Tangerine

Tangerine, Edward Bloor, Harcourt Inc., 1997.

Tangerine tells the story of Paul Fisher, a middle school student living in Tangerine, Florida. Paul faces many struggles in his life: he is legally blinded from supposedly staring directly into a solar eclipse, he lives in the shadow of his football star of an older brother, and his father shows little interest in him. After joining the school soccer team, Paul is finally able to fit in and his newfound identity and confidence allow him to face his fears and uncover hidden truths.

            This novel includes many relatable themes for middle school kids. Paul is constantly struggling to form his own identity and do the right thing inside and outside of school-something many students struggle with every day. It could also be interesting to explore the class distinctions visible throughout the novel, as the two rival schools exist on opposite sides of town and the socio economic ladder. Another point of discussion could be the decision-making process and consequences of certain decisions. Paul learns the truth about his blindness and how his parents covered it up for the benefit of those involved (though it actually causes more harm than good). It would be interesting to talk about whether the students thought the parents did the right thing or should have been honest from the start.

            I think this novel would be good to teach in a middle school. The story has a lot of sports, which will appeal to girls and boys. The language is not too difficult and the story is about 300 pages.