I Know What You Did Last Summer [Paperback]

Lois Duncan (Author)

Book Description

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. A group of teenagers is involved in a hit-and-run accident and is stalked by someone seeking revenge.

--This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A taut, skillfully plotted and suspenseful thriller." --Publishers Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

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.... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Pocket Books (Mm) (June 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671639706
• ISBN-13: 978-0671639709
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (269 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,023,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lois Duncan was born in Philadelphia, PA, and grew up in Sarasota, FL.
She knew from early childhood that she wanted to be a writer. She submitted her first story to a magazine at age 10 and became published at 13. Throughout her high school years she wrote regularly for young people's publications, particularly Seventeen.

As an adult, Lois moved to Albuquerque, NM, where she taught magazine writing for the Journalism Department at the University of New Mexico and continued to write for magazines. Over 300 of her articles and stories appeared in such publications as Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest, and for many years she was a contributing editor for Woman's Day.

Lois is the author of over 50 books, ranging from children's picture books to poetry to adult non-fiction, but is best known for her young adult suspense novels, which have received Young Readers Awards in 16 states and three foreign countries. In 1992, Lois was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award, presented by the School Library Journal and the ALA Young Adult Library Services Association for "a distinguished body of adolescent literature." In 2009, she received the Katharine Drexel Award, awarded by the Catholic Library Association "to recognize an outstanding contribution by an individual to the growth of high school and young adult librarianship and literature."

Six of her novels -- SUMMER OF FEAR, KILLING MR. GRIFFIN, GALLOWS HILL, RANSOM, DON'T LOOK BEHIND YOU and STRANGER WITH MY FACE -- were made-for-TV movies. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER and HOTEL FOR DOGS were box office hits.

Although young people are most familiar with Lois Duncan's fictional suspense novels, adults may know her best as the author of WHO KILLED MY DAUGHTER?, the true story of the murder of Kaitlyn Arquette, the youngest of Lois's five children. Kait's heartbreaking story has been featured on such TV shows as Unsolved Mysteries, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Sally Jessy Raphael and Inside Edition. A full account of the family's on-going personal investigation of this still unsolved homicide can be found on the Internet at http://kaitarquette.arquettes.com.

Lois Duncan's personal web page is at http://loisduncan.arquettes.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read the Book., January 24, 2004

By 

tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: I Know What You Did Last Summer (Mass Market Paperback)

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER is a story about a group of four high school students who are involved in a hit and run accident which ends up killing a young boy. Speeding down the road late at night after hours of partying, the group strikes a young boy on his bicycle. Instead of stopping to help, the group drives to the nearest phone and makes an anonymous phone call to the police to report the accident. The group makes a pact not to tell what happened. The event causes the breakdown of fellowship between the four friends and they go their separate ways. About a year later, one of the girls receives an anonymous note that reads "I Know What You Did Last Summer." Horrified, she gets in touch with the other members of the pact and the chase is on. One thing leads to another and before they know it, they're trying to outsmart a killer.

If you've seen the movie, don't be expecting any graphic violence here or a man with a hook. Instead, this story revolves itself around lessons of honesty, revenge, and the dangers of living a lie. The characters are realistic and easy to relate to. Girls will probably enjoy this book much more than guys because of the romantic elements involved, but it has enough who-dunnit to appeal to males, too.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Summertime, February 28, 2001

By 

Rachel May (Saginaw, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Know What You Did Last Summer (Mass Market Paperback)

I've read several Lois Duncan books and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" is by far the most surprising and suspenseful of them all. I have once watched the movie "I Know What You Did Last Summer" a while back and remember it to be hardly interesting. The book version however, was much more appealing to the mind than the movie was. The book has the same basic as the movie did with the same four main characters, Julie, Helen, Ray and Barry. It starts out the same with a car accident with a stranger in the beginning that comes back to haunt them the next summer, with threats and later into more killings and suspense than the movie had to offer. The entire story leaves you hanging on the tip of your chair from suspense at its finest. The ending was different from what I had originally expected and I'm sure other readers of this book feel the same. I recommend all mystery/horror and Lois Duncan readers to read this book if they have the time and interest in this type of book or are a fan of Lois Duncan's workings. I rate this book with 5 stars because of my high level of interest and concern throughout the entire book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Revenge, March 1, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: I Know What You Did Last Summer (Mass Market Paperback)

A Review by Meghan
One night, while coming home from partying, Barry hit a young boy riding a bicycle. Also in the car were Julie, Ray, and Helen. They all panicked and then called the police anonymously. They made a pact never to tell anyone about the accident. It's been a year now and someone's out for revenge. They all get some sort of sign that someone else knows about it, but who? No one ever told anyone else.

I like how this book keeps you in suspense. The story leads up to the climax very well with everyone getting notes or phone calls. The author doesn't give anything away about the person sending the notes' is, until he reveals himself. You can easily follow when the author switches from one point of view to another. The conflict of someone out to get you seems real because you can kind of imagine someone doing that. The characters Lois Duncan has brought "alive" seem very realistic (especially if you've seen the movie). They were all really believable. I kind of wish the book would extend so you could see what happens after everything has happened.

I would recommend this book to people if you like suspense and mystery. I think this is a really good book. It's easy to follow the book.