Looking for Alaska

John Green. 2005. New York: Dutton Books. 256 pages. ISBN 0-525-47506-0

Plot Summary: Miles collects “last words” of famous people. Leaving his Florida school where he has no friends, he begins his junior year of high school at the Culver Creek boarding school. As Rabelais said as he died, Miles is seeking “the Great Perhaps.” He finds it in his friendships with his roommate Chip (the “Colonel”) and the beautiful enigmatic girl Alaska. Together they teach Miles to smoke, drink and play elaborate pranks on other students and the school. On the way they learn the meaning of true friendship, love and loss.

Critical Review: A beautiful coming-of-age story, Looking for Alaska is the tale of a young man discovering the meaning of love and friendship, honor and loyalty. Miles is deeply introspective and lessons in Religious Studies class lead to discussions of the meaning of life and suffering. Mile’s friendships with the Colonel and Alaska are touching and beautiful. Speaking of his friends, Miles says, “I wanted to be one of those people . . . who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets needed tails” (p.49). Being with his friends, he says, “I’d never felt cooler. The Great Perhaps was upon us, and we were invincible” (p.103).

Reader’s Annotation: How can one friendship change your entire life?


About the Author: This is John Green’s first novel. He has written for National Public Radio and Chicago’s NPR-affiliated radio station. He also worked for Booklist magazine writing reviews where, he said, he became an expert on books about conjoined twins (among other things). He went to a boarding school in Alabama not unlike Culver Creek, and then graduated from college in 2000. He has since written two other books. An Abundance of Katherines, was published in 2006 and was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book and also a finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize. His newest book, Paper Towns, was published in September 2009. He now lives in Indianapolis.

“When he was little, he wanted to be an earthworm scientist. (There is a word for such a person: oligochaetologist.) But he killed off his entire earthworm farm due to his general inability to care for pets. Later, he made a list of things he was good at. The list included ‘telling lies’ and ‘sitting.’ So he became a writer.” (http://www.sparksflyup.com/bio.php). Besides last words of famous people, he is interested in anagrams and really likes McDonalds.

Genre: Realistic fiction.

Curriculum Ties: N/A

Booktalking ideas: “It always shocked me when I realized that I wasn’t the only person in the world who thought and felt such strange and awful things.” (p.213)

Reading Level/Interest age: Older teens, 15 and up.

Challenge Issues: This book has been challenged both for objectionable language and sexual content. The characters regularly drink and smoke, and there is one sexual scene. In case of a challenge, it can be pointed out that this book is not recommended for younger teens, and that it is an award-winning book.

Why Included: Looking for Alaska won numerous awards including the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award, the 2005 Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults and the 2005 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.