Why You Should Read Paper Towns

Paper Towns the movie opens next week!  Of course I’ve read the book, and I’m giving you the scoop on what you need to know before you see the movie.

Word Nerd Note: Any true Word Nerd would read the novel before seeing the film. 😉

Paper Towns is my second favorite John Green novel, after The Fault In Our Stars. In Paper Towns, Green uses his unique style ( a combination of humor, brutal honesty, and quirky characters) to explore an essential teenage question: what is the difference between the person we present to the world and the person we really are?

Green found a cool metaphor for this question.  During road trips with his brother Hank (fellow YouTuber, podcaster, and Nerd Fighter), John Green discovered the phenomenon of “Paper Towns” – towns that exist only on maps to prevent plagiarism among map makers. They are destinations that don’t really exist… kinda like those people we pretend to be…

I know. Awesomeness. This is why Mr. Green has many, many adoring fans.

The Premise of Paper Towns

Quentin (”Q”) lives in Orlando, FL. Both of his parents are psychologists, so he’s extremely well-adjusted. His neighbor, the elusive and exciting Margo Roth Speigleman, is not. She organizes neighborhood TP raids and hangs out backstage after concerts. And she has a thing about running away. When Q thinks she has disappeared for real, he’s determined to find her.

Paper Towns is divided into three parts, or more accurately, three journeys.

1. In the first, Margo enlists Q’s help to exact revenge on the people who have wronged her. The hilarious middle of the night adventure includes raw fish and candid photos.
   The next morning, Margo disappears.
2. In the second, Q searches for Margo, using clues he believes she left for him. Whitman’s Leaves of Grass plays a major role here. This section is slow and cerebral.
3. In the third, Q and his friends set out in Q’s brand new minivan (a gift from his parents) to search for Margo. More than once while reading this part, I earned a “raised eyebrow” look from my husband while I giggled at Green’s humor.

What I like about Paper Towns

• As usual, I love Green’s balance between humor and depth. He can make readers laugh out loud and still ponder the deeper side of life and relationships.
• The literary references. Everyone should read Leaves of Grass as a Paper Towns companion. Yeah for poetry.
• Q is a nerdy, but compelling, lead, my third favorite John Green character after Hazel and Gus.

What I don’t like

• The middle section dragged for me. There’s a lot of Q searching empty warehouses and finding nothing.
• Q’s friend Ben is a bit of a dork and likes to call girls “Honey Bunnies”. Although this has been sited as an excellent example of John Green’s ability to write unique voice, I can’t imagine any 16 year old boy using the term Honey Bunnies. Can you?

Recommendation

Paper Towns is thoughtful and funny YA fiction, a good entry into John Green for YA readers. The content is fairly tame (drinking and references to sex – often beer is present but the characters choose not to drink it), and the themes less dark and deep compared to TFIOS and Looking for Alaska.

I’m curious to see how Paper Towns will translate to the big screen. It’s quiet compared to Jurassic World or Mad Max. Perhaps the producers will capitalize on the “journeys” of the story and ramp things up in the middle. It opens July 24, 2015; my teens and I will be there!

Have you read Paper Towns? What did you think? Do you plan on seeing the movie? Why or why not?

Word Nerd Note:  We saw the movie; it sticks close to the book.  We laughed often as the script captures much of Green’s humor.  The characters look and act like real teenagers, refreshingly unlike the polished perfection depicted in some films and on The Disney Channel.  I recommend.  The soundtrack is pretty cool too, but I’m a sucker for soundtracks.

Thanks for stopping by!

Julia

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