Play Book Tag discussion

I liked "Now is Not the Time to Panic" but I had a hard time understanding the point. Most likely because it was based on the actions of two bored teenagers in the summer of 1996. The point of the book seems to be that if you create some type of art, and people go wild over it and there are some tragedies because of it, is it your fault?

I really liked some of the supporting characters. Frankie (Frances, the girl who wrote the phrase on the artwork) has these older ridiculous triplet brothers and it makes me glad that I wasn't their mother! Frankie's father left her mother right before the story started, and her mother is pretty cool although for most of the book she is a single Mom trying to make ends meet. The other half of this teenage artist pair is Zeke. He just moved to town because his father is running around on his mother. He provides the drawing for Frankie's words. The two of them create this artwork and Xerox it and post it anonymousely all around town. The town is Coalfield, TN and Zeke has come there from Memphis.

It took me awhile to figure out that this book is pretty much about art and how it affects the ones who create it. At least that's what I think the point is. Frankie carries this throughout her adult years (she is 37 when a journalist wants to out her as the artist) and Zeke just moved on and tried to live his life. Very interesting book.

I liked it a bit more than you did, Raine. But I think it is probably because I thought the point of it was to show that when art is released into the world, it takes on a life of its own, that you cannot control what others do with your art (and it may not be what you intended in creating it).

I agree it is a very interesting book.

And I thought it was really interesting about Frankies, internal character, and who she was as a result of these experiences that fateful summer that shaped her.

Amy wrote: "And I thought it was really interesting about Frankies, internal character, and who she was as a result of these experiences that fateful summer that shaped her."
That is another part of it I enjoyed. It protrays how events of adolescence can have a lingering effect into adulthood.