Paper Towns by John Green

Laci | Holmdel High School, Grade 11

Rating: ****

Quentin (Q) Jacobson had been admiring the girl next door ever since he was a young boy. That girl being Margo Roth Spiegelman. Margo was always mysterious and that made Q so fascinated with her. One night, Margo shows up at Q’s window, convincing him to come on an adventure with her. Q willingly agreed and they spent the whole night doing risky activities that could get them in huge trouble. Since Q was obsessed with Margo, he just went along with whatever she wanted to do. The next morning after their all-nighter adventure, Margo was not in school and nobody had heard from her. Margo left Q clues as to where she was and it was his job to go on a mission by himself to find Margo.

I personally loved this book. I loved the trill feeling from all the adventures that Margo and Q had been on. It was definitely more of a thriller/mystery than a romance novel, but I decided to read it because I love all of John Green’s books. His books are so descriptive you feel like you are joining the journey of the characters. The story of Margo and Q is so entertaining and will leave you wondering what happens at so many points in time. Although this book was amazing, I feel as though a few plot points could have been altered. This is a perfect read for any teenager or young adult that is fascinated by mystery novels!

Marissa | Holmdel High School, Grade 10

Rating: ****

The book I am reviewing is Paper Towns by John Green. The book is about the relationship between Quentin and Margo, who go to high school together in suburban Florida. They met earlier on in life, but by their senior year, Quentin is a shy and quiet outcast, while Margo is the most popular girl in school. One night, Margo suddenly reenters Quentin’s life and pulls him into a scheme to seek revenge on her friends through a series of tasks. Over the course of the night, they find themselves bonding and having meaningful conversations about life and their futures after high school. However, the next day, Margo suddenly goes missing, leaving Quentin with clues to try to piece the mystery together.

This is a coming-of-age story that explores themes related to growing up and the changing nature of relationships. Throughout the story, Margo and Quentin share their feelings of being stifled in their suburban, cookie-cutter paper town. Even though they are very different, both Margo and Quentin feel weighed down by expectations of the people around them and want to break free of that. They also talk in-depth about the uncertainty of their future after graduation, making it extremely relatable for high school students.