In Tangerine, Paul and his family move from Huston, Texas to Tangerine, Florida, an old farming town that has been taken over by strip malls and walled in developments with absurd names like the Villas at Versailles. The town has two sides to it, the older Latino farming community and the newer, whiter subdivision community. Bloor does a wonderful job exploring these stereotypes and looking into the heart of the problem, when Paul chooses to attend Tangerine Middle School instead of Lake Windsor Middle School after a sink hole opens up in the middle of the campus.

Paul Fisher is legally blind, but is one of the best middle school goalies out there. He lives to play soccer. His brother on the other hand, the star football player, is the focus of his parents attention. Paul is used to being dragged along to football games and other Erick focused events. Paul’s lost of vision is somewhat of a mystery to him. He was told he started at a solar eclipse as a five year old and ruined his eyes. He does not see his eye sight as a hindrance to his sports performance. On the other hand, when he enters Lake Windsor Middle School, his mother completes an IEP for him to get his special services, Paul is eliminated from the soccer team because he is a insurance liability.

Paul makes friends with the kids of the local fruit growers at Tangerine Middle School and learns to play soccer for the fun of the sport. With a co-ed team and some of the best middle school players around, Paul learns to open up to new possibilities and to make decisions for himself about others. He begins to see his world in a new light and realizes that he is not the one that cannot see; it is those that look away from the truth.

Edward Bloor looks into the heart of competitive sports and the suburban lifestyle that has swept through former farms of America. The creepiness of Paul’s parents and brother add a wonderful layer to the story. They will stop at nothing to protect the Erick Football Dream. Paul is an outsider in his own family and finds that he must make choices between the right thing to do and staying loyal to his family. A great read for anyone that has lived and experienced life in suburbia.

Notes for Kids:

Although it seems on appearance to be a sports novel, this is a deeper look into family, our society and what it means to be a friend. In a creepy world of suburbia, people are not what they seem and Paul must choose who he will stand by in the end. This is a great read for anyone looking for a more challenging, thought provoking book.