Product Description

Though legally blind, Paul Fisher can see what others cannot. He can see that his parents' constant praise of his brother, Erik, the football star, is to cover up something that is terribly wrong. But no one listens to Paul--until his family moves to Tangerine. In this Florida town, weird is normal: Lightning strikes at the same time every day, asinkhole swallows a local school, and Paul the geek finds himself adopted into the toughest group around: the soccer team at his middle school. Maybe this new start in Tangerine will help Paul finally see the truth about his past--and will give him the courage to face up to his terrifying older brother. Includes a reader's guideandan afterword by theauthor.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79531 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 324 pages

From Amazon.com
So what if he's legally blind? Even with his bottle-thick, bug-eyed glasses, Paul Fisher can see better than most people. He can see the lies his parents and brother live out, day after day. No one ever listens to Paul, though--until the family moves to Tangerine. In Tangerine, even a blind, geeky, alien freak can become cool. Who knows? Paul might even become a hero! Edward Bloor's debut novel sparkles with wit, authenticity, unexpected plot twists, and heart. The writing is so fine, the story so triumphant, that you just might stand up and shout when you get to the end. Hooray!

From Publishers Weekly
Living in surreal Tangerine County, Fla., a legally blind boy begins to uncover the ugly truth about his football-hero brother. PW praised Bloor for "wedding athletic heroics to American gothic with a fluid touch and flair for dialogue." Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grades 6-9--In this novel by Edward Bloor (Harcourt, 1997), Paul Fisher is in seventh grade when his family moves to Tangerine County, Florida, land of muck fires, koi-stealing ospreys, mosquito swarms, daily lightning strikes, and sinkholes. Paul feels like the outsider in his family. His mother quickly becomes absorbed in the homeowner's association in their housing development at Lake Windsor Downs, and his father is fully occupied with older brother Erik's football career the "Erik Fisher Football Dream," as Paul says. Paul's eyesight was damaged in a mysterious accident when he was five, and he wears "Coke-bottle" glasses, but he has clearer vision than the rest of his family and most of the people in Lake Windsor Downs. He sees through the "nice-guy" front his brother puts on and the snobbishness of his Lake Windsor Downs neighbors, especially after he transfers to the working-class Tangerine Middle School. Ramon De Ocampo skillfully narrates the story, told by Paul in journal entries. He does a particularly good job with the voices of the kids on Paul's soccer team at Tangerine Middle the bravado of Tino Cruz and the braggadocio of Victor Guzman. He effectively maintains the suspense as all the plot elements build to a dramatic conclusion. This excellent recording will bring new fans to a book that has become a YA classic.
Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, Morgan Hill, CA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
TANGERINE is a surreal novel strong in pacing and character development. From the opening page to the very end, Edward Bloor takes the reader on a breakneck course through one family's conflict with the past and its devastating impact on the present. Paul Fisher's nightmare experiences in the shadow of his older brother come to a climax after the family moves from Houston to Tangerine, Florida, a fallen Eden of sorts. He narrates his experiences in the new community with intensity and passion regarding the problems they face. A tension remains until the very end.

Paul is an outsider from the very beginning. He is the younger brother of teen football legend, Erik Fisher. Their father dotes on Erik, living out his own frustrated athletic dreams in a sad, pathetic manner. Their mother endures their father, holding the family together with equal parts denial, busy-ness, and critical intensity. She is hyper-involved in all of the family's business, a contrast to her husband, who is focused solely on Erik's success on the field. Both deliberately turn a blind eye to Erik's moral failings, which include a propensity for violence and a complete lack of empathy for others. He is a textbook sociopath and the world merely a gaggle of potential victims.

Bloor guides the reader through the novel's 300-plus pages building upon each character with incident upon incident that reveals their true nature and failings. Paul and his parents are forced to face their own cowardice and complicity at several key junctures of the story, particularly during the break-ins and the events that led to the death of Luis Cruz. Facing their failings leaves them broken, but broken for potential rebirth as a better family unit.

The novel's message builds upon itself through the evolution of each character: burying a wrong under a bushel of denial takes a terrible toll.

Highly recommended. 5 Stars!

Reviewed by: Mark Frye, author and reviewer

Good Book
This well writen book was decent. The characters were very well chosed. This is a suspensful book but it leaves you wondering at the end!

Tangerine (fiction)
By: Edward Bloor

Twelve-year-old Paul Fisher is the brother of Erik Fisher, a high school football start. Paul knows Erik has some dangerous secrets and the move to Tangerine, Florida strengthens his theories. But he, himself, has enough on his mind to keep him occupied; a new school, a new house, and the War Eagles. Soon, Paul is having a blast with his new life, but after a horrible incident, Erik is back into Paul's thoughts. Can Erik be as dangerous as he seems or is he just a football start craving for attention?
I enjoyed this fictional book because it's interesting and you never know what's going to happen next.
I recommend this book to anybody who loves a good mystery, interesting facts about fruit trees and a story about the life of a soccer lover.
For grade six and up, for violence and maturity reasons.