Goodbye Fun

The Problem with Paradise By Lesley Dahl 

The first three chapters of "The Problem with Paradise" were about a young girl named Casey. She was finishing 8th grade and summer was near so she was really excited about it. For all the year she was waiting for school to end because she and her best friend, Jennifer, had planned a lot of stuff to do in the summer. One of those things was creating their own garage band with other friends and Casey´s boyfriend, Matt. She couldn´t wait for school to end. However, one day Casey´s mom told her that his father was inviting her and her two brothers to a Caribbean Island for almost all of the summer. In that moment Casey was surprised and upset because she didn´t want to spend her vacations with her two brothers and her stepmother for that long. Because she already planned what to do in the summer and she really wanted to spend time with Matt and Jeniffer but this plans were ruined when her mom gave her the bad news. At school she told her friend about it including Matt but their reactions were not as she expected she wanted their friends to be upset and wanting her to stay. Instead everyone was happy for her and jealous because she was going to a Caribbean Island so they didn´t understand what was the problem of going there.

Text Responses


"What news?" Matt says. 
Great, leave it to Jen to spill my beans for me. I wanted to wait to tell Matt sometime when we were alone together- alone, alone, not alone together surrounded by three hundred kids chomping down lunch. I had imagine a romantic moment where he´d wrap his arms around me and tell me how much he would miss me. Something along those lines. Maybe a little making out. Something to think about while I´m gone. So much for that idea"(17).

Case is a girl with a lot of imagination that expect a lot of people. She likes people to be worried about her and also to miss her if she is not going to be there. Especially now that Case will travel to a Caribbean Island most of the summer. However, the reaction of Matt and her friends was not what Case had expected. She want them to be sad wanting her to stay, instead everyone was happy about her trip and envious because she was going to spend her vacations in a wonderful place. If I was Case or her friends I would be happy and excited because I love to travel and I would like to go to a Caribbean Island. For me it would be awesome. 

"Oh, don´t worry, Matt," Patty says, turning toward us. She´s wearing a really short skirt and, I swear, she kind of arches her back and tips her chin up so we get the full Victoria´s Secret effect. "You won´t have to wait till September to see me. We´re going to be working together. I got a job as a proctor at the same playground as you."
My heart does a free fall into my stomach"(19).

Poor Case! If it was me I would also be jealous and worried and the worst thing is that I would not be there to see them and take a look on Patty. However, if Matt really loves her then he would not do something with Patty just talk as friends at their job. I hope Matt don´t fall in love with Patty while Casey is away.  

My Final Thoughts...

So far this book is really interesting and entertaining even though I thought it was going to be a little bit boring I was surprise when I found out I really like this book. My prediction is that maybe Case is going to fall in love with other guy forgetting about Matt. So she will change her mind and she will not want to leave.