Paper Towns, by John Green

If you liked John Green’s other book, Looking for Alaska, you will love Paper Towns! The book centers around the protagonist, Quentin Jacobson, or better known as “Q”. He lives in Orlando, Florida and is neighbors with the other main character, Margo Spieglman. The book begins with a flashback to when both characters are young and best friends. They discover the dead body of Robert Joyner, who committed suicide. The next part focuses on when both teens are in high school. They are no longer friends, but Quentin has admired Margo for all these years. Suddenly the story takes a turn when Margo shows up at Quentin’s window asking him to sneak out with her and help her get revenge on all the people who did her wrong. They start with Margo’s ex-boyfriend who cheated on her. A fish and a blue “M” is left at each person’s house the two visit. At the end of the night the kids say their goodbyes and retreat to their homes. At this point I began to really like Margo as a character. She had the same quirky attitude that Alaska had in Green’s previous book. Quentin as high hopes for the future of him and Margo, but he finds out the next day Margo has gone missing. However, Quentin believes Margo has left him clues to find her. Just like Looking for Alaska, an adventure begins. Quentin and his two hilarious best friends set off to see where Margo has gone. I think what makes this book great is the mystery aspect of it. It is written very similarly to Looking for Alaska. I like how real Quentin and his friends are as well. Green personifies a typical American teenager when he writes as Quentin. I would recommend this book to most teenagers, either boys or girls. It’s a quick, easy read that will be enjoyable to anyone!
~ L. Mishkin