Tangerine

Tangerine, Florida seems like a strange and dangerous place to live. Constant lightning strikes in the afternoons, continuous underground muck fires, and resulting sinkholes plague the community. That's not all. Prized koi fish are mysteriously disappearing from the community pond. Swarms of mosquitos are so thick, trucks with choking pesticides spray daily as if on war patrol. Multiple houses need fumigating because of termites. Then the robberies begin...and the vandalism and graffiti.
Paul Fisher and his family have recently moved to this unstable area and all middle-schooler Paul wants to do is make the soccer team. Despite having a disability (he is legally blind), he is an excellent goalie. He just needs a chance. Since all eyes show more (pun totally intended) are on Paul's older brother, Eric, the high school football star destined for greatness, that chance seems slim. Everyone adores Eric so why does Paul fear his brother so much?
Tangerine stuns the reader with harsh realities usually missing from young adult novels. Publishers Weekly said "it breaks the mold" and I agree one hundred percent. Confessional: some scenes were so harsh I found myself catching my breath. show less

Generally, I'm not too keen on stories about white boys from rich families who wander onto the wrong side of the tracks and learn to kick it with their poor minority counterparts. However, I really liked this book. The seventh grade narrator, Paul, is supposedly legally blind, but he can see, both literally and figuratively, more than most people. He has this evil older brother who's a football star (I kept thinking this plot line was going to get super-natural, but it didn't). There's also a lot of good stuff in this book about the nature of cookie cutter housing developments or, rather, the lack of nature in cookie cutter housing developments. If lightning scares you and you're into the smell of citrus, I'd tell you to go for this book.

hopefully the last book i'll read for my materials talk...

***

Wow, one of the best YA books I've read in a while. Really well written (what a novel idea!). Not the biggest surprise ending ever, but enough character development to keep it interesting all the way through, and the end is *satisfying*. I particularly appreciated the not-so-veiled critique of housing developments, socio-economics, environmentalism (or lack thereof), education, and athletics. This book has a lot going on and I tend to agree with most of the criticisms, so thumbs up.

Well that was seriously intense, amazing, even. Definitely not just a 'book for boys who like soccer' or even a 'book about a kid who's kind of blind.' The mystery and reveal are indeed huge. (Though the clues are there, and I did see part of it coming... kind of.)

The path taken to the reveal is written so gracefully and smoothly that the adventure seems dominant, even though the metaphors, the poetry and the themes are the real stars of the book.

But don't get me wrong; it's not a mystery story, and nothing is contrived for the sake of the mystery It's an exploration of destiny & fate. But it's not a warning 'do this and be punished;' it's more like 'you can have the courage to pick yourself up and save your future.'

The ubiety of the show more classism & culture of Florida is very cool - in a way, the setting *is* a character. (Which is made clear in the beginning when Paul muses about lightning having a memory & motivation.)

I wouldn't have minded getting to know Eric a bit better, but I got to know the parents well enough. Well-rounded characters, with their own histories & future, fears & dreams.

Ambiguous, authentic ending. Lots of bad things, but some hope for the survivors. Just like real life.

Strongly recommended for ages 12 up, or even slightly younger if they can handle drama. Paul is in 7th grade, but most of the characters are older.

I will definitely look for more by the author. show less

Well that was seriously intense, amazing, even. Definitely not just a 'book for boys who like soccer' or even a 'book about a kid who's kind of blind.' The mystery and reveal are indeed huge. (Though the clues are there, and I did see part of it coming... kind of.)

The path taken to the reveal is written so gracefully and smoothly that the adventure seems dominant, even though the metaphors, the poetry and the themes are the real stars of the book.

But don't get me wrong; it's not a mystery story, and nothing is contrived for the sake of the mystery It's an exploration of destiny & fate. But it's not a warning 'do this and be punished;' it's more like 'you can have the courage to pick yourself up and save your future.'

The ubiety of the show more classism & culture of Florida is very cool - in a way, the setting *is* a character. (Which is made clear in the beginning when Paul muses about lightning having a memory & motivation.)

I wouldn't have minded getting to know Eric a bit better, but I got to know the parents well enough. Well-rounded characters, with their own histories & future, fears & dreams.

Ambiguous, authentic ending. Lots of bad things, but some hope for the survivors. Just like real life.

Strongly recommended for ages 12 up, or even slightly younger if they can handle drama. Paul is in 7th grade, but most of the characters are older.

I will definitely look for more by the author. show less

Paul Fisher has just moved to Tangerine, Florida, with his family. Paul is starting at the Lake Windsor Junior High, but all eyes are on his older brother Erik, joining the high school. Erik has great skill as a football kicker, and his father encourages him every step of the way. Paul refers to this family obsession as the Erik Fisher football dream. Meanwhile, Paul is afraid of his brother. While his parents treat Paul's fears like he is just paranoid, Paul is certain that his brother is out to get him.

He has other things to take his mind off this, though. Their new home is unusual. Lake Windsor is an upscale neighborhood that was built over failing tangerine farms. Whenever lightning strikes, muck fires kick up and smoke billows show more across the fancy houses. And lightning falls frequently; Tangerine has the highest incidence of lightning strikes in the nation. The natural catastrophes hit a new level of absurdity when a sinkhole collapses in the middle of the junior high field, sucking down the majority of the portable classrooms. Paul has a choice: to transfer to the more impoverished Tangerine Middle School, or switch to a split-day with the other Lake Windsor students. Paul chooses Tangerine. He sees it as a second chance. Since Lake Windsor kicked him off the soccer team due to his vision problems and his I.E.P., he has another try at playing soccer. Paul finds himself a Tangerine Middle School War Eagle.

While trying to understand and befriend the students at his new school, especially his soccer teammates, Paul continues to keep his eyes on Erik. Why is he so afraid of his brother? What really happened to his eyes when he was five years old? These mysteries of the past are always under the surface, tangling up his present, and new problems keep popping up. Someone is breaking into tented houses that are being sprayed for termites and stealing their valuables. Mike Costello, a senior that is on Erik's football team and brother to Paul's friend Joey, is struck by lightning at football practice and dies. Paul's friend, Joey, also transfers to Tangerine, but takes a superior attitude that seriously irritates Paul's new friends. As his social life meets one challenge after another, Paul has a consistent bright spot in his life: soccer. The War Eagles are undefeated, and Paul likes feeling the triumph and confidence that the team brings him. The various strands of his life eventually crash together in a horrifying event that will force Paul to face his past, and step into the strong young man that he is becoming.

I enjoyed this well-written and gripping book. Paul is a wonderful character, good but flawed, quietly observing the truth of situations around him in his position as overlooked son. The other characters are well-developed, giving us people to care about and detest, and plenty of people that fall somewhere in between. Paul's life is shaded by happiness and sadness; he meets girls, and makes friends, but people also tragically die or reveal dark inner souls. Fortunately, the ending of the story brings healing and hope, for Paul and for others in his life. Everything is filtered through Paul's voice, as the novel is written in the format of his diary, making the story feel more intimate to the reader. The various mysteries are taut and suspenseful, and come to satisfactory conclusions. Besides that, the themes of economic disparity, our relationship with nature, and levels of truth and deception are powerfully presented, using a young boy's voice that feels inherent to the story and not didactic. I was engaged in the book from the first page to the last, and the resolution to the many plot threads and mysteries was satisfying. The ending brought closure to the novel, but also opened up new possibilities for Paul's future. I highly recommend this book for young readers. show less

This is more than a coming of age story. It is a tale of awakening to the reality that family members can indeed harm, both psychologically and physically.

Thirteen year old Paul Fischer wears super duper coke bottle glasses. His family repeatedly tells the story that unfortunately he looked at a solar eclipse too long thus resulting in his impaired vision. Somehow Paul knows this just isn't true.

When his family moves to Tangerine Florida his life changes dramatically. A nerd, a geek and a quiet soul accustomed to watching his parents adore and idolize his older football hero brother, Paul seeks for carve an identify for himself.

When the town of Tangerine crumbles into pockets of sink holes and it is discovered that corrupt officials show more never followed codes, more than sticky mud invades the consciousness of Paul.

While his Pleasant Valley Sunday mom wears just the right clothes and designs her house way beyond Martha Stewart mode, his father the engineer paves the wave for his older son to become the star, at all expense.

When the middle school of Tangerine collapses, Paul is transported to a new school, one where there is poverty, toughness and more reality of what life is all about.

Joining the soccer team enables Paul for find friends and a sense of belonging. While his brother remains the high school hero back home, all is not well in the town of Tangerine or the home of the Fischers.

When Paul realizes the actual reason he needs to wear thick glasses, he confronts very difficult family dynamics.

I highly recommend this one! 4.5 Stars! show less