Paper Towns
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life–dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge–he follows. 
After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues–and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.
Paper Towns debuted at #5 on the New York Times bestseller list and won the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery. It is taught in many high school and college curricular, often in conjunction with Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, which is an important text within the novel.
If you’ve read the book and don’t mind spoilers, you can find much, much more over at the Paper Towns Questions Page.
If you would like to read this book in another language, go to the translations page.
Reviews (Spoiler Alert!)
“Green’s prose is astounding — from hilarious, hyperintellectual trash talk and shtick, to complex philosophizing, to devastating observation and truths. He nails it–exactly how a thing feels, looks, affects–page after page.”
-Johanna Lewis, School Library Journal, starred review
“A suspenseful mystery, a compelling central metaphor, and one of those road trips that every senior hopes he or she will have round out this exploration of the kind of relationship that can’t help but teach us a little bit about ourselves.”
-Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, starred review
“A powerfully great read.”
-VOYA
“There are echoes of Green’s award-winning Looking for Alaska (2005): a lovely, eccentric girl; a mystery that begs to be solved by clever, quirky teens; and telling quotations (from Leaves of Grass, this time) beautifully integrated into the plot. Yet, if anything, the thematic stakes are higher here, as Green ponders the interconnectedness of imagination and perception, of mirrors and windows, of illusion and reality. That he brings it off is testimony to the fact that he is not only clever and wonderfully witty but also deeply thoughtful and insightful. In addition, he’s a superb stylist, with a voice perfectly matched to his amusing, illuminating material.
–Michael Cart, Booklist, starred review
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John green is a fascinating writer and paper towns was an amazing book
The whole book is kind of a metaphor. I love finding out the hints to come to a possible meaning which also seems plausible to me.
Hello!
Just want to say what an EPIC book this was. Little strange but none the less AMAZING. The use of poetry was certainly unique. One of the few books that actually made me want to write/read poetry ( other being “Thirteen Reasons Why” By Jay Asher). But I Loved This novel a lot. So thanks for writing this, see you in the the next paper town I come across!
After meeting Margo, I had to read all the other books. What never ceases to amaze me is how the characters resonate with me – and obviously, others. When I think of it from others’ (perceived? imagined?) perceptions, it is odd to feel so obsessed or connected to fictional people. However, Margo spoke to me like none of the others – she challenges me to question, to look inside myself, to think about things in other poetic, completely subjective ways. So, thank you, for creating something both dark and beautiful that caused me to think, wonder, and feel understood.
What ever happens to Margo?
i feel like he Peter Van Houtened us… what happens to margo, and Q???
agreed, we have been Van Houtened. I am more interested in Margo’s story, what happens to her?
Thats the beauty of it! It is ambiguous to the heart. Margo and Quentin know they are simply leading separate lives on separate paths. They know they cannot be together so they bury the future and the past with the black notebook.
whether it’s beautifulor not, we’ve still been Van Houtened.
lmfao
I’d like to know the fate of Myrna Mountweazel.
I’m still confused. Why can’t Margo and Q be together?
hi!
i just want to all of you to know, that this book is worth your time. IN FACT, all of his books…TRULY MAGNIFICENT. it is fugging awesome. and for john green, if ever he could read this, you are the best author for me, you write different perspective of characters and i am comfortable in reading yer books. i love you, and more power!
Absolutely loved this book! Although TFiOS remains my favourite of Green’s books; this is without doubt a beautiful book! Xx
Same for me!
Is this Emily/Miranda?
If it’s not I’m sorry because this must be very weird!
Emily/Miranda: Isn’t this soooo cool??!! i never knew this website existed until now…obvs! IT’S SO AMAZE!!
Other Person: Soz
Byeeez!
Luv Stevie/Random Person (depending on who you are) xxx
Awesome book! What time/year did this book take place?
Hey, Mr. John Green! You’re one of my favorite authors. PAPER TOWNS is REALLY AWESOME. whoooo! awestruck! Margo is an unconventional character. And that is what makes her so special. I think Colin Singleton of An Abundance of Katherines is almost the same with Q. That’s it! :) Keep it up! :)Keep on writing more!
Hello,
i like your book “Paper Towns”. It’s very interesting!
I like to read romantic or detective books.
I have read few pages, i could bot stop reading.
The most exciting part for me was that Quentin and his friends
want to find Margo. I thought it would end a bit differently, but this end
is also ok! :-)
Dear Mr. John Green!
First I wanted to say that I liked the book PAPERTOWNS very much, even when I didn`t understand everything immediatly, through the context I understood almost everything.
But the only thing I didn`t like was the end, I expect it to be romantic.
So I hope you write a continuation.
Hello Mr. John Green!
I want to say that i really liked your book. Once I started to read I could not stop. Althougt Englisch is not my native language it was very easy to read. Still I have some questions. Will there be a second part of Paper town maybe a detailled story about Margo. How long did it take you to write this book and what inspired you ?
Truly a moving author. I’m glad I picked up his book, and now I won’t read any other author. Gives me a new perspective on the lives people have and its not the unrealistic fiction I have grown to know considering all of his stories could one day become peoples lives. I enjoy to continuously read his thoughts and rummage through his imagination. Thank you Mr. Green.
Just finished this book and wow I am impressed. I enjoyed reading it, but I really wanted to know what happened to Margo and Quentin and their friends. I can infer Margo and Q stayed together, but I just want to know. All of your books are written perfectly.
I’ve read Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, and Paper Towns. I have to say Looking for Alaska is my favorite. What novel shall I read next?
My favourite books out of all you yours. This is such an interesting book and I am completely in love with it. I have finished and am now reading An Abundance Of Katherine’s but I just want to read it again and again. All the things in this book I want to come true. I want someone to turn up at my window in the middle of the night and drive them around breaking and … entering not breaking and entering together, haha. I want to break into places, have road trips and break havoc in town and then I will run away and someone will find me with the clues I leave.
I <3 Paper Towns.
I just finished it like 5 minutes ago and I am literally obsessed. I freaking love Ben oh my gosh. And I want to be like Margo Roth Spiegelman, what a fascinating life that would be. To have such a wanderlust, I love that. And oh my gosh Q. I seriously am in love with Paper Towns. The Fault in Our Stars kept it’s title as my favorite until now. Oh my god I can`t even.
All of the feels?
I finished Paper Towns two days ago, and I realized that i have a lot to say about it.
I am a very passionate and open-minded reader. I find that you, John Green, is a very good author with such a powerful sense in your words. I myself am trying to become an author, even though i’m just fifteen.
The first book I read of yours is Paper Towns, and i liked the idea of it. I however, had a bit of dislike upon Margo. I find her very free, and that’s a good thing. But yet, after all of what Q and his friends went through, in the end, Margo wasn’t a very nice person.
So yes, i didn’t very much like this book. But i respect you as a wonderful author. I am reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson now and i find it so far very well-written. I love your books overall, and I always will.
i Am very Disappointed To find a Lack of random rules Of Capitalization on This page.
are You haPpy Now?
make me care.
I was Just wondering if you are planing to write another book to follow up with Quentin and Margo. As I started reading I found myself unable to put down Paper Towns. I would really like to find out if he stays with her or goes home . If you could please email me and let me know at jollyridgaway93@gmail.com. I know I speak for others when I say it would be amazing to continue reading about Margo and Quentin
The book has made me realize one thing; I am a Paper Boy. Thank you John Green for slapping the truth in my face! I love you for that!
Cheers, V.
I asked my friend for her favorite book as birthday present. She gave me Paper Towns. I thanked her and about a month later I finally found time to open the book. She wrote a Note in the book for me:
Dear Jura,
You asked for my favorite book. I gave you Paper Towns becaude it’s a mystery novel and I utterly love mystery novels.
I’ve thanked her once again and finally strated reading.
I love it.
I utterly love it.
Jura Catastrophe
Hi John :)
I just want to let you know what Paper Towns is to me. Paper Towns is a special book; I heard about it from an internet friend who did a comic about Nerdfighteria on deviantart.com. I was very interested in all of the inside jokes about NF; very confused as well. They seemed like things that I was doing and thought were really awesome at that point in my life, in 2009 or 2010. I immediatly joined NF and brought all of my friends into the haze of awesome that it is. I had just moved to a brand new public high school from my whole life being at some sort of private christian school. I was no stranger to moving schools, but this move was a culture shock, because I had never been in such a diverse environment. Paper Towns helped me get the kindness and openness that I needed in this new place.
I first read a copy of ‘Sad Margo’ from the library, and I loved that particular book so much… I rechecked it out for a couple months. Then I moved to public school, and books were something that I could fall back on when I didn’t have friends because I was so shy. Books were something that made me friends. I re-read Paper Towns (Happy Margo) as soon as my Gramma bought it for me for my (15th) birthday, it just made me feel happy and sunny. Maybe that’s just how I recall it made me feel now; I must have read it in the sun.
I reread it every year around the same time. The year after that really helped me, there was a lot of change going on in my personal life, as well. One of my best friends left my life, and I felt like I was falling apart. I read it, and everything seemed better. I felt like Margo, living on the edge, not knowing what was going to happen next.
Last year, I read it early, and then made the love of my life read it. He liked it, but not as much as I loved it. He was taken away from me a few weeks after he returned it. It has been especially hard for me this year, so hard that I skip watching vlogbrothers videos for months at a time.
Right now I’m completing one of the most horrible things that Washington graduating seniors have to do: the senior portfolio. A part of this is a reading record and reflection sheet from the past four years that I have to fill out of all the books I read. Paper Towns is on there four times, so of course I’m thinking about it again. I’m thinking about it and it’s bringing back all of these happy memories, filled with sunshine, and kisses, and warmth, and the smell of wall paint and books, and the sense of excitement and great adventure. I just wanted to let you know what it means to me, even if you never read this post.
John, thank you for being here for me even though you never knew you were. I can say in confidence that I’m not the only one out there that feels this way about one or more of your books. Thank you, and congratulations on all of your awesome, and don’t forget to stop being it.
Stephanie Smith
Touching at the very deepest level capable of being touched. If that makes any sense…
oh my god .I dont know what to feel after reading this .what happens to Q ? What happens to Margo ? ☹
yeah i really wanna know to! hahha
We need more books by John in Brazil, please! I so love your books :)
Sorry my english, I’m using the translator): I read all the books that have been published here in Brazil, and would like to read that, please, we need more books translated!
John my friend, contrary to many of our fellow fans on this page, I sincerely hope you do not do a continuation for Margo and Quentin. Their ambiguous future and past buried with the notebook was summed up beautifully. We know they cannot be together, and that is all we need to know. Quentin has discovered the root lesson: people are windows. Not the mirrors they often seem to show.
no, you horrid person. go away
Paper Towns was such a lovely, adventurous and humorous tale. I really really enjoyed thinking along side Quentin about where Margo would be. I had never thought about staying in one place could become boring, or at least uninteresting. Thank you for writing this novel
This book is incredible. I’m so glad I read it just before leaving school. It makes the idea of leaving less scary.
Thank you for that John.
please write a second one, mr. green :)
Dear Mr. John Green,
I not only love your books, but the lessons they teach society. Truly an inspiration-
Yours Truly
Kristen Marie
I am so curious about the ending and I keep on thinking about it. Reply and suggest some books please :)
this is a fantastic book. john green has created characters and a plot that breaks away from the vapid “young adult” stories that have sadly become commonplace.
I was highly pleased to locate this web-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this great read!! I certainly enjoying every small bit of it and I’ve you bookmarked to take a look at new stuff you weblog post.
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Hi John,
I love all of your books so much it’s kind of ridiculous. I think you are a literary genius and I (being a writer myself and hoping to one day have a book published,) wish to have half the talent you posses someday. In my World History class, we’ve watched a few of your vlogbrother’s videos and everyone kind of looks around and says, “Think guy is so weird, he talks so fast.” I just stare and smile because you are quite easily one of my most favorite people on the planet (Is that weird because I’ve never met you? Hope not.) and none of these kids in my class who would rather have an arm sawed off than read a book for pleasure don’t realize just how great you are. I hope that some day, some time, you will have a chance to read this. Thank you for providing me with flawless pieces of literature that I will forever be promoting. Stay Amazing.
Always a fan,
Michaela
Yes, this book has wonderful symbolism and powerful characters and it’s magnificently written and all of that, but does anyone else simply appreciate the humor here? The comments that Q and his friends exchange ALONE are enough for me to want to read more of Green’s books. I enjoy poetry as much as the next guy/girl/sheep, but I must say, I value humor higher.
Not sure if you will ever see this or not, but I have a question
I bought Paper towns from a local book store, and found a note within it, it reads
Hello There!
You have excellent taste in my very biased opinion.
I hope that you and enjoy this book! the author’s a really cool guy.
Anyway, I hope have a wonderful day/year/swim(i think it says)/ Life
DFTBA
- a nerdfighter
I was wondering if it was from you or just by some random person? :) ps I love this book
Thank you Amy Carter :)
I loved this book! After reading Looking For Alaska, I was completely with Q, and was utterly astounded when he found her. Margot is such a quirky, adventurous character, I felt as if I was reading her story, not Q’s. This book is AMAZING!
I recently read this book and it was simply jaw-dropping. I finished it in a day. It was extremely gripping and I never wanted to put the book down. Its filled with humor that isn’t cheesy at all and is extremely relatable to teenagers (as I am one myself. I cried so much while I was reading it. KEEP ON WRITING JOHN GREEN!!!!!!!
I loved Paper Towns . It’s a beautiful and amazing book . I wanna know what happens after that last scene. I don’t even know if I interpreted the last scene correctly . But the future after the book has like two main paths . The positive albeit more cheesy one when their love is united again or the more negative one where they just fade away from each other . Which one do you prefer as the author ?? Just asking . But great book . Your doing am awesome job . You inspire me . Thanks
I feel as if I am just like Hazel with a story like this. I mean what happens in the end? Now I know the book did end and it wasnt in mid scentence; but what ever happens to them in the end, does Q ever meet margo later on? What about Lacie and Ben, what ever happened with them?
I’m not much of reader but when I read this I was hooked I’ve read all his books more than once…John is a absolute amazing writer!!
I wonderment why other professionals don’t respond your site overmuch m happy My spouse and i plant this.
there should be a sequel, or a rewritten version from Margo’s point of view. Quentin was very interesting in the aspect of trying to figure out the real Margo, and not what she is seen as by everyone else. But I want to know what Margo is thinking during all of this. Is Quentin right in saying how she feels alone because no one ever took the time to try to know her? Everyone had a different version of their own Margo and they were all wrong. Quentin’s version may be wrong too. I want to know the real Margo as much as Quentin.
my review of this book:
http://www.shvoong.com/books/novel-novella/2370332-paper-towns/
Mr. Green,
I have watched the vlogbrothers videos and believe myself to be a nerdfighter. Yesterday, I took a leap and read Paper Towns. I have been in a slump with reading and this book brought be out of it. I stayed up until midnight reading it, I started reading at 6:30 and I didn’t stop. Thank you for writing this amazing book.
I’ve not actually read a whole book but I’ve read tastes of: Will Grayson Will Grayson, Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns (at first I thought it was called Paper Towels…that was VERY embarrassing!!
Thanks Mr. G! Love your books
Stevie xxx
Paper Towns is definately my favorite book at the moment!! I’ve also read The Fault In Our Stars, Looking For Alaska, and I’m about to start Will Grayson Will Grayson.
Google Maps knows Agloe *-*
John Green really should make a sequel to paper towns. I would love to know what happens to Q and Margo, since one of the last lines from one of them was “We are not done seeing each other yet”
John Green. I have no words of what to say. I just finished TFIOS and it was the most heartbreakingly beautiful novel I have read in my life. You have touched my heart ( and caused me to cry many times) while reading and I want you to know that the way you write is indescribable. You have a way with words and I wish for you to continue creating many masterpieces for the world to breathe in.
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