The novel Tangerine, by Edward Bloor, takes place in Tangerine ...

Identify the setting (when/where the story takes place). Then, explain how the setting (time and place) affects the plot and characters.

The novel Tangerine, by Edward Bloor, takes place in Tangerine, Florida in modern time, and this setting impacts the plot and characters in several ways. One way the setting impacts the plot and characters is through the weather. The weather in Tangerine is unusual and creates many problems, including a sinkhole destroying part of Lake Windsor Middle where Paul, the protagonist, went to school. On pages 84 and 85, it says, “…the above-normal amounts of storm runoff (rain) had caused an underground cavern to form and collapse. When it collapsed, everything on the surface about it collapsed, too- in this case, the area of the field that contained Portables 16 through 21.” This explains how the rain in Tangerine created a sinkhole which destroyed part of Lake Windsor Middle, impacting where Paul attends school. Another example of how the weather in Tangerine impacts the plot and characters is the death of Mike Costello, Paul’s brother Erik’s teammate on the football team. Mike was also Paul’s friend Joey’s older brother, and he was struck by lightning at football practice. On page 57, Paul’s mom says, “‘Tangerine County is the lightning strike capital of the United States. More people are killed by lightning in Tangerine County per year than in any other county in America.’” Paul’s mom is giving this information to the football coach, principal of the high school, and other football parents, trying to convince them to move football practices to a time when lightning isn’t striking. The death of Mike Costello changed who would be holding the football for Erik on the football team, and forced the team to switch practice times. The weather causes many problems for the residents in Tangerine, Florida, and it is clear the setting impacts the characters and plot throughout the novel.