Paper Towns Study Guide
Having received two majors of English and religious studies, John Green initially intended to become a priest. But life has introduced its changes and on his way of getting an extreme popularity as a young adult writer, he wrote a good number of book reviews for living. His fiction works are now turned into movies and video blogs and are known all over the world.
The events of the “Paper Towns” take place in sunny Florida. One day two kids are enjoying themselves in the park when they find a dead body. And if one of them, Quentin Jacobson, wants to do everything in his power to forget this painful experience, the other one, Margo Roth Spiegelman, can’t stop wondering why would a man hurt himself.
After nine years of silence, the friends reunite for the revenge on the kids who have done wrong to Margo. They crash their houses and sneak into places they aren’t supposed to be at. The next day Margo disappears. With only a couple of weeks left until the high school graduation, Quentin takes up the task of finding her. But what he will find is not Margo he was looking for.
Through very realistic characters and fascinating detective plot the author manages to wrap the readers around in mystery. He shows us how naïve we can be idealizing those around us with features they never had. At the same time his determination and courage to continue the search makes him an unofficial leader at school. By hunting paper towns – urban projects that have never been properly finished and remain abandoned, he finds himself.
Catching the reader’s attention by the sharp language, unexpected clues and, of course, heartbreaking moments, the book is an easy and interesting read. It shows how diverse school kids interests are: while some of them are looking for a missing friend, others worry more about prom dates and parent troubles.
Author: Leona Watson
New Essays
As Quentin and Margo drive through the night, Quentin takes note of the streetlights and quotes T. S. Eliot. Margo loves the quote, but is disappointed to find that Quentin did not make it up himself. As they continue talking, Margo finally reveals that Jase has been cheating on her with Becca...
The prologue and the first few chapters introduce the relationship between two teenagers, Margo Roth Spiegelman and Quentin Jacobsen. They both witnessed a traumatic event when they were nine-years-old, and though their friendship has cooled over the years, the memory of that day still seems to be...
Margo gives Quentin a list of items to buy in Publix and one of the hundred-dollar bills. The list is random, and includes three catfish, a dozen tulips, a can of blue spray paint, and hair-removal cream. What really catches Quentin’s eye, however, is Margo’s random capitalization. Margo tells him...
Quentin walks over to his bedroom window. Margo is standing there dressed in black and wearing black face paint. She tells Quentin that she needs to borrow his car, which is actually his mother’s minivan. When Quentin says no and reminds her that she has her own car, Margo tells him that her...