Being the dutiful English teacher that I am, I always try to be reading at least one book for enjoyment. Usually I actually have about three or more started at once... Most recently I've been on a John Green kick. After finishing "The Fault in Our Stars" and proceeding to ugly cry for the entire second half of the novel (yes all the internet hype is true) I couldn't imagine any other author could cure that book hangover.
I started with "Looking for Alaska" and was officially hooked on this nerdy looking author.
My personality functions in a polarizing way; I can either be lukewarm and uninterested -or- completely and utterly obsessive. John Green as an author has worked his way onto my obsession list through his lively characters, intriguing quotes, and his talent for sewing together hilarious moments with thought provoking questions about various aspects of life.
"Paper Towns" perfectly illustrates everything I've fallen in love with about Green's writing. The main character, Quentin, is perfectly real. Green allows readers to understand and empathize with Q without making him overly romanticized or perfect. Readers know Q (and the other characters) as realistic individuals. Characters that you can get annoyed with in one chapter only to have them redeem themselves in the next. I have loved each of Green's characters both for the moments that they live up to their potential and the moments that showcase their flaws.
This book is also fantastically funny, and addictive. I was caught laughing out loud on several occasions, and that is a literally laughing out loud. I swear I had a family friend tease me about it because it happened that often and that obviously. I'm not going to spoil the ending, but the final part of the book is packed with anecdotes and imagery that would make even my apathetic 7th graders giggle. Once I reached the final third of the book I could not put it down (which seems to be a trend with Green's books). I raced through the pages, anxious to see what the plot had in store as well as to reach the next joke.
Overall a stupendous read from a great writer - a perfect summer read.
Teacher Bonus
- I get to teach BOTH "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Paper Towns" next
year!!!! I am so excited!!!!
Here is the description of the novel taken from Green's website... because who better to explain a book and spark interest from readers than the author himself?
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Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently
adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a
window and climbs back into his life–dressed like a ninja and summoning
him for an ingenious campaign of revenge–he follows.
After
their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to
discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q
soon learns that there are clues–and they’re for him. Urged down a
disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he
thought he knew.
Paper Towns debuted at #5 on the New
York Times bestseller list and won the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Young
Adult Mystery. It is taught in many high school and college curricular,
often in conjunction with Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, which is an important text within the novel.
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This is truly one of the best books I've read this year and John Green is quickly working his way up my list of favorite authors.
