Paper Towns

By John Green 

     Do we ever truly know our friends and neighbors, or do we only the persona that they show the world.  This is a very well written and thought provoking book that I totally love!  Quentin has had a crush on the girl next door for as long as he can remember.  They used to be best friends, but they have parted ways and grown into two totally different individuals.  Quentin is now the quiet studious kid, with friends in the band.  Margo is the adventurous cheerleader that is always doing some incredible schemes.  She is the life of the party a beautiful flame that everyone wants to be near.  After years of barely talking, even though they are neighbors, Margo shows up at Q's window one evening, asking for his help.  Of course, Quentin can not refuse to help Margo, what follows is a night full of pranks that definitely push Q out of his comfort zone.  It was the best night of his life, but will she acknowledge him tomorrow in school?  

     The following day, Margo is not in class, but Q figures she is sleeping off their late night and avoiding the consequences of some of the pranks that the two accomplished the previous evening.  When he returns home, he discovers that she is missing, the detective and her parents believe that she has run away.  The policeman let's Q know that she has left before, but she always leaves random clues for people to find her.  Q believes that he is that person, when he notices a poster on the back side of the shade in her window.  It is now his mission to unravel the clues and find Margo.  The Margo that he comes to know from the clues is not the Margo that he knew and loved, this is somebody completely unfamiliar to Quentin.  When he finds the book of poetry by Whitman, and the highlighted sections, add a sense of urgency to his quest.  Will Quentin and his friends be able to find Margo, and can they convince her to return home?  Quentin even skips out on his high school graduation in his hunt for Margo.  His true friends join him on this spur of the moment road trip.  Does Q find Margo?  Does he find the person that he does find?  Or is the illusion of Margo what he really loved ?  

     I found this book very good, and thoughtful.  Especially the line, 

"Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.”

Sometimes the person you present to the world can no longer be maintained and you must be you!  I do feel that either gender would enjoy this book, especially since the main character is male.  I am giving this book a 5 our of 5 stars, and think it is appropriate for 7th grade on up.  This book is a definite treasure.  To all of my educator friends, my copy of the book had discussion questions in the back, that could lead to a lot of great conversations.  

Links 

Author - John Green

Walt Whitman

Do Paper towns really exist?