Surely fans of young adult literature who do not live under rocks know John Green, and most probably love his books, so expectations for his latest, Paper Towns, will certainly be high. I adored Looking For Alaska and loved An Abundance of Katherines almost as much. So I was a little uncertain about reading this book, because I’d be seriously disappointed with anything less than totally brilliant with John Green’s name on it.
But Paper Towns does not disappoint! It reminded me of both of John Green’s previous books, and I know there are people who loved one and not the other, so everyone should find this book to be amazing (as it is).
In Paper Towns, Quentin Jacobsen has lived next door to Margo Roth Spiegelman in the same Orlando subdivision since they were two years old. As children, they played together, until one day when they were nine. That day, Margo and Quentin discovered a body in a nearby park. Neither of them knew this man, Robert Joyner, who killed himself in a public park leaving a body for two children to find, but this discovery changed their relationship. That night, Margo came to Quentin’s window, and they stood there for a long time. After that night, though, they took divergent paths in life.
Now Margo and Quentin are high school seniors. They still live next door to each other, and Quentin still thinks Margo is amazing and gorgeous, but they don’t speak. Their lives do not overlap. Margo is beautiful and popular and impulsive and adventurous. Quentin is something of a nerd, too analytical to be spontaneous or adventurous, and he continues to love Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So many crazy stories are told about Margo, too crazy to be true–but with Margo, they all turn out to be real.
One night, a few weeks before their high school graduation, Margo shows up at Quentin’s window again, and before he knows it, they’re off on a crazy night of revenge and adventure that involves dead fish, blue spray paint, blackmail, and breaking into Sea World, among other things. (Fun fact: I was actually reading this book (rather obsessively) on the night that these events supposedly happened!) It’s certainly a night to remember, and Quentin is certain that things between him and Margo will be different now–but when he gets to school the next day, Margo is gone. Nobody knows where she is. But all hope is not lost–Margo has left clues for Quentin, and he hopes they’ll lead him to her. In the process of searching for Margo, though, Quentin realizes that she wasn’t who he always though she was–and maybe he’s not who he thought he was, either.
It’s kind of hard to summarize this book, because, really, there’s little else like it and it doesn’t follow a prescribed formula for plot or anything, but Paper Towns is nothing short of brilliant. The only thing I didn’t like were the covers, but that’s hardly John Green’s fault, is it? There are two covers for this book, and they do reflect both sides of Margo’s personality, I guess, but I just don’t love them. I also don’t think they really reflect the whole story. But, other than that, I completely adored this book. It’s an intelligent, interesting novel that I literally could not put down. Oh, I forgot to mention–there is also a road trip! A crazy, intense road trip! I love books with road trips.
I couldn’t get enough of these fantastic, often quirky characters. They were real and three dimensional and diverse and fascinating, from Radar, an obsessive editor of Omnictionary whose parents own the world’s largest collection of black Santas, to Lacey, who turns out to be far more than she first appears to be. I wanted to spend more time with all of them than these 300 or so pages.
Paper Towns is a smart, thoughtful, funny, and hopeful novel that really epitomizes John Green’s brilliance. It has razor-sharp wit, fantastic writing, originality in spades, truth, and, well, everything that makes for a truly unbelievably wonderful novel. It will be out in October, at which point you must do everything in your power to get a copy immediately.
May 11, 2008 at 3:16 pm
OH MY GOD I AM FILLED WITH ENVY.
May 11, 2008 at 3:17 pm
!! You’re so lucky!!
I can’t wait to read this book!
July 23, 2009 at 8:49 pm
What is the book about
May 11, 2008 at 4:18 pm
You lucky little duck. It’s so unfair that you got to read this! :D I am so excited for it to come out, it looks like an amazing book. Why can’t October come faster?
Great review!
May 11, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Great review! This sounds so good! :-)
May 12, 2008 at 5:35 am
[…] Paper Towns, by John Green (teen book review) (tags: john.green paper.towns young.adult Ø) […]
May 12, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Ah, you’re so lucky. I am incredibly jealous.
Great review, though.
May 19, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Can’t wait for this one!!!!! Great review!
-Mollie
September 2, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Cant wait for it.
NERDFIGHTERS
September 21, 2008 at 3:03 am
[…] Review: Paper Towns by John Green « Teen Book Review I couldn’t get enough of these fantastic, often quirky characters. They were real and three dimensional and diverse and fascinating, from Radar, an obsessive editor of Omnictionary whose parents own the world’s largest collection of black Santas, to Lacey, who turns out to be far more than she first appears to be. I wanted to spend more time with all of them than these 300 or so pages. (tags: blog-reviews john-green paper-towns) […]
October 28, 2008 at 2:28 am
John does say that the covers are a reflection of two of the ways in which Margo is misinterpreted by the people around her.. So I’d disagree about them not telling the whole story ’cause it has a lot to do with perceptions.
November 1, 2008 at 10:10 pm
John actually picked out the model for the covers though myspace! lol
December 2, 2008 at 11:56 am
I just put this book on hold. I adored Green’s previous books and even reccommended them to a friend. He’s a wonderful writer, and my 2nd favorite (after Stephenie Meyer of course)
June 29, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Stephenie Meyer is a terrible author. Get over her stupid books and try to find something actually good to read (like Harry Potter).
December 21, 2008 at 10:19 pm
This was a great book i cried at the end it was one of the best books I’ve ever read
~Ali
January 5, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Dude, suki, SO NOT TRUE.
you obviously are not a nerdfighter, or your name would be Dana, and you would be from Canada.
Pwn.
January 15, 2009 at 6:56 am
[…] You will go to the paper towns and you’ll never come back Jump to Comments I’m not going to discuss Paper Towns, by John Green, I’ll just say that if you start reading it and are under the impression that it is the typical story about a teenage guy coming of age and giving up his dorky life style when the girl of his dreams pays attention to him, you’re wrong. It’s nothing like that. Also, the following post might not make much sense unless you’ve read Paper Towns. […]
January 28, 2009 at 11:28 am
[…] Melissa the Book Nut | 47 Books | Thoughts of Joy | Teen Book Review | bookshelves of doom […]
February 7, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Can’t wait to read this book. I was flicking through my sisters magazine and it showed a short review of the book. Looks amazing! hopefully will be able to get out of the flood and grab a copy :]
February 16, 2009 at 5:33 pm
This.Was.the.greatest.book.ever.
February 18, 2009 at 11:21 am
Read the book. It’s awesome :]]]
February 26, 2009 at 9:06 pm
I want to read this book! it sounds really good. this will be good for my book report. :D
March 2, 2009 at 3:33 pm
This is my favorite book of all time and this is my only john green book that i have read but i want to read many more john green books
December 16, 2009 at 3:18 pm
HI NICK! I BET YOU DON’T KNOW ME, BUT I’M KRYSTAL, AND I JUST WANT TO CHAT:)
I
January 11, 2011 at 1:58 pm
yes baby
December 16, 2009 at 3:20 pm
PLEASE WRITE ME:) I JUST WANT TO TALK TO YOU, I’M NO CRAZY STALKER OR ANYTHING. I LOVE JONAS BROTHERS AND PHOTOGRAPHY AND POP/ROCK.
March 20, 2009 at 11:52 am
this book was outstanding. if you havent read it yes get a copy its great!!!!!!
March 26, 2009 at 2:02 pm
I agree with comment #10 and I think you should watch some of John’s interviews where he explains the reasoning of the two covers. They are not both sides of Margo. They are images of Margo that people have in their head, which are nothing like Margo.
March 27, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I read this book it was amazing and im using it for my english project :] gunna be great!! :] everyone should read this its so good
April 10, 2009 at 1:06 am
I’m halfway through paper towns .I have fallen in love this story so much.i begun reading it on wednesday and todays friday and i plan to finish it tonight.i want to find Margo. hope its good ending.
hey jst wondering wats the name of Radar site omnidictronay something
April 17, 2009 at 12:22 pm
what you said about the covers is wrong. i personally love the covers, and you said they are both to show the side of her, but this is completely untrue, the reason he has these to covers is two show to side of her yes, but for both those sides to be false and not who she is at all. I think its clever, and it goes well with the theme of the book.
April 18, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I finished this book a little while ago and I’m in love with it. Seriously, it’s my favorite book, maybe ever!
May 22, 2009 at 11:20 am
I haven’t really read the book yet, but I knew the plot, like reading the cover. And, what really captures me into reading this book was the cover. I dunno why but it really hit me. I didn’t know John Greens before. (Sorry for his fans) But, wow. I think I will love this book. The story seems good and it intrigues me what happened to Margo.
May 30, 2009 at 11:43 am
What a wonderful book. I just finished reading it, and its everything i hoped for, and more. John Green has outdone himself on this one. It is truly unbelievable. Amazing…
July 18, 2009 at 2:29 am
[…] if you want to read what other teens think about this book check out this review. no comments yet.« FAMILY TIES ARE NOT ALWAYS EASY Leave a […]
October 1, 2009 at 12:21 pm
this was my first john green book and i wish to read the other ones. i was sooooo suprised when i started reading it how bad the language and other themes were. are the other books this bad?
October 6, 2009 at 9:53 pm
I think so, “Some kid”. I haven’t read the others though.
That was the bad part about the book for me, although I really liked it.
December 16, 2009 at 3:25 pm
NICE DAVID ARCHELTA PIC. DO YOU ENJOY HIS MUSIC?
October 7, 2009 at 9:21 am
hey i just wanna say the covers for paper towns are madd!
im piised that i didnt get one, i got the australian emo cover lol
and this book is deffently amazinn!
Ben is the best charactorr!
love him
October 23, 2009 at 8:03 am
this book is good i am reading it for class
October 27, 2009 at 5:30 pm
[…] Teen Book Review […]
December 16, 2009 at 3:15 pm
LOL! IM DYIN TO READ THIS BOOK!!!
December 16, 2009 at 3:15 pm
TRY STPHENIE MEYER OR NICHOLAS SPARKS:)
May 18, 2010 at 11:40 am
No, do not try Stephenie Meyer. She is not original; almost all her work is stolen from other authors, especially L.J. Smith, whose books were published in the 80’s and 90’s, when Meyer’s first book was published in 2005.
December 16, 2009 at 3:22 pm
CALL ME: 215-123-456
December 16, 2009 at 3:23 pm
CALL IF YO ULOVE JONAS BROTHERS OR NICHOLAS
March 31, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Hey Krissgirl whats your facebook username..
December 16, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I enjoyed the book. I found it very interesting. I may use it in my next song.
December 16, 2009 at 3:28 pm
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WAS THAT NICK JONAS??? I LOVE YOU, NICK J!!!
December 16, 2009 at 3:30 pm
(TRING TO BREATHE) THAT WAS ALOT TO TAKE IN.I CANNOT BELIVE THAT NICK JONAS WAS ACTUALLY ON THIS WEBSITE.
January 13, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Really you think that nick jonas would spend his time on a stupid website like this??? wow. like seriously?? and putting your number on here??? that was a very stupid move. i would reccomend you take it off immediatly. oh wait you cant take it off. now the whole entire world has access to your phone number. nice going. you are the kind of person that i pray for. hoping that you are able to live a good life knowing that you could possibly have a stalker watching your every move. i really feel sorry for you. well good luck losing your stalker!! and the rest of your life
sincerly,
gabriellarose
p.s.that isn’t my real name. so i can’t have stalkers come looking for me.
March 5, 2010 at 10:35 am
lol your right , that girl is retarded
May 18, 2010 at 11:41 am
It was a fake number. She just wants attention.
January 6, 2010 at 5:39 am
[…] Young Adult Mystery”. This year, "Paper Towns" by John Green was their top pick. https://teenbookreview.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/review-paper-towns-by-john-green/ You can see a list of 20 top awarded YA mystery novels here: […]
February 14, 2010 at 5:42 pm
I really like this book John congrats… :) its just cool
March 5, 2010 at 10:33 am
i really love this book, jhon green is amazing
March 8, 2010 at 1:48 pm
omg Gabriella u r so rude is ppl wnt to b called sumthin else and give there number out let them!! it doesnt hv anything to du with you so just back off and dnt worry bout it. i really dislike people lk you! u cnt even put ur real name and who would wanna stalk u?!? ur probly ugly and fat!!
May 15, 2010 at 9:57 pm
I really enjoy this book,but I still really want to know:Is it a true story??
Does anyone knows?
August 26, 2010 at 7:00 pm
It’s a fictional story but some events actually happened. Not sure which ones but I go to the school that Margo and Quinton (not real people) go to in the story, which is Winter Park High School. I also have friends who live in the same subdivision as Margo and Quinton. It’s called Baldwin Park.
November 13, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Shut up you don’t even know the true meaning of this book nobody does only John green you just wanna look smart to the world that’s it so you keep your lips closed and nobody will have issues:)thank you very much
June 21, 2010 at 10:23 am
Some interesting!! Im gonna read it!
August 26, 2010 at 6:57 pm
I actually go to the high school that the story takes place in. Winter Park High School. And the subdivision in the story is actually called Baldwin Park, but John Green has to call it something else for privacy reasons. I’m definitely checking this book out at the WPHS media center. :D
September 28, 2010 at 2:10 pm
im in the middle of reading this book right now & so far it is great i absoultley love it not one thing makes me wants to put this book down its got lots of twist & things just waiting too happen i love love love this book :D
October 9, 2010 at 12:06 pm
has a good ening to wrap everything up
October 9, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Describes the sex scenes vividly. I was intrested in reading more books by him. :)
October 26, 2010 at 11:12 am
A little less then 100 pages left and I can’t wait to finsih it. I’m so glad that charlie mcdonnell got me into liking John Green. (: :D
February 8, 2011 at 6:27 pm
*SPOILER WARNING*
OMG I’m really really REALLY close to the end of this book!!!! I’m reading it in English for my silent reading book!! I did my book talk on it, and did AMAZINGLY on it!!! I’m at the part where Quentin, Lacey, Ben and Radar found Margo in her little decaying barn in Agloe, and she just got done telling Q about her story she was writing about young Q and Margo. I’m REALLY looking forward to the ending of the book!!!
March 19, 2011 at 12:50 pm
i am just about to read this book and i always research a book before i read and i have mixed imotions about it my friend read it and said she hated it but all the web sites say it is amazing
March 24, 2011 at 1:03 pm
this book was bland. thats all
March 31, 2011 at 4:40 pm
I just finished reading this book and i don’t like the cover but the story was a great and fun to read…John Green kinda confused me in the back cover he wrote Some stuff about Finding Alaska… Quentin an. Margo are both funny and Margo is kinda wierd..If you haven’t read this book please try to read it on your Spring Break holiday and John green did a great job.. thank you
April 12, 2011 at 8:49 pm
[…] won’t regret it. But that’s just my opinion, here are a few more to help you decide: Teen Book Review One More Page Guys Gone Geek Ace of […]
July 28, 2011 at 4:32 am
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August 21, 2011 at 7:37 am
I cant wait to read this book
go nerdfighters!
September 26, 2011 at 1:14 am
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[…] Teen Book Review – The Teen Book Review writes about Paper Towns. […]
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