TEACHERS GUIDE


ABOUT THIS BOOK

It was only an accident -- but it would change their lives forever. Last summer, four terrified friends made a desperate pact to conceal a shocking secret. But some secrets don't stay buried, and someone has learned the truth. Someone bent on revenge. This summer, the horror is only beginning....

The following books are also discussed in this guide:

Killing Mr. Griffin
In all of Duncan's novels, the teenaged main characters are faced with decisions that could change the course of their lives: In Killing Mr. Griffin, five high-school students plot to kidnap their English teacher. Four teenagers in I Know What You Did Last Summer are involved in a hit-and-run accident. April, in Don't Look Behind You, moves to Florida with her family when her family is relocated under the witness protection program. When she disobeys the rules, she finds her life in grave danger. In The Third Eye, Karen's life changes when she uses her psychic powers to locate missing children. And five high-schoolers, kidnapped in Ransom, and are forced to work together to try to escape.

Gallows Hill
Seventeen-year-old Sarah Zoltanne, the main character in Gallows Hill, has just moved to California from a small Missouri town. Eager to fit in at her new high school, Sarah reluctantly agrees to run a fortune-telling booth at the annual carnival. This role-playing turns terrifying when Sarah begins to have visions that predict the future. Her frightened classmates set off a chain of events that makes Sarah the object of a modern-day witch-hunt.

ABOUT THIS AUTHOR

Lois Duncan grew up in Sarasota, Florida and from early childhood she knew she wanted to be a writer. She submitted her first story to a magazine at the age of 10 and made her first sale at 13. Throughout her high-school years, she wrote regularly for young people's publications, particularly Seventeen Magazine.

"My first book was a young adult novel because I wrote it at age 20, and teenage subject matter was all I knew about," Duncan says. "Today, although I write other types of books as well, I still choose to write primarily for teenagers because I love the sensitivity, vulnerability and responsiveness of that age reader."

TEACHING IDEAS

Lois Duncan, the most popular writer of suspense stories for young adults, presents characters that experience many of the same issues that today's teenagers face: acceptance, peer pressure, revenge, responsibility, and leadership are just a few.

Duncan's books are excellent choices for reading aloud and for engaging the class in meaningful dialogue. They also offer readers the thrill of a good mystery.

Pre-Reading Activity

Invite a police officer to talk with the students about teenaged crime in their city or town. What are the most frequent crimes committed by teenagers? How do pranks lead to crimes? Many teenaged criminals are good kids who made bad decisions. Engage the class in a discussion about what they should do if they suddenly find themselves in a prank about to turn bad.

Thematic Connections

Peer Pressure
Eric in Gallows Hill, Mark in Killing Mr.Griffin, and Barry in I Know What You Did Last Summer are masters at manipulating their peers. Ask the class to discuss how peer pressure is related to the desire to be accepted by others. How are Sarah in Gallows Hill, Susan in Killing Mr. Griffin, and Julie in I Know What You Did Last Summer victims of peer pressure? Divide the class into small groups and ask them to role-play a real-life scene where a student is pressured. Then ask the class to discuss alternative scenarios.

Revenge
Ask students to define revenge. How is accusation used as a means of revenge in Gallows Hill? Have students discuss why Mark, Betsy, and Jeff are so intent on taking revenge upon their teacher in Killing Mr. Griffin. Discuss how revenge is the driving force behind the witness protection program. How is April the victim of revenge in Don't Look Behind You? How does Bud seek revenge in I Know What You Did Last Summer? What do these books say about the human propensity for vengeance?

Responsibility
In Duncan's books teenagers make very bad decisions that lead them into a life of guilt and lies. What consequences do these teens face for their deceit? At what point do the characters in each of these novels acknowledge that they are responsible for their actions? Ask students to discuss how Karen in The Third Eye and the five teenagers in Ransom appear more responsible than the characters in Duncan's other novels.

Leadership
In Gallows Hill and Killing Mr. Griffin, there are characters who use their leadership abilities to get others to do what they want. In Killing Mr. Griffin, Mark uses his handsome looks and popularity to get Susan and the others to go along with the plan to abduct Mr. Griffin. Eric, in Gallows Hill, uses his charm to persuade Sarah to continue to tell fortunes. Ask students to list and discuss the qualities one needs to be an effective leader. How might the teenagers in Ransom define a leader? Ask the class to name the students in their school who represent good leadership (e.g., president of the student government).

Interdisciplinary Connections

Social Studies
Criminal justice is considered a social science, but it might also be viewed as a pure science. Send students to the library media center to research the many ways that the criminal justice system uses science to acquire evidence on a criminal.

Careers
Ask students to research the various career options in the field of criminal justice. What are the qualifications and training for the different careers? How might social workers be considered partners to those in the field of criminal justice?

Drama
Divide the class into small groups and ask them to identify a suspenseful scene in one of Lois Duncan's novels and perform it as a one-act play. Remind them that the scene should have strong dialogue. Instruct each group to write a short narrative to introduce their scene. Ask them to select appropriate music that will add to the suspense.


Teaching ideas by Edward Sullivan, Senior Project Librarian, the New York Public Library Connecting Libraries and Schools Project, New York, New York.

VOCABULARY

The vocabulary in Lois Duncan's books is not difficult, but students may enjoy exploring words connected to psychic phenomena like karma, reincarnation, and familiar.

AWARDS

Don't Look Behind You
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

Killing Mr. Griffin
ALA Best of the Best Book for Young Adults
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

Locked in Time
ALA Quick Pick
IRA-CBC Children's Choice
Nevada Young Readers Award

Stranger with My Face
ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Summer of Fear
California Young Reader Medal
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

They Never Came Home
New Mexico Press Women's Zia Award

The Twisted Window
Junior Literary Guild Selection
New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age

FURTHER READING

Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan[0-440-91864-2]
Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan[0-440-20729-0]
Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan[0-440-91805-7]
Driver's Ed by Caroline B. Cooney[0-440-21981-7]
Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan[0-385-32331-X]
I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson[0-385-32031-0]
Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan[0-440-94515-1]
Locked in Time by Lois Duncan[0-440-94942-4]
Psychic Connections by Lois Duncan[0-385-32072-8]
Ransom by Lois Duncan[0-440-97292-2]
Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan[0-440-98356-8]
Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan[0-440-98324-X]
They Never Came Home by Lois Duncan[0-440-20780-0]
The Third Eye by Lois Duncan[0-440-98720-2]
The Twisted Window by Lois Duncan[0-440-20184-5]