Search This Blog







2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (6)
- Colorado (3)
- Connecticut
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (1)
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (3)
- Kansas
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana
- Maine (3)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico
- New York (7)
- North Carolina (3)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (3)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (3)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming (1)
- Washington, D.C.* (1)
International:
- Australia (3)
- Canada (3)
- England (14)
- France (2)
- Italy (1)
- Japan (1)
- Norway (1)
- Puerto Rico (1)
- Scotland (1)


2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge



2025 Build Your Library Reading Challenge









Friday, April 10, 2015
The Tragedy Paper A Quiet, Atmospheric Mystery
6:35 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
A student's last year at New York's prestigious Irving School is about one thing: traditions. There are the gifts graduates leave in their dorm rooms for the incoming occupants to find, the clandestine game/prank the most popular seniors secretly organize and carry out, there's the dreaded "tragedy paper" assigned by the school's toughest teacher and, of course, there's the curse which guarantees that each year, one senior will leave school for some mysterious, inexplicable reason.
Duncan Meade, a senior from Michigan, can't wait to begin his final year at Irving. Although the tragedy paper already weighs heavily on his mind, he's anxious to get his room assignment and find what's been left behind for him. He's dismayed to learn he'll be living in the most undesirable room in the dorm, the former home of an albino named Tim MacBeth. Most unimpressive is the lame stack of CDs Tim left for him—it's not even music, just the boy talking about his "downfall." It's only when Duncan begins listening to them that he becomes entranced by Tim's story, which promises to reveal the truth behind the tragic incident that marred the former school year and led to a senior's mysterious leave-taking. While unraveling the secrets of Tim MacBeth, Duncan must deal with his own dramas—and come to terms with the part he played in the grim events that changed Tim's life forever
As you can probably tell from the cover, if not its plot description, The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan is a quiet, atmospheric mystery. Featuring authentic, sympathetic characters, its plot unfolds slowly, building tension all along the way. Comparatively, the novel's climax is a bit of a disappointment. It's rather, well, anti-climactic. Still, the novel kept me turning pages. Sure, I would have liked smoother prose, a more dramatic ending, and a subtler overall story, but all in all, I enjoyed this one.
(Readalikes: The publisher compares it to 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher and Looking for Alaska by John Green. I haven't read the latter, but I agree the former is similar.)
Grade:
(Readalikes: The publisher compares it to 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher and Looking for Alaska by John Green. I haven't read the latter, but I agree the former is similar.)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and mild sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)


Reading
Rabbit Rabbit by Dori Hillestad Butler and Sunshine Bacon

Listening
The Morning House by Maureen Johnson


Followin' with Bloglovin'

-
-
-
-
-
Sunday Salon: July 13, 20255 hours ago
-
The English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay8 hours ago
-
The Burgess Boys: Elizabeth Strout13 hours ago
-
History Lessons by15 hours ago
-
-
Week in Review #2818 hours ago
-
Bookish Quote of the Day!!21 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Book Quotes1 day ago
-
A Review of The Merlin3 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
Clean teen books for Summer1 week ago
-
Books read in June1 week ago
-
-
-
-
No Roundup this month2 months ago
-
-
Sunday Post #5682 months ago
-
-
February 2025 Reading Wrap Up4 months ago
-
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery4 months ago
-
-
-
I'm Still Reading - This Was My October7 months ago
-
Review: The Duke and I10 months ago
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus11 months ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?1 year ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!


Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ▼ 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)


2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction
