Young Adult Annotation: Paper Towns by John Gree

Paper Towns

By John Green

SYNOPSIS:

Margo Roth Spiegelman is many things: she is an enigma, a miracle, a babe. Everyone has their own idea of who Margo is but they can all agree on two things: Margo Roth Spiegelman is extraordinary and Margo Roth Spiegelman is missing.

But as her friends try to find her using the clues that she left behind, they begin to learn that they didn’t really know Margo Roth Spiegelman at all, because really she was just a human like the rest of us, just a girl, and if they are ever going to find her, they must try to get to know her, try to understand why she left and where she went. In the process, they may just learn a little bit about themselves.

CHARACTERISTICS/APPEAL:

Mood:  Much like a teenager seeking to learn a bit more about themself, to find their place in the world, and to come to terms with it all, this book is a bit moody overall. The mood and tone shifts, sometimes quickly, from sad to elated to confused to angry to anxious to lonely to nostalgic and back again. As Quentin or Q gives us his internal monologue, his feelings and his race to find Margo Roth Spiegelman we experience each and every one of his moods, as well as those of his friends poignantly.

Violence:  There is mild violence in this book in the form of bullying and retaliation. The mild violence is central to understanding some of the characters motivations and relationships, but is often looked at with a sense of humor.

Adult Situations: This book treats teenagers like young adults, and does not patronize them, as such an honest assessment of the drinking and sexual relationships that teens engage in is portrayed. However, neither is ever gratuitous or aggrandized.

Relationships: This book is entirely rooted in the study of relationships. The driving relationship in this book is one, which actually doesn’t occur for most of the story, the relationship between Q and Margo Roth Spiegelman. That relationship is rooted in a shared history, misunderstanding, and the desires that each person represents to the other. However, although it seems that that relationship is the most important, while reading, the reader actually becomes engrossed with Q’s relationship with himself, as he struggles to become both a better mirror and a better window, along with his evolving relationships with his friends, and even enemies at school.

Pacing: The pacing of this book is inconsistent. It starts out very exciting and fast-paced and then grinds to a screeching, even tedious and slow halt. However, it picks back up again and resumes It’s fast paced hurtle toward knowing how it will end. Although the pacing can seem drudging at times, it mimics Q’s perception of and experience with the situation he is dealing with perfectly, picking up when he is excited and slowing back down when he is feeling stuck and dejected.

Setting: The predominant setting of the book is in Orlando, Florida… an Orlando, which is described as pretty hot, miserable and meaningless overall. However, the rest of the book takes place in the Paper Towns… but you’ll have to read it to learn where they are.

READ-A-LIKES:

Althea and Oliver by Cristina Moracho

Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid

The Disenchantments by Nina Lacour

The beginning to everything by Robyn Schneider

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

WATCH-A-LIKES:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Film)

Freaks and Geeks (Television Series)

Paper Towns (Upcoming Film!)