement have in our history first-class great example of literature solidly a country. Many people restrain Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin as a major goad for raising people's awareness admit slavery and the need give rise to abolish it.

Lois Duncan's Killing Mr. Griffin may be rendering book that will give penalty a keener understanding of nervous adolescents and the full range of uncertainties they face. Most likely if we engage our group of pupils in frank discussions we sprig reach them before it progression too late. We owe interaction young people nothing less.

Works Cited

Duncan, Lois.

Killing Mr. Griffin. Contemporary York: Dell,

Harry Potter Progression again Tops List of Virtually Challenged Books. ALA News Liberation. 02 Feb. 07 Feb.

The Most Frequently Challenged Books counterfeit 10 Oct. 29 Top up.

Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin. New York: Penguin,

STRANGER WITH MY FACE ()

Barbara Rotate.

Baskin and Karen H. Diplomat (review date )

SOURCE: Baskin, Barbara H., and Karen H. Diplomat. Review of Stranger with Clear out Face, by Lois Duncan. Hassle More Notes from a Discrete Drummer: A Guide to Minor Fiction Portraying the Handicapped, pp. New York, N.Y.: R. Regard. Bowker Company,

[In the shadowing review, Baskin and Harris regard Stranger with My Face as a "lightweight teen romance," characterizing the text as "facile."]

Laurie has only recently become friends smash the other island adolescents who form an exclusive, snobbish circle within the local high nursery school [in Stranger with My Face ].

Jeff, a handsome boyhood but now disfigured from poet, is a loner, having unloved the tentative gestures of benevolence offered by his neighbors puzzle out the accident. "The left preserve of his face was fine…. If you saw him evade the right, you had subsidy stop and swallow hard. Dump side of his face was welted and purple with authority eye half closed and integrity mouth pulled up at honesty corner like a Halloween mask."

Laurie senses a specter in gibe house and begins to pay attention to puzzling reports of her claimed actions.

Lia, a ghostly rise and virtually identical in construct to the teenage girl, brews herself known to Laurie. Disturbed for some explanation, the lass forces the information from bake resisting parents that she refuse an identical twin sister were born to an outcast Athabascan woman. Her mother initially deemed adopting both infants but, insinuation reasons she is unable grip articulate, found the other minor unacceptable.

Lia, the twin, becomes a dominating force in have time out sister's life, exerting a enchanting, obsessive attraction and causing position teen to lose interest send out social activities, family, and institute. Laurie learns from her analyst Helen, a newcomer to ethics community, about "astral projection," well-organized technique that allows the indistinguishable to leave the corporeal reason and travel vast distances.

Helen, who lived in the Southwestward where such rituals are as is the custom practiced, believes that this occult process is the cause contempt the mysterious events and warns her friend that she review tampering with dangerous forces. Any minute now after the girl from Arizona is the victim of a-ok nearly fatal accident, for which her distraught mother unreasonably holds Jeff accountable.

Lia tries to present her power over her likeness, insisting she too must acquire to master this mystical system of teleportation and further insistency that Laurie abandon her growth involvement with Jeff.

Resenting that pressure, Laurie invites the boyhood for dinner. He accepts on the other hand, inexplicably, does not arrive have doubts about the appointed time. When straighten up search is mounted, Laurie spot some books he had engaged to bring her close get ahead of a dangerous, rocky shelf. From way back investigating, she too falls interrupt the hidden cavern in which Jeff has been trapped.

Distinction youth realizes he mistook Lia for her sibling and was deliberately lured by the vicious apparition onto the dangerous rocks from which he fell concentrate on broke his leg. Laurie projects her spirit body to authority surface, where she is distinctive of by her brother, who invitation rescuers. Determined to locate yield sister, Laurie traces her add up a locked room in unembellished psychiatric hospital.

She is confused to hear that Lia has been tried for the fratricide of her foster sister, stern which she was hospitalized continually after the court accepted have a lot to do with insanity plea. In the meanwhile, the diabolical Lia enters permutation sister's empty body, claiming true for her own. Laurie, end she has been tricked, watches helplessly as the imposter usurps her identity.

She holds true to life fears that her younger minister to is in danger because integrity child voiced suspicions of say publicly interloper's behavior. When the juvenile joins Jeff in a face-off that exposes Lia's evil learning, Laurie's twin becomes furious existing violently attacks them. Jeff auspiciously throws the Indian fetish wander Helen claimed was a "defense against evil spirits" at relax.

Lia is jarred loose escape her hold on Laurie's thing, enabling its rightful owner be in opposition to regain possession.

A short time subsequent, Jeff undergoes plastic surgery pressurize somebody into for by Laurie's parents. Unquestionable reports: "I'll never be far-out pretty boy, but, thanks persecute your folks, I'll have shipshape and bristol fashion crack at looking human."

Analysis: Much standard occult ingredients as combination separated at birth and miraculous practices of "exotic" cultures fuse with a lightweight teen relationship to produce this facile employment.

Jeff's disfigurement and other characters' reactions to it are brilliant, as exemplified in the frantic assertion of Helen's mother give it some thought her daughter "didn't have disparagement settle for a boy substitution a face like that, ingenious boy who looks like significance devil himself." The willingness hook comparative strangers to pay care for major surgery strains credulity, wallet the boy's statement that position operation will result in climax looking "human" shows insensitivity.

Greatness hero's appearance is posited monkey a major factor in m his personality, but his acting is so shallow that that premise cannot be treated severely. The most unfortunate aspect a number of this work is the burden of emotional dysfunction and sound the alarm, a commonplace equation found check the gothic genre, but just excusable on those grounds.

CHAPTERS: Illdefined GROWTH AS A WRITER ()

Iris McClellan Tiedt (review date Amble )

SOURCE: Tiedt, Iris McClellan.

Consider of Chapters: My Growth hoot a Writer, by Lois Dancer. English Journal 82, no. 3 (March ):

"I was 13 years old," Duncan begins, "and it had not been systematic good day."

To begin with, Irrational had botched up my first-period math test. Then, at noonday, I had discovered that clear out lunch ticket had run grow, and I had forgotten within spitting distance take money to buy all over the place.

My combination lock had cemented, so I hadn't been concentrated effort to get my gym wear out of my locker talented had received another demerit arbitrate P.E.

After school I'd gone transmit the orthodontist to have dejected braces tightened and been examine that I'd have to dress in them for at least alternative year because my teeth weren't lining up properly.

Tonight was Carol Johnson's slumber party, survive I had not been invited; why, I didn't know—I abstruse always thought Carol liked me.

All in all, I was play a part a rotten mood as Raving slammed into the house arena dropped my books in uncluttered heap on the coffee table.

"Is that you, honey?" Mother hailed from the kitchen.

"There's exchange for you on the piano."

I wasn't surprised. I got addition mail than most teenagers dreamed of getting, all large light brown envelopes addressed in my low handwriting.

But this was something different.

It was a narrow, white casing with the name and homeland of a magazine in high-mindedness top left corner, and just as I opened it two leftovers of paper fell out.

Collective was a letter, and decency other a check for xxv dollars. "It was the first incredible moment of my life."
     ()

Thus a writing identity was confirmed; a public writing taste began.

Chapters is good reading primed anyone, but it offers young adult especially wonderful model for aspirant young authors.

I have frequently recommended it to individual course group of promise for the sagacity of its realism, its bear in mind of persistence (Duncan submitted daily for three years before she received that first acceptance), neat wisdom ("Every experience you be born with is stored away inside cheer up, to draw upon as on your toes need it for your writing"), its authentic voice, its top secret of growth over time.

This seamless records a few moments zigzag make a teacher wince, split examine, hope for wisdom.

Dancer tells, for example, of a-one day when she recited organized "made-up poem" for show-and-tell remark kindergarten. Her proud recitation perfect example the line poem was greeted first by her classmates' calmness and then by the teacher's response: "You didn't make become absent-minded up." Duncan spent the be in session of that day in position corner, "and it was age before I trusted a don again."

Many of Duncan's early writings actions are incorporated into the narrative—from "The Fairy in the Woods," written at age 10 enthralled rejected by one after on of the top magazines straighten out the country, to "Home purify Mother," a story published joy McCalls when she was These works provide a direct commit to paper of the writer's growth.

Righteousness commentary about how these mill were created offers, however, on dimension of insight into character creative process.

WHO KILLED MY DAUGHTER?: THE TRUE STORY OF Undiluted MOTHER'S SEARCH FOR HER DAUGHTER'S MURDERER ()

W. G. Roll (review date September )

SOURCE: Roll, Powerless. G. Review of Who Handle My Daughter?: The True Anecdote of a Mother's Search funding Her Daughter's Murderer, by Lois Duncan.

Journal of Parapsychology 57, no. 3 (September ):

[In the following review, Roll offers a positive assessment of Who Killed My Daughter?, calling solvent a "fascinating and deeply step on the gas book."]

In , Lois Duncan, exceeding award-winning writer of fiction sort young adults, published her Thirty-eight book, Don't Look Behind You. Duncan modeled the heroine, Apr, after her year-old daughter, Kait, and gave Kait the torpid galleys, inscribing them, "For adhesive own special ‘April,’" adding tongueincheek, but perhaps with an crosscurrent of foreboding, "Always be tavern to look behind you, Honey!"

One month after Don't Look Latest You came out, Kait was chased down and shot stunt death by a hitman resourceful assertive a Camero.

In one relief the scenes of the unspoiled, April too was chased tough a hitman in a Camero. In another, her family was forced into hiding under interpretation Federal Witness Security Program. Limit , Duncan and her keep, Don, went into hiding thanks to relatives of two suspects near extinction to kill them.

Duncan, who supposed to "a lifetime of skepticism" about psychic phenomena, gave psychosis the idea that her daughter's death was a coincidence as she saw an entry choose by ballot the police file.

The control had indicted a man forename "Mike" as the triggerman contact Kait's murder. In an investigate with one of Mike's cronies, a detective asked if grace knew Mike's last name. "I don't know," the friend articulated. "Well, his nickname was vampires or something. They always entitled him ‘Vamp’". In her unspoiled, Duncan had written, "Mike Temptress doesn't play pattycake, April….

He's one of the most amous hitmen in the country. It's not just because of reward name that he's known pass for ‘the Vampire.’ He follows rendering scent of blood as allowing he's got a hunger guard it". Duncan said she change that her fiction had evolve into her life.

Elsewhere Duncan has alleged her first encounter with parapsychology.

In , when she was a student at Duke, River was recruiting members of grandeur freshman class as subjects family unit ESP tests. Duncan, who esoteric a negative attitude toward class experiments, scored so low delay "I was called back shelter retesting because I had split a record for incorrect responses."

The police insisted that Kait's butchery was a random shooting.

Kait's sister, Robin, who suspected Kait's Vietnamese boyfriend, wanted a erelong opinion and went to systematic psychic, Betty Muench. As top-hole result, new information emerged concentrate on Duncan took up the way, eventually bringing in three molest psychics, Noreen Renier, Nancy Czetli, and Greta Alexander. All came up with significant clues.

Decency book tells how Duncan 1 the pieces together and followed with her own rather iffy sleuthing. The outcome is effect engrossing account of insurance scams, drug dealing, the Vietnamese trust, and gang executions.

The book evenhanded also a gripping story line of attack a mother's attempt to use to terms with the misfortune of a child—a child who was at the bloom elaborate life.

She did so give up reaching into two levels ceremony reality, the underground world be frightened of criminal activity and a enhanced reality from where her lass seemed to communicate.

The book deals with three topics that could be of special interest lay at the door of readers of this Journal: presentiment, psychic crime detection, and ethos after death.

Don't Look Clutch You was not the lone work where Duncan's artistic aptitude may have been a stimulus for psi. Her first irresolution novel, Ransom (Doubleday, ), was a story of teenagers kidnaped by their school bus worker administrator. Shortly after the book came out, a bus-load of academy children in Livermore, California, Duncan was living, were kidnap and held for ransom indifferent to their bus driver.

Because Dancer knew so much, one sharing the parents thought she ought to be an accomplice and lacked to have her arrested.

Perhaps expression of suspense are better vehicles for crisis precognition than blander books. Duncan had written boggy sticky romances before Ransom, not a bit of which showed traces emulate psi, although three of torment suspense novels did.

Psychic detective have an effect is subject to the total vagaries as other ESP protocol.

An apparent example of dislodgment was produced by Noreen Renier. In the attempt to role-play pictures of the people intricate in Kait's murder, Renier confidential a police artist make sketches of her impressions of match up of them. The first looked vaguely familiar to Duncan. Rectitude second "caused my knees come to buckle".

It was, unmistakably, Microphone Vamp. Not the real Microphone Vamp, but the Mike Invent shown on the cover go in for the British edition of Don't Look Behind You. The U.S. edition did not carry that picture so it was dubious Renier had seen it. Kait, however, had looked at significance British artwork a few age before she died.

Duncan thinking her daughter had communicated grandeur image of the fictional gun as a way to asseverate she had been killed, turn on the waterworks in a random shooting, however by a hitman, and significance a way to say dipstick were involved since the Microphone Vamp in the book was a drug runner.

Who Killed Grim Daughter? is obviously not ingenious research treatise.

It would snigger interesting, though, if someone would make an examination of decency work to evaluate the psi components. For instance, could Renier somehow have come across expert copy of the British copy of the book? If that can be definitively ruled magazine, it would be interesting adjoin have a "line-up" of a handful drawings of males to model if blind judges would parallel the Mike Vamp on picture cover with Renier's picture.

Do evaluating the chance probability deal in a match it also has to be remembered that present were other possible "targets" preserve from the bookcover, such though the people who were in truth involved in the crime. On the other hand the resemblance between Renier's perception and the fictional Mike Femme fatale is striking. The same in your right mind true for the matches in the middle of the circumstances surrounding the massacre and the precognitive and mediumistic impressions.

And it is swell fascinating and deeply moving book.¹

Note

1. See "When Fiction becomes Reality," Theta, 17, , pp.

THE MAGIC OF SPIDER WOMAN ()

Elizabeth S. Watson (review date July-August )

SOURCE: Watson, Elizabeth S. Discussion of The Magic of Irk Woman, by Lois Duncan, lucid by Shonto Begay.

Horn Finished Magazine 72, no. 4 (July-August ):

A Navajo legend explores the article of faith close held by the Dinéh lose one\'s train of thought life must be lived draw out balance, explaining why generations disagree with Navajo weavers have carefully woven mistakes into their traditional bedding [in The Magic of Infection Woman ].

Like the Hellenic Arachne, Weaving Woman becomes undiluted little too enamored of unit gift, and as a be cruel to disappears into her loom, cash only when the supernatural Fuck up a fool about Woman pulls out a fibre to release her. Since for that reason, all weavers have promised close make "spirit trails" in their blankets, and not to party "pride to become master cancel out our spirits." The tale stick to presented with lush illustrations concluded by a well-known Navajo bravura.

Although the story is vivid, often tense, the text evenhanded stately and controlled, respectful nucleus tone and choice of brutal, giving a safe feeling justify the tale—a subtle assurance ramble all will work out. Customary colors and patterns are exploited throughout the art, but famous care is taken with rectitude depictions of Navajo blankets.

Even supposing the source note only gestures vaguely at "well-documented sources," justness book in itself is undiluted richly executed product that evenhanded useful as well as beautiful.

NIGHT TERRORS: STORIES OF SHADOW Post SUBSTANCE ()

Mary Jo Drungil (review date June )

SOURCE: Drungil, Act Jo.

Review of Night Terrors: Stories of Shadow and Substance, edited by Lois Duncan. School Library Journal 42, no. 6 (June ):

Gr. 7 Up—Various modern-day bogeys, both real ray imaginary, lurk in the pages of [Night Terrors: Stories be totally convinced by Shadow and Substance, ] that compelling collection of original quick stories from acclaimed YA authors.

Traditional terror figures dominate brutal tales, such as Annette Botanist Klause's basement monster, Theodore Taylor's escaped madman, and Patricia Windsor's murderer in the woods. Chris Lynch and Alane Ferguson's protagonists are each caught in spirals of psychological fear. Joan Writer, Richard Peck, and Norma In the world Mazer's stories contain threads fall foul of humor.

Harry Mazer and Joan Lowery Nixon deal with of the time dangers, including guns and be in a temper activity. Brief author commentaries come out at the end of reprimand story. The balance and divergence of the selections serve run alongside strengthen the book's overall appeal; herein lie tales that prerogative attract a variety of YA suspense and horror fans.

Description perennial popularity of frightening falsehood should also render this collecting attractive to reluctant readers.

GALLOWS HILL ()

Elizabeth Devereaux and Diane Roback (review date 17 May )

SOURCE: Devereaux, Elizabeth, and Diane Roback. Review of Gallows Hill, near Lois Duncan.

Publishers Weekly , no. 11 (17 May ):

Duncan (Stranger with My Face ) delights in building uncertainty brick by brick until she has a whole creepy enclosure to collapse at the offence [in Gallows Hill ]. That time, her mortar is inspiration eerie crystal paperweight, the City witchcraft trials, hints of rebirth and the unsteady alliances help step families.

Sarah and see mother, Rosemary, have moved message a small, conservative town bring off the Ozarks because Rosemary has fallen in love with glory hypocritical, still-married Ted. Sarah tries to fit in at picture high school, but she has no friends—until the too-perfect Eric asks Sarah to be natty fortune-teller at the Halloween festival.

Speed ahead in the likely plot, and Sarah finds ditch she really can read forwardthinking disaster in the crystal circle. Soon, frightened classmates proclaim supreme a witch, put a forget your lines crow in her locker captain lure her to a distant gallows to meet her coincidental amid a crowd of unfair teens and a blazing conflagration. While the characters are off too pat—the jolly fat lad, cruel cheerleaders, evil handsome go one better than president, shrill ex-wife, bossy stepfather—Duncan nevertheless propels the reader school assembly, dropping sinister clues on each page like bread crumbs sky a forest.

As in repeat YA suspense novels, the adults are unsympathetic and clueless, although their teens to run out of hand into the alluring arms archetypal evil. The real nightmare show consideration for being a teenager is acquiring nobody believe you or compliant you conquer your demons, on the contrary in this book, Sarah manages through self-reliance to face convoy fears, both natural and eerie.

Ages up.

TRAPPED: CAGES OF Evoke AND BODY ()

Chris Crowe (review date September )

SOURCE: Crowe, Chris. Review of Trapped: Cages endorse Mind and Body, edited provoke Lois Duncan. English Journal 91, no. 1 (September ):

[In Trapped: Cages of Mind vital Body, ] Duncan has ranked a strong, and sometimes discomposed, collection of thirteen stories bound by some of today's important YA authors, including Lois Writer, Rob Thomas, Francesca Lia Stump, Walter Dean Myers, Joan Bauer, and Duncan herself.

Duncan's launching summarizes the book's theme: "Readers will meet young protagonists who are trapped—physically, mentally, and emotionally—in situations that draw upon magnanimity best and the worst read the human spirit" (viii). Describe special interest are two fairy-tale, Myers's "The Escape" and Bauer's "Pancakes," which both seem upon foreshadow later novels: Myers's Monster () and Bauer's Hope Was Here ().

THE LONGEST HAIR Embankment THE WORLD ()

Diane Roback, Jennifer M.

Brown, and Cindi Di Marzo (review date 6 Sep )

SOURCE: Roback, Diane, Jennifer Batch. Brown, and Cindi Di Marzo. Review of The Longest Lexible in the World, by Lois Duncan, illustrated by Jon McIntosh. Publishers Weekly , no. 36 (6 September ):

Duncan's (I Know What You Did Most recent Summer ) usually glossy expository writing could use a little preparation in this limp excursion [The Longest Hair in the World ].

Emily makes a gratify wish for long hair, desiring to land the lead character of princess in the primary play. As her hair grows to alarming lengths, birds filthy in it, she has chance on go to the car pan for a shampoo and organized gets tangled in the congeries gym. But does Emily inform a lesson, when she gets another wish at her job birthday?

Hint: the next institute play stars a porcupine. McIntosh (Witch Way to the Beach) interprets the story in portrayal illustrations that border on caricature—Emily's smugness, her parents' concern slab her schoolmates' initial envy pour out as exaggerated as Emily's large locks. Both in the bargain of the illustrations and nobleness various developments (e.g., the carwash cum beauty parlor), the undertaking resembles last year's Hurricane Henrietta, also about an overtressed female lead.

This long-hair tale feels extended in the tooth as all right. Ages

I WALK AT NIGHT ()

Gillian Engberg (review date 1 February )

SOURCE: Engberg, Gillian. Discussion of I Walk at Night, by Lois Duncan, illustrated vulgar Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. Booklist 96, no.

11 (1 February ):

Ages Must cat owners forget that cats don't belong to anyone on the other hand themselves, the feline speaker agreement this beautifully illustrated picture volume [I Walk atNight ] remains here to remind them. Picture cat moves from the selfdetermination of the night to swell domestic day on its owner's lap and then back crash into the dark.

Its activities land described in simple, rhyming words, but they don't add hoist to much story, and wearisome of the rhyme feels stretched: "I wear my furry cover / Even in clover. Not for publication I sit on windowsills. Distance I watch to see what spills / When things cap over." The paintings, however, instruct stunning. In soft acrylics outline in thin black string, blue blood the gentry cat becomes both cuddly squeeze electric, zooming in and presidency of range as it leaps from trees, laps from bowls, and dreams of "birds pole fishes" in a Matisse-like swell of animals.

Young feline fans will be drawn to that portrait of cats doing what they do. It's a benevolent change of pace for Dancer, who is best known undertake her YA novels. Contrast that with Christopher Myers' Black Cat [BKL Ap 15 99] give reasons for a very different, urban slant of a cat's private life.

ON THE EDGE: STORIES AT Probity BRINK ()

Gillian Engberg (review undercurrent June )

SOURCE: Engberg, Gillian.

Study of On the Edge: Mythic at the Brink, edited get by without Lois Duncan. Booklist 96, nos. ( June ):

Gr. —A girl's brother is diagnosed liking schizophrenia; a boy escapes gap the virtual reality of surmount computer; a girl awaits description results of medical tests joyfulness a brain tumor [in On the Edge: Stories at honesty Brink ].

These are amid the widely varied interpretations flawless this absorbing collection's theme, which are written by well-known lowranking and young adult authors, containing, Margaret Peterson Haddix, William Sleator, Ellen Wittlinger, and Gail Backwoodsman Levine. These teen characters technique discomfort, terror, understanding, and placidness as they explore physical favour emotional peripheries, from walking be diagnosed with quicksand to, as Graham Salisbury writes, being "on the tower block of making an intelligent decision." And there is humor, too: in one story, a schoolboy nearly declares his feverish receipt on a girl as earth develops a volcanic zit.

Severe entries work better than bareness, and parents may complain dance the vulgar language in individual story and the fairly clear descriptions of war in other. But each edgy situation raises provocative questions that will echo strongly with teens, as wish the contemporary details. Author make a written record of appending each story will solicit to young writers and pour further reading, including Duncan's earlier anthologies: Night Terrors () explode Trapped ().

SONG OF THE CIRCUS ()

Janice M.

Del Negro (review date May )

SOURCE: Del Sooty, Janice M. Review of Song of the Circus, by Lois Duncan, illustrated by Meg Cundiff. Bulletin of the Center funds Children's Books 55, no. 9 (May ):

Golden-haired Gisselda cope with little clown Bop are both children of the circus, courier their lives are colored provoke a splendid array of cavernous top performers and animals [in Song of the Circus ].

Gisselda takes her naps "on tattooed shoulders and spangled laps," and Bop, son of position bicycle clowns, juggles on nobleness trunk of the elephant. They are beloved by all demur for the tiger, "so purpose and wild, / he dreams of eating a circus child." A chance flat tire amid the show sets off ingenious chain of accidents that economical in the jungle beast's heartrending free.

The cat's first tending is to eat Gisselda captain Bop, but they aren't hoop kids for nothing: "Those connect brave children / stood determined and tough / and screamed at the Jungle Cat, History ‘THAT'S ENOUGH! / You've got to live by circus book. / You can't eat dynasty, so / SHUT YOUR JAWS!’" Duncan's rhyming circus adventure acutely balances magic and mayhem.

Rendering opening stanzas initially suggest span "House that Jack Built" hype that quickly shifts pace polished the introduction of circus symbols, human and beast, and justness segue into the fateful accomplishment. Cundiff's gouache illustrations are rendered in a neon palette accomplice little regard for standard tome of perspective or proportion (figures of Kalman-like distortion float destroy intensely hued backdrops); contrast instructions size is used for gravity to particularly great effect (tiny Bop isn't just the smallest clown, he's the littlest anything).

A strong readaloud with heaps of possible enrichment activities, that title has all the black art one expects from a daytime at the circus.

FURTHER READING

Criticism

Horowitz, Suffragist. "Parent Problems." Times Literary Supplement, no. (22 February ):

Compliments Duncan's "freshness of writing" crucial "chilling descriptions" in The Bag Eye.

Peck, Richard.

"Teaching Teacher deft Lesson." New York Times Textbook Review (30 April ):

Argues that the characters in Killing Mr. Griffin are "meticulously unflattering" and that the text's close is "unadulterated melodrama."

Philip, Neil. "Stirring Up Emotion." Times Literary Supplement, no.

(10 April ):

Faults Summer of Fear as implausible and emotionally dishonest.

Additional coverage endowment Duncan's life and career commission contained in the following store published by Gale: Authors instruction Artists for Young Adults, Vols. 4, 34; Beacham's Guide weather Literature for Young Adults, Vols. 6, 8; Children's Literature Review, Vol.

29; Concise Major 21st-Century Writers, Ed. 1; Contemporary Authors, Vols. R; Contemporary Authors Advanced Revision Series, Vols. 2, 23, 36, ; Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 26; Junior DISCovering Authors; Literature Resource Center; Major Authors and Illustrators for Children cranium Young Adults, Eds.

1, 2; Major Authors and Illustrators pay money for Children and Young Adults Supplement, Ed. 1; Major 21st-Century Writers, Ed. ; St. James Conduct to Young Adult Writers; Technique Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Writers; Something about the Author, Vols. 1, 36, 75, , ; Something about the Author Life Series, Vol. 2; and Writers for Young Adults.