Paper Towns

Locations
Call Number: Teen Fiction / Green, John, Teen Book / Fiction / General / Green, John
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Green, John	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Green, John	4-week checkout	In transit
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Green, John	4-week checkout	Due 05-12-2024
Pittsfield Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / General / Green, John	4-week checkout	Due 05-16-2024

One month before graduating from his Central Florida high school, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the predictable boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q's neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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Summary / Annotation
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

interesting... submitted by shd97 on June 18, 2012, 4:03pm I thought it was amusing and entertaining at times; Green certainly has a way of pulling the craziest ideas out of the clouds and running with them. I thought that the plot fell a little flat and the conflict wasn't well-developed enough. The ending was a bit of a letdown. However, I did think that the characters were realistic enough and true to themselves throughout the book.

very good submitted by unknown on July 29, 2013, 5:58pm "Paper Towns" was written by a smart, smart man. I've heard about John Green before, but this is the first time I've read one of his novels, and I can hardly articulate how impressed I am. He writes flawed, nuanced characters that spout off highly quotable dialogue. In short, this is a book you quite simply need to buy. To elaborate a bit...

The book is divided into three sections. In the first, Margo Roth Spiegelman takes Quentin, our protagonist (who, sidebar, is in love with her) on a crazy, 'spontaneous' journey that changes his life forever. In the second part, Quentin tries to make sense of the events that follow that glorious night. In the third and final part, he goes on a road trip with his friends in order to meet up with Margo. All of this seems rather simple, but it's packed so tight with bittersweet poignancy, insight, and intelligence that you can hardly believe the book is only three-hundred pages long. And really, when a book can incorporate Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" as well as this one did, and offer more insight into Whitman's words than any literary criticism possibly could... what more could you ask for?

The book is just overflowing with ideas, literary references, deep understanding of the way senior year in high school feels, and--most importantly--insight into the way people perceive things. What I love most about Green's writing is that he never has the characters settle on these big, life-changing revelations. When Quentin discovers something vital about understanding life, his finds are often refuted by a new realization, that is later refuted itself. It's a very "in the moment" novel, written about a boy in love with a very "in the moment" girl. I love how there are so many ideas at work here that you never feel talked down to, because Green isn't really giving his readers a message. He's just encouraging them to ponder things in order to, hopefully, connect with one of these ideas. Because, in the end, this intricate and insanely well-written book is just about someone connecting with something else.

psychologically wonderful submitted by ftan on August 8, 2013, 5:33pm John Green's writing was not only spectaculat, with great figurative language, and interesting tidbits, it also asks very deep, pyschological questions about judgement and the biggie: death. As Q tries to find his childhood friend and love, Margo, he realizes she is a different person than the one that he unfairlly idealized and imagined. Scared that she may have killed herself, like the dead man they found when they were young, he desperately searches and attempts to decipher clues left behind by her. On the day of his graduation, he rushes off to NY with his best friends and Lacey, to attempt to find her before it is too late. Along the way, they become close with Lacey, who until recently, was a stranger. When Q finds Margo, he learns she never wanted to be found, she merely wanted to not make him worry. He discovers a very different person than the one he thought he knew. This book features a very good poem by Walt Whitmann, titled, "Song of Myself".

Excellent submitted by emjane on August 9, 2013, 9:52am Just a few weeks before graduation, Q's next door neighbor and longtime crush Margo Roth Spiegelman comes through his bedroom window at midnight and drags him along on an all-night adventure of revenge against her unfaithful boyfriend and disloyal friends. The next day, Margo disappears, leaving a few cryptic clues that Q, and a few of his closest friends, attempt to follow to track her down.

Green is the master of teen fiction engages boys, girls, and adults alike. His ability to craft relatable, realistic, and amusing characters makes readers feel connected and care about the fates of Q and his friends from the beginning. The book is fast-paced and suspenseful, and not at all predictable, making it an ideal choice for reluctant readers.

Highly recommended.

MOVIE submitted by jmb.mlis on August 31, 2014, 10:40pm The film is in the works!

awesome submitted by Henry Grimsby on June 13, 2015, 10:58am I loved the book though the ending isn't what I liked..

great book submitted by mwallagm on June 29, 2015, 2:40pm this book is amazing

no "Fault in our Stars" submitted by lawrencekl57 on July 1, 2015, 7:35pm Because "The Fault in our Stars" was so good, I had high hopes for this book. That only led to disappointment.

Paper Towns submitted by tulip on July 4, 2015, 11:40am The book captured the intense emotions and preoccupations of adolescence, while also modeling empathy and accepting people for who they are. Enjoyable!

Paper Towns submitted by VickyB77 on August 12, 2015, 8:35am Overall, I thought this was a superb book. The characters are great, and really capture the antics and drama of the teenage world, including the high school caste system, love from afar/girl next door conflict, finding your niche in life, and overall, finding yourself. There's a bit of humor, a bit of mystery, a bit of romance. Personally it didn't quite hit the mark that "The Fault In Our Stars" made, but I enjoyed it more than "Looking for Alaska." It was also a bit more thought-provoking than Green's other stories, which I enjoyed as well.
I must say though, with Green's books, I never get the endings that I want. I guess the same could be said about life, too; it's just disappointing at times when you just want the good guy to win and for love to conquer all (realistically, anyway).
It'll be interesting to see how the movie plays out.

Paper Towns submitted by lauradu_palmer on July 10, 2016, 11:10am The book is enticing to read, especially after The Fault in Our Stars. However, the plot to this book is small and uneventful.

Well done, again. submitted by tbbrown76 on August 31, 2016, 4:15pm I liked The Fault In Our Stars, too. John Green is really a good writer.
TBB

Decent submitted by zoe.dvh on June 18, 2017, 9:55am Not as amazing as The fault in our Stars(which I DEFINITELY recommend!), but still an original story. I would still recommend reading, but just don't get your hopes up too much.

Entertaining submitted by hahahame on July 24, 2017, 6:20pm It was a pretty interesting book, but not the best book I've met.

Pretty Good submitted by chloehyatt on June 15, 2018, 2:59pm I liked this book, ya gotta love john green but not a fan of the ending

It was enjoyable, no masterpiece submitted by EJZ on June 24, 2018, 9:44am A quick and easy read, not on the level of enjoyment that I got out of John Green's Fault in our Stars. Oh well, it wasn't awful, and not much in a waste of time anyway.

Interesting and unexpectedly beautiful submitted by lballard on July 12, 2018, 2:48pm This book has some lovely characters and ideas. I didn’t appreciate the vandalism and it’s glorification at the beginning, but the deeper points made up for it. The plot was fun, as was trying to stay a step ahead of the kids figuring out the clues. It also makes me want to read more poetry. The ending was not Disney, but was somewhat realistic, in terms of the character interaction.

Alright submitted by c_zhang on June 27, 2019, 12:36am Not as good as the Fault in our Stars, but it's okay. It kept me entertained.

an awesome book submitted by RowPio on July 12, 2019, 7:04pm I loved this book so much and I love John Green as an author so I am glad that I can add this book to my library and my favorite books list.

Good book submitted by jasonc1177 on July 31, 2019, 7:38pm Great conclusion to this series.

Title submitted by Clown81 on August 31, 2019, 4:23pm No paper.

Excellent book submitted by Emmadavis321 on October 3, 2019, 12:19pm I loved it but kind hoped for a different ending. But John green is a amazing writer.

Humorous and Exciting; a Page Turner submitted by olarominsky on June 17, 2021, 2:29pm John Green has been one of my favorite authors throughout my life, and Paper Towns has certainly kept it that way. When reading the novel I felt like I was experiencing everything that was happening, and made me feel all the emotions that were felt within the book. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in exciting page-turners that keep you on edge, and is a great read for those who love a great adventure novel! Additionally, it’s an incredible exhibition of the teen experience.

3/5 Stars submitted by AxolotlLettuce on August 29, 2021, 7:45pm To me it was kind of confusing. I got lost in the story. Its a decent book but not good.

3 stars submitted by JessicaIJ on June 27, 2023, 9:39pm While this book was a little slow moving for me, I would still recommend this book to fans of slower moving, less action packed books. I also think that because it explores such important themes-such as identity and death among others-it is a good read for anyone looking for a book to read, and a quicker read among that. The beginning wasn’t as good to me but the ending moved quicker and I enjoyed that part a lot and got really invested in the story.