Tangerine by Edward Bloor

                  Tangerine by Edward Bloor

                        Reviewed by Vivi M.

    Imagine moving to a town with severe lightning storms everyday at the same time. You’re the legally blind seventh grader living under the shadow of your athletic older brother. Not only does anyone know what damaged your vision, but  everyone lowers your potential, and they idolize your brother. You know he’s no good. If only everyone else would listen to you. But not to worry. Tangerine will be the place where his true colors come out and threaten the safety of many. You won’t have to prove anything...

    The amazing book I read was Tangerine. It was written by Edward Bloor, contains 294 pages, and got a perfect 5 star-score from me for its Book Response. The protagonist is Paul Fisher, who lives in the late 90’s in Tangerine, Florida (which is the setting). The biggest conflict Paul must face is trying to show everyone else the truth about Erik, Paul’s disturbed fit brother. I’d have to say this is one of the best books ever written. Bloor obviously took time and effort into this writing, and to add details to make the book enjoyable. You’d be reading one second, thinking you know what’s going to happen, and BAM! Something completely different was thrown at you! A strong example of this happening in the novel is when Paul was starting to open his circle of friends, making you think and believe he’ll become more popular. But Erik abruptly does the unthinkable, the unpredictable. Something horrendous that damages Paul’s social life completely. Another reason why I love the book is because the characters were so different, so diverse, yet they fit in so well in the book together. Paul was humble, intellectual, and all he wanted was peace and honesty in his life. Erik was cocky, arrogant, and--you’ll find out--homicidal. It was so intriguing. The different personalities mended the story together and made it as interesting as it really was!

    The main major theme, or big idea, from Tangerine was “everyone is not how they seem”, or “don’t judge a book on its cover”. Basically, Tangerine helped me to think about how you see or view someone may be beyond different than how they actually are. It’s an important life lesson to learn, because it really shows you the true colors of a person; they would try to fit into the mold you crafted for them. Another huge theme was perseverance and never giving up. This is a major quality in all the characters, their plans, and the messages they tried to get across to one another. They all were really determined, and even when their plans got foiled, the persistence kicked in and the characters drove even harder. The perfect and foremost example throughout the entire novel is Paul. Overall, Tangerine is a book I’ve read, enjoyed, and really benefited from. I suggest all seventh graders read this book at some point in life. It’s really influential, and should really have an award. Tangerine will be liked and enjoyed by many once it is read.

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