Stranger with My Face, by Lois Duncan

(pb; 1981)


From the back cover:

"How can she be in two places at one time?

"Laurie was at home, but her boyfriend swears he saw her on the beach with another guy.  Her family insists they see her coming and going when she's been out of the house for hours.  Who - or what - is taking over Laurie's life?"


Review:

Stranger is a good, plot- and writing-tight young adult novel.  There aren't a lot of twists in this engaging thriller, but it's a solid read by an author who's consistently worthwhile.

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The television movie version aired stateside on August 29, 2009.

Alexz Jones played Laurie Stratton/Lia Abbott.  Andrew Francis played Jeff Rankin.  Emile Hirst played Alexis Stratton.    Bruce Dawson played James Stratton.  Grace Sherman played Helen Tuttle.  Beau Mirchoff played Gordon Lambert.  Nhi Do played Darlene.

Catherine Hicks played Shelley Stratton.  Bill Marchant played Bill Abbot.  Joanne Wilson played Ellie Abbot.

Jeff Renfroe directed the film from a teleplay by Jamie Pachino and Eric Tuchman.

Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan

(pb; 1978)


From the back cover:

"They only planned to scare their English teacher.

"They didn't mean to kill him.

"But sometimes even the best laid plans go wrong."


Review:

Good, tightly plotted, for-older-teens* crime novel that pulls no punches, is willing to take a few chances within its genre, and has an ending with that shows real-life consequences for the kids' actions.

Check this out.

[*for-older-teens = a few instances/mentions of profanity and drug use - e.g., marijuana]

#

The resulting television film aired stateside on April 7, 1997.

Amy Jo Johnson played Susan McConnell. Scott Bairstow played Mark Kinney. Mario López played Dave Ruggles. Chris Young played Jeff.

Jay Thomas played John Griffin. Cordelia Richards played Kathy Griffin. Michelle Williams played Maya. Rhonda Dotson played Dolly Luna.

Jack Bender directed the telepic, from a teleplay by Michael Angeli and Kathleen Rowell.

I Know What You Did Last Summer, by Lois Duncan

(pb; 1973, 1978, 2010: YA horror novel)


From the back cover:

"They didn't mean it. They didn't mean to hit the boy. There was a party, and it was an accident. . . but they had futures to protect. So Barry, Julie, Helen, and Ray swore one another to secrecy. But now, a year later, someone knows. Julie receives a haunting, anonymous threat: 'I know what you did last summer.'

"The dark lie is unearthed, and before the four friends know it, they need to outsmart a killer. . . or they will be the next to die."


Review:

Above-average, suspenseful-for-young-adults read that, while it sports a few uses of (situation suitable) profanity ("sh*t") and casual references to smoking pot, resonates in a real-world and teen-friendly way.

Worth owning, this.

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The more violent, loosely-based-on-the-book film was released stateside on October 17, 1997.

Jennifer Love Hewitt played Julie James. Sarah Michelle Gellar played Helen Shivers. Ryan Phillipe played Barry William Cox. Freddie Prinze Jr. played Ray Bronson.

Bridgette Wilson-Sampras played Elsa Shivers. Anne Heche played Melissa "Missy" Egan. Johnny Galecki played Max Neurick. Muse Watson played Benjamin Willis. Stuart Greer played Officer David Caporizo. Deborah Hobart played Mrs. James. Mary McMillan played Mrs. Cox. An uncredited Patti D'Arbanville played Mrs. Shivers.

Jim Gillespie directed the film, from a script by Kevin Williamson.

#

Two sequels, neither of them based on books, followed:

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), which featured actors from the original film - Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Muse Watson - as well as new-to-the-franchise actors like Jeffrey Combs;

and

the direct-to-video I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006), which didn't feature any of the original actors.