Paper Towns by John Green

The author of the Prinz Award-winning novel Looking for Alaska has done it again. Masterfully written, intriguing and hard to put down, Paper Towns is already on several "Best" lists.

Quentin is nobody special. He tries to stay under the radar. He follows the rules, makes good grades, has psychiatrists for parents who are so proud of his being well-adjusted. Maybe the most exciting thing about him is his next door neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman. She is a force of change, a spot of brilliance in his life. She is beautiful, popular, independent, spontaneous, known for her escapades--everything he is not. They shared an unforgettable moment with Q when they were children--together they found a dead body in their sub-division.

That was about the end of Q and Margo's friendship. Now they are in high school, and she kidnaps him for a great adventure. They get revenge on Margo's ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend for hooking up behind her back. They sneak into SeaWorld just because. The next day Q expects everything to have changed, and strangely many things do. But suddenly, Margo is gone.

She leaves him clues as to where she has gone. The search for her becomes an obsession. The more they search, the more they learn that Margo isn't who they thought she was. Her secret self doesn't fit into her public persona. Why all the secrets? Quentin starts to learn some things about himself through searching for her, including what it takes to be a good friend. Pick this up, you won't be disappointed.

"I stand in this parking lot, realizing that I've never been this far from home, and here is this girl that I love and cannot follow. I hope this is the hero's errand, because not following her is the hardest thing I've ever done," (Green pg. 304, 2008).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Impossible by Nancy Werlin
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Green, John. (2008). Paper Towns. Dutton Books: New York, NY.