Summary:
Looking for Alaska is a coming-of-age tale of Miles Halter, a teenager whose whole life is turned upside down when he joins the ranks of preppy boarding school in Alabama. Miles is far from being the most outgoing or cool high schooler in the world when he arrives at Culver Creek Prep, but his mode of operation soon changes when he meets his jock roommate, The Colonel, and the alluring Alaska Young from down the hall. The trio embarks on a series of pranks and mischief throughout the school year. Battling serious issues of depression and examining 'the meaning of life', the three kids bond in unexpected ways and soon learn what real heartache feels like as they say goodbye to someone too soon. From the perspective of Miles, the reader experiences the ups and downs of being a teenager trying to piece your identity and happiness together.
Looking for Alaska is a coming-of-age tale of Miles Halter, a teenager whose whole life is turned upside down when he joins the ranks of preppy boarding school in Alabama. Miles is far from being the most outgoing or cool high schooler in the world when he arrives at Culver Creek Prep, but his mode of operation soon changes when he meets his jock roommate, The Colonel, and the alluring Alaska Young from down the hall. The trio embarks on a series of pranks and mischief throughout the school year. Battling serious issues of depression and examining 'the meaning of life', the three kids bond in unexpected ways and soon learn what real heartache feels like as they say goodbye to someone too soon. From the perspective of Miles, the reader experiences the ups and downs of being a teenager trying to piece your identity and happiness together.
Green, J. (2007). Looking for Alaska. New York, NY: Speak.
School Library Journal Review:
"From the very first page, tension fills John Green's Michael L. Printz Award-winning novel (Dutton, 2005). Miles Halter, 16, is afraid that nobody will show up at his party because he doesn't have many friends. He loves to read biographies and discover the last words attributed to famous people. He's particularly intrigued with the dying words of poet Francois Rabelais: "I go to seek a great perhaps." Miles is leaving his loving Florida home for the "great perhaps" of the same Alabama boarding school attended by his father. Ominous chapter headings (40 days before, 10 days after) reveal that something tragic may happen. At school, Miles is accepted by a brainy group of pranksters led by his roommate and Alaska Young, a smart and sexy feminist. The teen becomes captivated by his new friends who spend as much energy on sex, smoking, drinking, and cutting-up as they do on reading, learning, and searching for life's meaning. As the school year progresses, Miles's crush on Alaska intensifies, even after it becomes evident that her troubled past sometimes causes her to be self-destructive. This novel is about real kids dealing with the pressures of growing up and feeling indestructible. Listeners will be riveted as the friends band together to deal with the catastrophic events that plague their junior year, and rejoice at their triumphs."
"From the very first page, tension fills John Green's Michael L. Printz Award-winning novel (Dutton, 2005). Miles Halter, 16, is afraid that nobody will show up at his party because he doesn't have many friends. He loves to read biographies and discover the last words attributed to famous people. He's particularly intrigued with the dying words of poet Francois Rabelais: "I go to seek a great perhaps." Miles is leaving his loving Florida home for the "great perhaps" of the same Alabama boarding school attended by his father. Ominous chapter headings (40 days before, 10 days after) reveal that something tragic may happen. At school, Miles is accepted by a brainy group of pranksters led by his roommate and Alaska Young, a smart and sexy feminist. The teen becomes captivated by his new friends who spend as much energy on sex, smoking, drinking, and cutting-up as they do on reading, learning, and searching for life's meaning. As the school year progresses, Miles's crush on Alaska intensifies, even after it becomes evident that her troubled past sometimes causes her to be self-destructive. This novel is about real kids dealing with the pressures of growing up and feeling indestructible. Listeners will be riveted as the friends band together to deal with the catastrophic events that plague their junior year, and rejoice at their triumphs."
Carhart, J. (2007). Looking for Alaska. School Library Journal, 53(2), 63.
My Impressions:
It's hard to express the impact Looking for Alaska had on me. I suppose there’s really no easy place to start, but I’ll do my best. Despite the constant bombardment of John Green and his brilliance (with The Fault in Our Stars infiltrating all of social existence), I had yet to read a novel of his when I picked up Looking for Alaska. I’m not normally a contrarian, but in the case of John Green, I’d become skeptical of his popularity and assured in my own ignorance of his over-hyped-ness. Boy was I wrong to wait in reading one of his novels. I can honestly say that Looking for Alaska left a mark on my heart that will not soon be erased and, ultimately, I find it safe to say that Green’s writing breathed new life into young adult literature for me. Enough gushing though, what’s so great about this book?!
It's hard to express the impact Looking for Alaska had on me. I suppose there’s really no easy place to start, but I’ll do my best. Despite the constant bombardment of John Green and his brilliance (with The Fault in Our Stars infiltrating all of social existence), I had yet to read a novel of his when I picked up Looking for Alaska. I’m not normally a contrarian, but in the case of John Green, I’d become skeptical of his popularity and assured in my own ignorance of his over-hyped-ness. Boy was I wrong to wait in reading one of his novels. I can honestly say that Looking for Alaska left a mark on my heart that will not soon be erased and, ultimately, I find it safe to say that Green’s writing breathed new life into young adult literature for me. Enough gushing though, what’s so great about this book?!
While it’s tough to sum up so much depth in a few, measly
paragraphs, the word that immediately comes to mind is raw. Looking for
Alaska shows, in all its grittiness and false glamour, the realities of
growing up and the difficulty in learning to deal with your own personal demons
while battling those of the people surrounding you. The protagonist, Miles
‘Pudge’ Halter, is a brutally realistic teen who has a pea-sized amount of his
life figured out, and his new friends aren’t any better. When Pudge is thrust into
the madness of a new school, his head literally spins out of control trying to
keep up with his new peers and the ride is so bumpy and twisting, you almost
get nauseous just reading it. However, just like a roller coaster, the thrill
far outweighs the discomfort, and you can’t help but continuing to ride along.
It’s fantastic!
John Green weaves an intricate story of teens in search
of purpose by throwing the reader completely into their world, awkwardness and
disillusionment included. Mischievous behavior, lusty dreams, and expletives
abound. While those things can easily be dismissed in most YA novels as plot
devices and false bravado intended to lure teens into reading, in Looking
for Alaska, they aptly create an entirely plausible reality of being a teen.
Between my laughs, exclamations, and tears I consistently found myself
thinking, “Wow! This so perfectly captures the real teen experience rather than
an adult-imagined version of teens these days,” and that’s awesome.Teens
are potential-filled wonders, and they deserve to be treated as such. Looking
for Alaska accomplishes that task.
Looking for Alaska faces the flaws of being human
head on. From tackling unexpected loss to the struggle of personal
inconsistency, this novel beautifully explores the highs and lows of attempting
to overcome our flaws. It takes you through the devastation you feel when you
can’t overcome them and the triumph you feel when you can. While you’re busy
looking for Alaska, I guarantee you will find yourself somewhere along the way.
Library Use:
Thinking of my future 8th grade students who are soon to embark on high school, Looking for Alaska could be used as a grade level reading assignment that's examined in conjunction with issues of self-growth and discovery likely to be experienced or experimented with in high school. Given the nature of the book, dealing with peer pressure, substance use/abuse, and suicide, discussions could be had and action steps taken to handle those issues. For instance, a librarian could teach students how to find help resources like websites, meeting groups, and hotlines. Discussing Looking for Alaska is an opportunity to teach students how to report worrisome or dangerous incidents privately and anonymously through safe outlets and to trusted adults. Practice scenarios and role-playing could be conducted to demonstrate how to handle situations similar to those in Looking for Alaska.
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