Nelson, Blake. Paranoid Park.NELSON, Blake. Paranoid Park Paranoid Park (also known sometimes as Punk Park) is a small park and fountain at the cross streets of Southwest Park Avenue and Stark Street in downtown Portland, Oregon. The park is officially known to the city as O'Bryant Square. . Penguin, Viking. 176p. c2006.0-670-06118-2. $15.99. S Paranoid Park is a skateboard park in Portland, Oregon, a tough, rough place where hardcore skaters and street kids hang out. Our unnamed narrator NARRATOR. A pleader who draws narrs serviens narrator, a sergeant at law. Fleta, 1. 2, c. 37. Obsolete. , a preppy prep·py or prep·pie n. pl. prep·pies Informal 1. A student or former student of a preparatory school. 2. A person whose manner and dress are deemed typical of traditional preparatory schools. type, is introduced to the park by an older student at his high school, and one night he gets up the nerve to go there on his own. He meets some street kids and, just for a kick, hops a train with a boy named Scratch for a short ride. Then, suddenly, everything goes wrong. A security guard at the train yard swings his nightstick at Scratch, and our terrified ter·ri·fy tr.v. ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing, ter·ri·fies 1. To fill with terror; make deeply afraid. See Synonyms at frighten. 2. To menace or threaten; intimidate. narrator hits the guard with his skateboard. The guard falls and his clothing gets caught up in the moving train; he's dragged under the wheels and killed. What to do? Terribly upset and confused, our narrator doesn't know whether to confess or to run away. He does neither, but he soon learns the corrosive corrosive /cor·ro·sive/ (kor-o´siv) producing gradual destruction, as of a metal by electrochemical reaction or of the tissues by the action of a strong acid or alkali; an agent that so acts. power of secrets. Sinking into depression, he breaks up with his shallow girlfriend and conceals the truth when a detective starts investigating. Only Macy, a girl who lives down the street, wins his trust; she realizes he's carrying a burden of some kind and encourages him to write down whatever happened. This novel is in the form of a letter to her. Gritty and aching, the narrative will have readers pondering pon·der v. pon·dered, pon·der·ing, pon·ders v.tr. To weigh in the mind with thoroughness and care. v.intr. To reflect or consider with thoroughness and care. what they might do under the circumstances. It's a swift read that will appeal to boys, including reluctant readers, from the author of such YA titles as Rock Star Superstar and Girl. Includes a bit of strong language and a lot of talk about getting laid. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT S--Recommended for senior high school students. |
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