I know I should love Paper Towns because it's by John Green, but I just didn't love it. I'm not sure why I didn't love it. The story was well-written, as is any other John Green story. The characters were mostly relatable, but perhaps a bit generic? (The more John Green I read, the more I see the same kinds of characters.) The two main characters kind of annoyed me and I found the secondary characters much more entertaining and funny. The road trip that they take is possible my favorite part of the novel. However, I did still like Paper Towns, I just didn't love it the way I loved The Fault in our Stars or Looking for Alaska.
About the Book:
Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Roth Spiegelman used to be best friends. Now they're just neighbors. Until one night, when Margo appears, all in black like a ninja, at Q's window and takes him on a night full of adventure. After pranking Margo's ex-friends and ex-boyfriend, and breaking into Sea World, Q thinks that maybe he and Margo can be friends again. When Q goes to school after their all-nighter, he discovers that Margo is gone. This is not unusual for Margo. She has been known to disappear before, leaving small clues about her whereabouts. This time, Q thinks the clues are left for him, so he starts trying to figure them out. The clues take him from Margo's bedroom to his, out to abandoned subdivisions and a closed mini mall. Eventually, though the clues lead him from Orlando, Florida, to New York, a road trip that he makes with his friends Radar, Ben, and Lacey. Will the Margo that Q's looking for be the Margo that he finds?
On Teaching:
I think that Paper Towns has potential as both a whole class novel and a lit circle novel. It might be interesting to do a John Green lit circle unit and have groups of students read different John Green novels, then compare. Paper Towns would be a good book to use in the classroom because I think that a majority of students who read it would enjoy it, and maybe it can help them to start reading more. If they read and like one John Green novel, maybe they will want to read more!
Book Extras:
“Green’s prose is astounding — from hilarious, hyperintellectual trash talk and shtick, to complex philosophizing, to devastating observation and truths. He nails it–exactly how a thing feels, looks, affects–page after page.”
-Johanna Lewis, School Library Journal, starred review
“A suspenseful mystery, a compelling central metaphor, and one of those road trips that every senior hopes he or she will have round out this exploration of the kind of relationship that can’t help but teach us a little bit about ourselves.”
-Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, starred review
“There are echoes of Green’s award-winning Looking for Alaska (2005): a lovely, eccentric girl; a mystery that begs to be solved by clever, quirky teens; and telling quotations (from Leaves of Grass, this time) beautifully integrated into the plot. Yet, if anything, the thematic stakes are higher here, as Green ponders the interconnectedness of imagination and perception, of mirrors and windows, of illusion and reality. That he brings it off is testimony to the fact that he is not only clever and wonderfully witty but also deeply thoughtful and insightful. In addition, he’s a superb stylist, with a voice perfectly matched to his amusing, illuminating material.
–Michael Cart, Booklist, starred review
Other Books by the Author:
Looking for Alaska
An Abundance of Katherines
Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan)
The Fault in our Stars
Author's Website:
http://johngreenbooks.com/
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