Glenn, Mel. Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?: a Mystery in Poems. New York: Lodestar, 1996. Print.
Summary
The murder of English teacher Robert Chippendale sends a shock wave through Tower High. As police detective Harry Balinger and Tower High guidance counselor Angela Falcone try to find the culprit, students and other faculty express their admiration (or lack thereof) for the late teacher. In the process, secrets from Mr. Chippnedale's and other's lives are revealed. And, oh yes, all this is done in free verse poetry.
My Impressions
I had reservations about this one, because I had read a few novels written in free verse in high school. It seemed like most authors just used the format as an excuse to churn out a quick read with little or no real emotion. Not so with Mr. Glenn, who made a good career out of this. The mystery itself gets the short shrift, but in the process the readers get to see the pure and understandable emotions as the people in Mr. Chippendale's sphere of influence try to make sense of it all. I especially like how Glenn's revealing through verse of those students who came to the realization of how "Mr. C"'s encouragement made them take chances in life for greater things.
What Other Reviewers Said
A bored student glances out of the classroom window. There's Mr. Chippendale jogging around the track as he does most days before his English classes meet. Nothing new here, she thinks. Then Mr. C. becomes the victim of a sniper on the school grounds. The police descend; suspects are questioned; the school grieves its toss. At first glance, this may seem to be just another mystery in a market glutted by the likes of Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine. However, veterans of YA literature know to expect great things from Glenn. His latest novel breaks new ground as a mystery in poems. Glenn's familiar format from his previous volumes of high school poems (Class Dismissed, 1982, Class Dismissed II, 1986, Back to Class, 1988; My Friend's Got This Problem, Mr. Candler, 1991, Clarion, HS) is in evidence as readers learn how the various members of the school community react to the news of Mr. C.'s murder. A "novel" concept to be sure, this is a great read-aloud and should serve as a powerful model in writing class. More, please, Mr. Glenn! (1)
Mr. Chippendale, a high school teacher, has been murdered. It happened in the morning as he was running on the school track. Someone shot him in the head from the roof of the school building and he was killed instantly. There is now an investigation taking place at the high school to try to find out who it was that took this fatal shot. This story is told entirely in poems, from the poems at the beginning describing how Mr. Chippendale was feeling at the start of his morning run, to poems from the points of view of various students, faculty and people in the neighborhood. Some students though Mr. Chippendale was the best teacher they'd ever had. He made a real difference in the lives of some of his students, encouraging them to be better than they thought they could be, to try harder and set higher goals for themselves. Other students saw him as boring, a lousy teacher who made them feel bad about themselves and never helped them at all. Mr. Chippendale's fellow teachers didn't seem to know him much better than his students did. He and one of the guidance counselors had a brief relationship, but even she feels like they never really had a connection. What could Mr. Chippendale have done to drive someone to murder? I thought the poem aspect was really interesting. It allowed the thoughts of the students and others to wander around the story and their impressions of Mr. Chippendale instead of having to explain things in a linear way. There was much left unanswered, though. I never got a really good grasp on who Mr. Chippendale was, and the secret of who the killer was seemed like it should have been better set up. There should have been more clues pointing to that person. (2)
Suggested Activity
For older readers, this book would be perfect for a teen mystery night. Teen volunteers can take the parts of the different characters and read their parts aloud. The ending can even be withheld long enough for the audience to vote on what they think is the most likely solution. For an added touch, this event could be held in April for National Poetry Month.
Other Citations
(1) Lesesne, Teri S., and G. Kylene Beers. "Book review." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 40.3 (1996): 232. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 4 Dec. 2010.
(2) Luciano, A. "Murder Investigation." Amazon.com: A. Luciano's Review of Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?: A Mystery in ... 31 May 2007. Web. 04 Dec. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/28hq6f9>.
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