71 pages 2 hours read

John Green

Paper Towns

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2008

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Part 2, Chapters 1-4Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: "The Grass"

Chapter 1 Summary

Quentin awakes after getting only a few hours of sleep. He thinks about skipping school, but he has had perfect attendance up until this point so he decides against it. Though he tells himself that he looks like he has been out all night doing drugs, his parents do not even notice and instead spend breakfast talking about his father’s recurring dream, which his mother interprets as a metaphor for struggling with the rules of mature social interaction in young adulthood.

When Quentin arrives at school, he notices that Margo’s car is missing, and figures that she decided to arrive late as well. He talks to Radar about prom, and when Ben arrives, he asks Quentin why he called him so late the night before to ask for Chuck Parson’s address. Just then, Chuck Parson walks by, and Quentin tells his friends to look at his face. Chuck has shaved his other eyebrow, and Ben asks Quentin if he is responsible for it. Quentin tells Ben and Radar that he spent the entire night with Margo, and his friends start making jokes about Quentin having sex with Margo. As practically every guy at school is in love with her, they want to know all the details.