Looking for Alaska
by John Green
by John Green
Green, J. (2005). Looking
for Alaska. New York, NY: Dutton Books.
16-year-old Miles Halter doesn’t have many friends at home
in Florida, so the opportunity to attend Culver Creek, the boarding school his
father went to in Alabama, seems like a good chance for a fresh start as he
decides to seek out a “great perhaps.” Upon
arriving at school, Miles is befriended by his roommate Chip, AKA The Colonel,
and his ragtag group of pranksters. It
is through The Colonel that Miles, now nicknamed “Pudge,” meets the mesmerizing
Alaska Young. She is beautiful, funny,
smart, and full of energy and adventure.
It’s no wonder many of the boys, including Pudge, fall for her. Unfortunately, she is also prone to some
infuriating mood swings and self-destructive behaviors. As the year progresses, Pudge is introduced to
smoking, drinking, pranking and even gets his first girlfriend. But suddenly, just as his life finally seems
to be taking off, Alaska is dead due to a drunken late night car crash. Pudge and his friends are left guilt ridden
and devastated and begin to question how and why this could have happened. Was it really an accident or did Alaska
commit suicide? In their search for
answers, the friends must deal with the loss of their friend and learn to
process their feelings of grief. This
Printz Award winner by John Green, author of other popular YA novels such as The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns, would be an enjoyable read
for any high schooler.
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