“The longest day of my life began tardily.”

From John Green’s Paper Towns.

While Quentin and Margo were childhood friends, despite having few familiarities, they drifted apart as they grew up, so now Quentin finds himself stuck on the outside of Margo’s popular life.  While Quentin was shy and followed the rules, Margo lived a life full of risk and adventure, so now as their high school graduation draws close, Quentin hardly even talks to Margo anymore and instead spends his time with best friends Ben and Radar.  However, Quentin’s life is forever changed when Margo shows up outside his window one night asking for his help on a series of revenge missions. Unable to resist the opportunity to spend time with his lifelong crush, Quentin agrees to help Margo on a night filled with crazy and slightly-illegal fun.  Hopeful for a rekindled friendship, Quentin is excited to see Margo the next day in school, but Margo is nowhere to be found… literally.  Quentin finds out that Margo has run away, and while her parents and peers don’t consider this anything out the ordinary for her, Quentin knows that something is different and that he needs to find whatever clues Margo left behind so he can find her.  Once he finds some of Margo’s clues, Quentin takes his mom’s minivan to race from Florida to a found-only-on-paper town in New York.  Refusing to miss out on the adventure, Ben, Radar, and Margo’s ex-best friend, Lacey, join Quentin’s cross county journey.  Driving, bonding, loving, and fighting as they drive to New York, Quentin and his friends discover what it really means to grow up together on their unforgettable adventure.

Another of John Green’s impactful teen adventure, this book is full of the same humor, heart, and style that makes Green’s books so popular.  The story keeps the reader engaged and invested, but the ending will be unsatisfactory for many readers.  Paper Towns is a story filled with memorable characters and situations, making it a must-read for fans of Green’s work.