Paper Towns by John Green (reviewed by Emily TenCate)

If you're anything like me, if I told you that the novel Paper Towns by John Green detailed the lives of a gamer and a popular girl in their last month of high school, you would be bored (or at least pretty skeptical) already. If I told you the novel also included romance, beer, and mischief, you'd groan and mutter, "Typical," and you'd probably cross the book off of your list without a second thought. Paper Towns is, indeed, about all of these things. But it's also about something more, and, in fact, that's the whole point of Paper Towns: it's impossible to sum something up if you only look at its components. To understand something, you really need to have seen the whole.

Paper Towns points out in excruciating detail that we (especially as high schoolers) only see people by parts. Take Margo Roth Spiegelmann, for example, the enigmatic sort-of-protagonist who is usually summed up (incompletely) as queen bee of the high school. When you get to know her, though, she's actually a marvelous prankster, with a head full of plans and stories and metaphysical theories about life. Take Quentin (also known as Q), an avid gamer and the boy-next-door, whose undiscovered inner hero only surfaces when Margo goes missing. Take "Bloody Ben", another obsessive gamer, whose whole life is defined by one embarrassing incident.

Throughout the book, these people discover that everyone has three dimensions. (Well, mostly everyone; the drunk jocks in this novel are as senseless and two-dimensional as ever.) They learn that you have to read people the way you read poetry: you can't understand the meaning if you only read and understand a couple of lines. You have to understand the poem as a whole before you can really say what it's all about.

And if you think philosophy is too boring and you'll never read this book, never fear, because Paper Towns is also deliciously, unexpectedly hilarious! And when I say hilarious, it's not just funny, it's laugh-out-loud ridiculous. It's intense, engaging, and (though this is coming from a senior in her last couple months of high school), completely understandable... well, maybe all except the part about naked graduation. Read it; you won't regret (or forget!) it.

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OH EMILY, WHAT A GREAT REVIEW OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME. I can only express my feelings about Paper Towns as such - <3 <3 <3

If you haven't read anything by John Green, you need to fix that ASAP, so click here to see if Paper Towns (or anything else by John Green) is on our shelves.

Eon: Dragon Reborn by Alison Goodman (reviewed by Carolyn Adkins)

Eon: Dragon Reborn takes place in a world where one of twelve dragons makes a pack with a dragoneye. Together, they fight for peace, but that peace is about to be destroyed. Eon is a new dragoneye fighting to protect the peace, but Eon is not as he seems, because Eon is a girl and girls are not allowed to be dragoneyes.

Eon is a book that is hard to put down and jammed-packed with actions that both teens and adults will find thrilling. Eon takes you to a world with vibrant description and you know exactly what is happening and there's never a dull moment. I love this book and can't wait for the second!

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I love this book too, Carolyn! Soooo good. It reminded me of Tamora Pierce and who doesn't love Tamora Pierce, right?! Click here to see if Eon: Dragoneye Reborn is on our shelves.

Carolyn reviewed Eon: Dragoneye Reborn so she could have a chance to read an advance review copy of Eona BEFORE it came out. How did Carolyn find out about this awesome opportunity? She's signed up for the library's teen e-mail list, so she gets to hear about all the latest news, promotions, programs, and events first. Want to be on the list? Send us an e-mail at ysweb @ lacnm dot us to get added! You can also hear about what's happening by visiting the library's teen website!

Do YOU want a chance to read and review books before they're published? Do YOU think you could give your opinion on if the library/other people should buy these books? If so, you can ask at youth services or send us an e-mail for more information on how you can get a chance to be an advance reviewer. We have lots of ARCs waiting for your reviews, so ask today!