Book Review: PARANOID PARK
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Nelson, Blake. PARANOID PARK. 2006. New York, NY: Viking Juvenile.
2. PLOT SUMMARY:
A 16-year-old skater knows he's taking a risk in going to Paranoid Park, a tough unofficial street skating "park" on the bad side of town, but he never thinks the night will end in murder. When it does, he keeps it secret, but, as a result, his life begins to unravel.
3. REFLECTIONS:
This is a gritty novel which is recommended by the School Library Journal for 7th grade and up. Nelson's first-person narrator is completely believable, and I spent the whole novel feeling depressed and tense as I sympathized with him.
As my students all know, "Mrs. K" likes fantasy more than realistic fiction, so I can't say that I enjoyed the novel, but I would recommend this title to those who like to read books that tend to be darker and more soul-searching. If you like Edgar Allen Poe or Dostoevsky, PARANOID PARK may scratch the morbid little itch that's been bothering you.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
Booklist: "Readers will have a visceral reaction to this story, but on a literary level, they'll also appreciate Nelson's clever plotting and spot-on characterizations...Nonstop page turning until the surprising conclusion."
School Library Journal: " Thus, this novel, which probes the cultural divide separating the narrator from the rough-and-tumble Streeters, examines the chasm separating moral responsibility from the eternal damnation of keeping a horrible secret. The story is less resolved than Michael Cadnum's Calling Home (Viking, 1991), but many teens will relate on one level or another to this teen's terrible dilemma."
5. CONNECTIONS
*This would pair well with classics such as CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Dostoevsky or CALLING HOME by Michael Cadnum.
* This novel also deals with the alienation caused by divorce and would be a good choice for a literature group discussion of alienation, divorce, or moral dilemmas.
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Nelson, Blake. PARANOID PARK. 2006. New York, NY: Viking Juvenile.
2. PLOT SUMMARY:
A 16-year-old skater knows he's taking a risk in going to Paranoid Park, a tough unofficial street skating "park" on the bad side of town, but he never thinks the night will end in murder. When it does, he keeps it secret, but, as a result, his life begins to unravel.
3. REFLECTIONS:
This is a gritty novel which is recommended by the School Library Journal for 7th grade and up. Nelson's first-person narrator is completely believable, and I spent the whole novel feeling depressed and tense as I sympathized with him.
As my students all know, "Mrs. K" likes fantasy more than realistic fiction, so I can't say that I enjoyed the novel, but I would recommend this title to those who like to read books that tend to be darker and more soul-searching. If you like Edgar Allen Poe or Dostoevsky, PARANOID PARK may scratch the morbid little itch that's been bothering you.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S):
Booklist: "Readers will have a visceral reaction to this story, but on a literary level, they'll also appreciate Nelson's clever plotting and spot-on characterizations...Nonstop page turning until the surprising conclusion."
School Library Journal: " Thus, this novel, which probes the cultural divide separating the narrator from the rough-and-tumble Streeters, examines the chasm separating moral responsibility from the eternal damnation of keeping a horrible secret. The story is less resolved than Michael Cadnum's Calling Home (Viking, 1991), but many teens will relate on one level or another to this teen's terrible dilemma."
5. CONNECTIONS
*This would pair well with classics such as CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Dostoevsky or CALLING HOME by Michael Cadnum.
* This novel also deals with the alienation caused by divorce and would be a good choice for a literature group discussion of alienation, divorce, or moral dilemmas.
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