Killing Mr. Griffin is a 1978 suspense novel by Lois Duncan about a group of teenaged students at a New Mexico high school, who plan to kidnap their strict English teacher, Mr. Griffin. Duncan developed the story from the character of Mark, who is involved in the kidnapping plan and is based on the first boyfriend of Duncan's oldest daughter. Mr. Griffin was based on the personality of a teacher one of Duncan's daughters had in high school. In 2010, the novel was reissued with changes to modernize the content, making it more age appropriate and appealing to readers. The book won several awards and honors, including the 1982 Massachusetts Children's Book Award and the 1982–1983 Alabama Camellia Children's Choice Book Award. Killing Mr. Griffin was adapted into a television film of the same name that aired on NBC on April 7, 1997. The film starred Jay Thomas, Amy Jo Johnson, Mario Lopez, and Scott Bairstow, and was first released on DVD and VHS on March 7, 2000. Source: Wikipedia (en)