Synopses & Reviews
Edward Bloor's award-winning novel grabs readers by the collar on the first page and never lets go. Tangerine, Florida — once known for its citrus groves — is now an uninhabitable quagmire of muck fires and school-swallowing sinkholes. Still, twelve-year-old Paul sees the move as a way to start anew, maybe even make a name for himself in middle school soccer — despite his father's obsession with his high-school-age brother Erik's future in football. Paul is visually impaired (without his Coke bottle glasses), but its everyone else who seems to be blind to Erik's dangerous nature.
Written as a series of Paul's journal entries, Tangerine is a gut-wrenching coming-of-age novel about truth, memory, culture, courage, social consciousness, classism, the environment... and soccer. Paul is a character well worth cheering for. Underdogs of the world, unite!
Awards: ABAs Pick of the Lists, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book, Horn Book Fanfare Selection, IRA Young Adults Choice, New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Review
"Breaks the mold." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Smart, adaptable, and anchored by a strong sense of self-worth, Paul makes a memorable protagonist in a cast of vividly drawn characters; multiple yet taut plotlines lead to a series of gripping climaxes and revelations. Readers are going to want more from this author." Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Review
"A richly imagined read about an underdog coming into his own." The Bulletin
Synopsis
Though legally blind, Paul Fisher can see what others cannot. He can see that his parents' constant praise of his brother, Erik, the football star, is to cover up something that is terribly
wrong. But no one listens to Paul — until his family moves to Tangerine. In this Florida town, weird is normal: Lightning strikes at the same time every day, a sinkhole swallows a local school, and Paul the geek finds himself adopted into the toughest group around: the soccer team at his middle school.
Maybe this new start in Tangerine will help Paul finally see the truth about his past — and will give him the courage to face up to his terrifying older brother.
Includes a reader's guide and an afterword by the author.
Synopsis
A modern-day classic underdog story to share with middle graders alongside such favorites as Wonder, Holes, and Bridge to Terabithia.
Paul Fisher sees the world from behind glasses so thick he looks like a bug-eyed alien. But he's not so blind that he can't see there are some very unusual things about his family's new home in Tangerine County, Florida.
Where else does a sinkhole swallow the local school, fire burn underground for years, and lightning strike at the same time every day? The chaos is compounded by constant harassment from his football-star brother.
Adjusting to life in Tangerine isn't easy for Paul--until he joins the soccer team at his middle school. With the help of his new teammates, Paul begins to discover what lies beneath the surface of his strange new hometown. And he also gains the courage to face up to some secrets his family has been keeping from him for far too long.
In Tangerine, it seems, anything is possible.
A richly imagined read about an underdog coming into his own. --BCCB
Synopsis
Paul Fisher sees the world from behind glasses so thick he looks like a bug-eyed alien. But he's not so blind that he can't see there are some very unusual things about his family's new home in Tangerine County, Florida. Where else does a sinkhole swallow the local school, fire burn underground for years, and lightning strike at the same time every day? The chaos is compounded by constant harassment from his football-star brother, and adjusting to life in Tangerine isn't easy for Paul — until he joins the soccer team at his middle school. With the help of his new teammates, Paul begins to discover what lies beneath the surface of his strange new hometown. And he also gains the courage to face up to some secrets his family has been keeping from him for far too long. In Tangerine, it seems, anything is possible.
About the Author
EDWARD BLOOR is the author of four acclaimed novels. A former high school teacher, he lives near Orlando, Florida.