Tangerine (novel)
Tangerine is a young adult novel by Edward Bloor, published in 1997.
Novel summary
Introducing the Fisher family and their sons, Erik and Paul. They all recently moved from Texas to Lake Windsor Downs in Tangerine County, Florida, so Paul, who is visually impaired and considered legally blind, would have a better chance. His family tells Paul he is blind because he stared into a full solar eclipse when he was a young child, but he doesn't remember it at all. After they unpack, Paul goes for a tour at his new school, Lake Windsor Middle School. Mike Costello, a high school football player, and his brother Joey, who is Paul's age, are introduced. One day at football practice, Mike Costello leans against a goalpost, which is then struck by lightning; sending Mike flying into the air and landing dead.
On his first day of school, Paul meets Coach Walski, the coach of the soccer team. Paul knows he is a good goalie and tries out for the team, but he is later told by the coach that he is not eligible to play on the team, due to liability issues, because he has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) filled out by his mom for him because of his visual impairment.
Soon after, while Paul is at school, a field of classroom trailers at the school collapse into a sinkhole. Many people, including Paul and Joey, try to rescue the people who are trapped and fortunately, no one gets seriously injured. The emergency relocation plan gives the kids the choice to stay with a different schedule and more crowded classes or go to Tangerine Middle School, the school on the other, poorer side of the county. Paul chooses to go to Tangerine Middle because he doesn't have an IEP filed there, meaning that he can play soccer. Paul meets a lot of new people on the soccer team and at first they aren't very open to him. Victor, the team captain, and Tino, another player, are undecided whether they want to start a friendship with him. However, after the first game (against the aggressive Palmetto Whipoorwils), Victor realizes Paul's talent and dedication to the team, and accepts him. Unfortunately, Tino wasn't so sure.
Soon after, Joey starts to get sick of Tangerine Middle because none of Paul's new friends don't think he is cool and he thinks that Paul acts like a coward around the other students at school, especially those on the soccer team. After almost getting into a fight, Joey finally goes back to Lake Windsor, leaving Tangerine Middle School and their soccer team.
Throughout the story, houses in Paul's neighborhood have to be fumigated for termites. While under the tents, many of the houses are robbed by Erik and his friend Arthur. A man named Luis is introduced as the brother of Theresa and Tino. Luis works at his parents' citrus farm and is developing a new kind of tangerine called the Golden Dawn. While at Paul's house for a school project, Erik punches Tino after he makes a comment about how Erik fell down while attempting to a kick an extra point during a football game earlier. Luis finds out and goes to Erik's football practice to confront him. Erik distracts him while signalling for his friend Arthur to hit Luis in the back of his head with a blackjack. Luis seems fine at first but is found dead six days later. Only Paul, Theresa, Tino, and Victor know the truth- Paul had been hiding alone under the football bleachers and saw his brother Erik signal for Arthur to attack Luis. Paul is told by Theresa not to go to the funeral because he is Erik's brother, so instead he grieves and pays respect in his own backyard.
On the Senior Awards Night, Tino and Victor show up to beat up Erik and Arthur as revenge for killing Luis. The football coach manages to restrain Tino, but Paul jumps on the coach's back, distracting him long enough for Tino and Victor to escape. Paul runs back to his house where he has a flashback from his childhood, the day his vision was damaged. Erik believed that Paul told on him and his friend Vincent Castor for spray painting a wall in their old neighborhood, so to get back at him, Erik held Paul's arms behind his back and held open his eyes while Vincent Castor sprayed spray paint in Paul's eyes. Paul is furious with his parents for lying to him all these years and finally confronts them about how his vision was really damaged. His parents insist they were trying to do the right thing and protect him from growing up hating his brother, but Paul persists and says that instead of hating his brother, he's been hating himself all along. Then Paul's grandparents come over and tell Paul's parents "I told you so," reminding them that they suggested Erik should go through therapy for his anger issues when he was younger. Arthur is arrested for murdering Luis and Erik is waiting to be arrested for the murder. Paul is expelled from Tangerine school districts due to jumping the coach, so he has to go to St. Anthony's, a private Catholic school. Though he is excited for it because he is finally the "bad kid." The story ends on his first day of St. Anthony's, his third try since he moved to Florida.