Anyone who has ever read a book knows that there are many pros of reading books. It doesn’t matter if you’re a college or university student or not, plenty of benefits can be had if you read regularly. People who study literature are often better at articulating their ideas, writing stories, and more knowledgeable about different subjects, among other things.
These are some of the reasons why school and college students are tasked with reading as part of their academic coursework. One book that can often be found in school libraries is Paper Towns by John Green. This is a popular coming-of-age story that can help a student learn quite a bit. Students also choose this book for writing a summary on it for their class assignments. For this purpose, it can help to read a good paper towns summary first before you write your own. Such help with summary writing can go a long way in making your analysis more robust and also teaching you more about the book itself.
If you do have to research the book and write a summary on it, you might find yourself loving this book in the process. Not only that, but Paper Towns will also end up improving your literacy as many stories do. In that sense, it is a great option to aid with your education in a more informal manner.
A Relatable Story
For young readers, going through this story will not necessarily feel like they are trying to study literature. That is because it is very relatable. The text follows Quentin and his friends as they try to search for Margo who is an estranged friend of the hero. Quentin has a crush on Margo and they are very good friends until they drift apart over the course of their school years. However, Margo suddenly comes back into his life one day before disappearing. The tale then follows Quentin as he tries to find her with the help of his friends, fearing that she might have hurt herself.
Engaging Characters
The characters in the story are all entertaining in their own ways. While Margo is absent in most of the text, Quentin is shown as a caring guy trying to find her. However, it’s his friends that add a lot of color to the tale. Both Ben and Radar are highly interesting, with the former obsessed with prom and highly excited to have a date and the latter the editor of a website resembling Wikipedia in its content. The three friends make for a very endearing group of friends whose interactions and conversations with each other are bound to feel very real and relatable to teens.
A Good Message
One of the pros of reading books is that you can get a strong lesson out of each story. While Paper Towns may seem like simply a quest to find a lost girl at first glance, it has a lot more going on. One of the most interesting themes is about one’s own identity and the expectations others have. After going through this tale, people will start to think about whether they are being boxed in by the expectation of others or not. This is an important conversation to have with oneself, especially if you are young.
Other than this, the story also gives a lesson about making good and bad choices. The characters learn that when they make bad choices, they have to face the consequences and live with them. They also learn that, at times, all that matters is to have the support of your loved ones. It is lessons like these that make this a very good recommendation for young students who are trying to figure such things out in real life.
Role Models
The characters in this tale can become role models for young readers and it’s a good thing that they are positive ones. Each one learns from their mistakes and improves over the course of the book. One of the key aspects of the whole story is finding out and understanding why Margo runs away from everyone. It is mainly because she wishes to be her own person instead of being shackled by what others expect her to be.
Conclusion
So, it is safe to say that Paper Towns should be read by teenagers if they wish to consume something that is relatable and can also teach them a lesson or two. The tale will not only help them learn important things about friendship, identity, and love but will also improve their overall literacy as many books do. It is a strong tale, told in a very easy tone, with colorful characters that provoke serious thought processes while also providing comic relief from time to time.