Customer Reviews

This Side of Paradise

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When you read "This Side of Paradise" you expect it to be about some child dreaming. However, when I read this novel I immediatley realized it was a different type of book. As I got further into it, I was absorbed, I couldn't stop reading. I loved this book and greatly enjoyed these characters. The book could be so serious, and then Gram would come in and would make it hilarious. At times I was laughing hysterically, and at others I was simply dumbfounded at what I had just found out. If you enjoy reading about Utopian societies, you would absolutely love this book. Not only was it abou a Utopian society, it had so many different twists and turns, that surprised me. If I had to recommend this book i would recommend it to a young adult audience. As a teenager, I can tell you it is a wonderful book.

Disturbing near future story of a high school boy whose father wants a perfect family. His alcoholic mother, eccentric grandmother, and hotheaded brother are a threat to this perfection.

When the father forces the family to move to Paradise because of his new job with Mr. Eden, Jack realizes the perfection is not everything he expected it would be.

I really enjoyed this book . The characters will very interesting. The grandmother is wonderfully warm and funny, yet protective of her grandson.

I thought there were some interesting twists in the plot. I think that young treaders would enjoy this book very much.

I teach sixth grade Language Arts and I read this book to my classes. They loved it. They begged for me to keep reading on days when I didn't have time. I have not seen my kids so excited about a book all year long. They loved the characters--especially the grandmother.

The book, THIS SIDE OF PARADISE, I would say is the most interesting book I have ever read. Paradise isn't like any usual utopian society. This book kept me on my toes the whole time, the suspense was GREAT! I recomend reading this book. I guarantee you will not regret it.

As an eighth grade language arts teacher, I am always reading young adult literature. It has been a long time since I have read a book that I was unable to put down. The minute I got my hands on this book I had to continue reading. I was so intrigued by the characters and the story line. I enjoyed having a good piece of fiction that allowed me to guess what would happen next. I recommend this book to all readers.

This Side of Paradise is one of the most gripping novels I've read for teen readers in a long time. I found even my most reluctant readers to be totally engaged by this book. They would beg me to read more each day. Having taught middle school for several years, I'd like to say that this book belongs on every English teachers' permanent list of great books to read aloud to their students. I bought three copies at a conference this fall, and they are almost used up already by other kids in the building who've heard about this terrific read!

What would someone do if their father was crazy and made them move to a city where everyone is perfect, and then they found out they could not leave? Jack Barrett, Troy Barrett, and Gram Barrett faced this in the interesting book This Side of Paradise by Steven L. Layne.
The Barretts were a happy family until Mr. Barrett started working for Mr. Eden and forced his family to move to Paradise which is owned by Mr. Eden. Soon they learn about a secret that could destroy their lives.
One thing that I thought was fantastic was the plot of This Side of Paradise. It always made me want to read more. An example is when Jack found out that he could not leave Paradise and I wanted to know why so it made me keep reading. I liked the theme of this book because it taught me that not everything should be perfect and that not everything can be perfect. Finally, I liked the characters. My favorite character is Gram. I liked her because she was caring and knew a lot about people even before she met them. She showed this when Troy got beat up by his father and she helped him and cared for him.
This book would be appropriate for young teens. I really enjoyed This Side of Paradise by Steven L. Layne and I know someone else will too.

I like This Side of Paradise because I never read a science fiction book before. This book is making me want to try to read another book like it. My favorite charater was the grandmother because she was an unusal charater.

This is one of the best sci-fi books i have read in a long time. It teaches kids that there is no such thing as perfection. There is always a down side to it. I loved it a great deal. of course, my teacher is the author of this book so i had read it before it actually came out. This is a definite can't stop reading it.

'This Side of Paradise' by Steven Layne was a very good book. It's about two brothers named Jack and Troy who move to a community named Paradise because their dad gets a new job. Everything in Paradise seems like it's perfect; but it's not. The plot of this book was very suspenseful and mysterious. There are many cliffhangers that keep you wanting to read more of this book.