Paper Towns

Reader reviewed by Jill at The O.W.L.

All of John Green's book have one thing in common: they are incredibly hard to put down. Like seriously, I stop my life when I get a hold of one of Green's books. Another thing they have in common is a boy that makes me want to wish upon every shooting star. These dudes are great! Quentin and his friends are some of the funniest guys ever!

Reader reviewed by anancybrown

I was in awe from start to finish. John Green has once again proven himself to be a great writer. This book is ultimately about how we perceive each other. There was not a dull moment in this book. It was hard to put down because it always left me dying to know what happens next. Wonderfully unpredictable, it will hold your attention.

Do I hear Printz Award #3? Well he would deserve it!

I’m going to be honest here and say that I didn’t really like Paper Towns much for most of the story. I didn’t hate it or anything, but I didn’t especially like it either. I hated Margo, I hated that Quentin was so obsessed with her, and I hated that Margo hated that Margo hated the future and started to make Quentin question the entirety of his life. As you can see, pretty much all my problems revolved around Margo :P

But then we get to the road trip. I can’t even count how many times I laughed out loud during that long car ride. It was just so freaking fantastic. The side characters are what really added to it. I mean, I lonely road trip is all fine and dandy, but Quentin had some seriously awesome friends who were pretty much made to go on a road trip. I already know I’ll reread the chapters containing the road trip multiple times for years to come.

For those of you who’ve read Paper Towns I just wanted to talk about the whole idea of paper towns for a minute. Now, I know it mentions them about a gajillion times in the book but I’m referring to Margo’s version: that the whole world is made of paper and made of people who live in the future and how that’s a terrible thing. I feel like I’ve gotten weirdly offended by this. I have no idea why I feel so strongly about it, but maybe it’s partly that I can identify with Quentin’s enjoyment of boredom. I like sameness and planning and knowing what’s going to happen. In fact, I not only like it, but I kind of rely on it. So in a way, it felt like Margo was telling me that my idea of life was the wrong one. And yes, I realize I just referred to a fictional character talking to me.

And now I think I’m done being “deep” :P

The Nutshell: So, I wasn’t a fan of Margo, but I did, in fact, like the rest of the characters. Paper Towns is one of those books you read because it’s fun, it makes you think, and the side characters are all freaking fantastic. And there’s a road. And it’s an awesome one.

Hit

Reader reviewed by yayreader

Quentin and Margo used to be friend, then they grew up and grew apart.
Now, unexpectedly, Margo appears on Quentin's "Q" window and takes him
on the night adventure of a lifetime which include fish, SeaWorld, and
broken windows. Q feels that he and Margo are back to being friends.
That is why he is surprised when next day at school, Margo is not
there. He doesn't give it much thought until it is apparent that Margo
has disappeared. And she has left clues that only Q would know.



Q follows these clues until finally, he comes across the word Paper
Towns. He fears that Margo has committed suicide and searches all of
the paper towns in Central Florida for her body.



One day, his graduation day to be exact, Q finally figures out where
Margo is hiding. Q and his friends undertake a nineteen hour road trip
to a fake town were Margo is hiding.



When they discover her, Margo explains that she didn't mean for them to
find her, only just one of her other many hiding places. And the sad
part is: she's never coming back.



This beautiful story mixes everything perfectly, humor, romance,
sadness, and mystery. We are following Q on his quest to find the girl
he has always loved. The adventure begins from page one. It is fast
paced and has an ending that you will never guess. I've always wanted
to do a road trip with my friends and found that this story has just
that. Time crunching, near-death experiences, and amazing humor that
portrays teenage life, and love, very realistically.



In one sentence:

What an adventure!

Reader reviewed by Melissa

When Margo Roth Spiegleman shows up at Quentin Jacobsen's (Q's) window late at night and dressed all in black, Q knows something big is going on.  She enlists him in an all night campaign of revenge against some of their classmates.  Q thinks this might be his chance to reconnect with Margo, but she runs off the next day leaving him some very cryptic clues.  While Q and his friends Ben and Radar try to find the missing Margo Roth Spiegleman, they actually find out more about themselves and their lives along the way. 

There were moments that were laugh out loud funny.  I found this book very enjoyable, and the characters well drawn and likable.  Ben and Radar are the two best friends you wish you had when you were in high school.  My only gripe with the book was the ending, I was hoping for so much more, but the journey to get there was so enjoyable that even that didn't bother me.  Highly recommended.

I would recommend caution to sensitive readers and teachers, who do not like foul language or references to sex or sex organs in books they read or recommend.  There is some bullying, and mild violence.

This book is about a girl Margo who goes missing and Quentin takes it upon himself to try and find her as his own personal mission.
I believe this was a great book that kept readers intrigued for most of the book. Paper Towns has a great plot and was interesting through the entire book but I don't like the characters in this book as I believe it was over the top. The obsession Quentin has with Margo was annoying as I read the book and so many important things he put off. Also, Margo sounds like a very selfish character which I just didn't appreciate. I did not enjoy the end of this book but the creativity of John Green to not go with the obvious ending most people would have expected. I would recommend this book to anyone because it is enjoyable and has a very interesting plot.

People are always fascinated by those who treat them badly and thats exactly what Margo Roth Spiegelman does to Q in this book and he just EATS IT UP! This is a good book but I found myself getting it really mad at both of them. Her for being so manipulative and him for being such a chump. I recommend the book but be prepared to grit your teeth sometimes with Margo's insane behavior.

Reader reviewed by Alisha, Kate, Robert, Jessica

Margo
Roth Spiegelman is more unique then many people think. After being back stabbed
by multiple friends, Margo plans a long nights worth of revenge and Q is just
the person to be her partner in crime.

On a
scale from one to five Id say this book is a four. From the beginning it was
interesting and kept me wanting more. I would recommend it to young adults,
especially women.

Paper Towns is about a boy named Quentin who has been infatuated with a girl named Margo Roth Speigelman for all of his life. Margo appears in his room one night and they embark on an all-night revenge-seeking adventure. The next day at school, Margo is not there. Nor the next day. Nor the next week. Quentin and his friends discover clues about Margo and her whereabouts as the story continues.
The blurb on the cover says that Paper Towns is "profoundly moving," but I wouldn't go that far. The characters are developed very well in this story, and I applaud John Green for that. Green also took the time to carefully arrange each piece of the story arc, like it was a spider web; if you took one little strand, you'd find yourself led to the next one until you found Margo in the center. Although the book did receive a four star from me, it went downhill after the first half of the book. I became a bit confused with where Quentin was searching and why he was there, so you definitely have to pay close attention to all of Margo's clues.