My twelve year old sister has been raving about The Fault in Our Stars. I figured this John Green guy must be a pretty incredible author, because she went on and on about what a great book it is, but how sad it is. She was enthralled by the characters he created. She even told me she cried at one part, which I thought was very strange for her, but was a hint that Green must be a powerful, convincing writer. However, since my sister is holding the book captive, I decided to read a different Green book I found on my shelf, and, a short while back I finished Paper Towns.
Paper Towns is a story about Quentin (usually referred to as Q) and his neighbor and childhood friend, Margo Roth Spiegelman. Though Margo has always been a love interest of Q’s, he has been “friend-zoned”. After all, they come from two completely different worlds: Q is a video gaming band geek and Margo is the popular high school goddess. But as the reader and Q soon discover, she is a puzzle and a mystery that is very difficult to solve.
In the beginning, Q accompanies her on a wild night of reckless revenge and pranks that could have only been dreamed up by a high school senior. After that night, however, Margo goes missing. Her family and peers know she has run away before--this is part of the mystery that shrouds the real Margo-- but this time is different. When she doesn't return after a few days, her friends begin to wonder if she will come back. Q enlists the support of his friends Radar, Ben, and Lacey, and the team embarks on a journey to find Margo. Throughout their investigation, they discover clues and secrets about Margo that no one ever knew.
This was a quick read for me, but I really enjoyed this book. There was a clear sense of forward momentum. I felt like the story was always leading me somewhere, and I was excited to see what would happen next. The story never stagnated, or slowed down to a point that bored me. This was a fun story, filled with crazy high school antics. Even though for me, some of the pranks seem beyond my reach and a bit unrealistic, the relationships between characters seemed very real. I especially liked reading the dialog between Q and his therapist parents. The way he analyzed them and called them out whenever they started using psychological tactics was very entertaining. As someone who has two psychologist parents, I could relate to Q, and Green portrayed their relationship truthfully and authentically. Green did make the seniors seem like seniors-- with them staying out late, keg standing at parties, stressing about prom, and often disregarding authority (sounds like senioritis to me)--but it wasn’t all negative. I also really appreciate that there was a real message and some wholesome substance to it as well. The title “Paper Towns” ends up carrying a double meaning, one of which I think serves the purpose of explaining how Margo was so tired of the superficiality and lack of sincerity at school and at home. She understands that there is so much to life than one’s social standing in high school, and that is a valuable message.
This was a quick read for me, but I really enjoyed this book. There was a clear sense of forward momentum. I felt like the story was always leading me somewhere, and I was excited to see what would happen next. The story never stagnated, or slowed down to a point that bored me. This was a fun story, filled with crazy high school antics. Even though for me, some of the pranks seem beyond my reach and a bit unrealistic, the relationships between characters seemed very real. I especially liked reading the dialog between Q and his therapist parents. The way he analyzed them and called them out whenever they started using psychological tactics was very entertaining. As someone who has two psychologist parents, I could relate to Q, and Green portrayed their relationship truthfully and authentically. Green did make the seniors seem like seniors-- with them staying out late, keg standing at parties, stressing about prom, and often disregarding authority (sounds like senioritis to me)--but it wasn’t all negative. I also really appreciate that there was a real message and some wholesome substance to it as well. The title “Paper Towns” ends up carrying a double meaning, one of which I think serves the purpose of explaining how Margo was so tired of the superficiality and lack of sincerity at school and at home. She understands that there is so much to life than one’s social standing in high school, and that is a valuable message.
I just posed a whole comment and it deleted because It wasn't signed in to my google docs. But to sum up what I said before I want to read it because it seems interesting, you said that they acted like seniors with the things they did. Well do you think that would compare to us to? Do you think it's only them that act like this? Also in the beginning of the story you said that your sister was telling you about this one book. I think you should read it and compare it to the story now, Was the writing different? Is it the same? Does the flow stay constant? Which book do you like me.
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