Kill the Teacher's Pet (A Bantam starfire book) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Joseph Locke (Author), Ray Garton (writing as Joseph Locke) (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Locke's menacing, albeit bizarre horror story takes a while to get started, but once it does, readers will be captivated. The sudden disappearance of Mr. Lehman, a high school teacher, has everyone stymied. Lenny, a self-described "nerd," suspects Mr. Trancas, Lehman's replacement. Investigation yields incriminating evidence, and Lenny becomes convinced that Trancas has killed several brilliant students over the years. But none of Lenny's friends, including smart, beautiful Pamela, is swayed by his findings--until it's almost too late. The novel's main flaw (other than not disclosing why Trancas murdered Lehman) is the unlikely behavior of the characters: Lenny, for example, tells no one that he found Lehman's body in a shack on Trancas's property; Lenny and Pamela enter a suspected killer's home by themselves. The mounting tension, however, makes for suspenseful reading. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up-- Flat, stock characters, reminiscent of the populace of Sweet Valley High, are strewn throughout this lurid tale of Wes Coswell, the substitute-teacher-from-hell, who leaves a trail of murdered teenage victims in his wake. The sub's grisly lesson plans are uncovered, along with the rotting body of the teacher he's been hired to replace, by Lenny, a nerdy Stephen King wannabe. This student hero triumphs in the predictable ending, curing his father's alcoholism and winning popularity and the cheerleader of his dreams, but not before readers must march through scenes of Lenny's abduction and subsequent torture, and witness the gratuitous stabbing of a kindly counselor. This pointless bit of horror fluff is neither well written nor thrilling. Truly awful. --Doris A. Fong, Benson Polytechnic High School, Portland, OR
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Starfire; First Edition edition (September 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553290584
• ISBN-13: 978-0553290585
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,342,459 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kill the Teacher's Pet, May 22, 2000

By A Customer

This great suspenseful book was written by Joseph Locke. The title is Kill the Teacher's Pet. The book is about a kid named Joe. He's not the most popular person in school but he loves adventure. Other than that Joe leads a pretty ordinary life, until he hears on the news (for a couple weeks straight) that five teachers from five different schools in a five state area have been killed. The next day the principal comes into Joe's classroom and tells the class about his teacher moving away. The principal introduces Joe's new teacher to his class. His new teacher taught at every school that the five teachers that were killed were from. About a month later the principal announces over the loud speaker that a teacher was killed in Joe's school. Joe gets suspicious that his new teacher is somehow linked to the killings. When his teacher leaves his house that night to go out to dinner, Joe breaks into his teacher's house and finds more than he can capture on his camera. Then he hears his teacher come home. Joe is in the basement. Will he escape or will he get caught? You'll just have to read Kill the Teacher's Pet and find out!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teacher's Pet, April 28, 2004

By	Andrew Merkevicius (Nebraska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First of all, in correction to the reader from Minnesota, the main character's name is Lenny not Joe. And Lenny doesn't hear about the murders on the news, he has a scrap book with clippings from all over the country, linking the killer to each one. In response to the editorial, yes, the characters do lack some build, especially considering their behavior. But let's take into account that this book was made for young adults, so therefore could not expand on some of the elements that Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and other adult novels can. Though it lacks in some suspense, I feel this book has been one of the most chilling I have ever read. Even years later, with me turning to more deeper horror stories and writers such as Ludlum and Margaret Weis, I have never been able to clear my mind of this short, yet very gripping story of a boy's struggle to survive. The way Locke tells the story is very intense, especially in the eyes of a younger audience. This is a story other young adult writers can take to heart: any story can be good enough if you write it well.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST BOOK EVER, January 4, 2000

By	Daniel (BALTIMORE, MARYLAND) - See all my reviews

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ IN MY LIFE. IT HAS THINGS AROUND EVERY CORNER. THIS BOOK HAS SURPRIZES THAT YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE GUESSED. IT HAS THE BEST PLOT I HAVE EVER HEARD OF. IF YOU LIKE HORROR BOOKS, THAN YOU WILL APSOLUTLY ADORE THIS BOOK. I WOULD HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS BOOK. IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD GO AND GET THIS BOOK NOW.