While this book does include references to drinking, sex, smoking, marijuana, reckless behavior, and obscene language, you should read it if you are considering not allowing your child to. Children today are experiencing and learning about things very early, so by not allowing your child to read this book you are not shielding them from anything. In all honesty i believe that by parents being naive, and hoping their kids do not already know about the topics discussed in this book, you are hurting your child. the lessons that are portrayed in this book concerning various topics are excellent, and could be very beneficial to SOME decisions they will shortly be making, or already have made. while some topics like smoking, and drinking are not heavily reinforced with consequences this simply means that you should talk to your child about these issues. However, even with smoking and drinking consequences are mentioned, but they are not done so in an up front way. so some children may not catch on. the real issue being this particular reading material is great despite controversial topics that are in the novel.

There is an inappropriate scene where a girl gives a guy a bj. Very graphic.

this book is really good. i am 13 and i read this book when i was 12. i dont see why people think it is so inappropriate. in the book it deels with many issues that teens face daily and while they are "dark" and "inappropriate" the book teaches very good lessons and is very realtable.

i have read this book 3 times in the past year, i cant stop it just sucks you in from page one!! the first time i read Looking For Alaska, i was happy and sad at the same time and i hoped the characters would find what they were looking for. (being discreet in case you havent read it yet) this is by far my favorite book in the world and i would like to thank John Green for writing it and giving the world something to think about upon finishing it. some parts i wish i could go and erase but actually those are the parts that make the story!! i seriously hope someone considers making this into a movie, but not the type of movie where they cut half the actual book out but a movie where they use the book as the script!!

I thought this was a beautifully written book. It is about Miles, a sixteen year old who goes in search of something new and different to help bring him out of himself, a thing which he dubs, "The Great Perhaps." The whole story is centered around his stay at the new boarding school he attends, the friends he meets, the new experiences he has, and the things he learns about life and tragedy and happiness and dealing wit sorrow. I know it may sound too deep or sentimental or corny, but really, it's not. I read it just for fun, because I liked the picture on the cover, and I found it interesting and hard to put down. It tells all this sentimental stuff in a very non-sentimental, engaging, low key, and funny way.

I found this book when doing a research project for one of my education classes, and am now actually presenting it to the class. I could not put this book down! While many of the issues in the story are touchy subjects, in reality many teens are dealing with them, if not experiencing them, everyday. However, the manner in which these issues are presented do not take away from the main focus of the book, which is beautifully written. I would not be sure about using this book as a unit as a teacher, but would most definately recommend it to a reluctant reader, or a student dealing with some of the book related issues.

Our whole family listened to this book together and it was rivoting. There are certainly tough issues and frank discussion about sex, the frequent use of alcohol and tobacco by some of the students, but all presented realistically and from a teens perspective. Very enlightening for any age. We loved how it was written, that there was mystery, humor, sadness, all in one book! Great read.

I loved this book because it offered a lot of complex thoughts. It showed views on life and philosophy. Not to mention as a writer it gave me tons of inspirations. and it was by far not close to being as bad as like 80 percent of books out there. Not graphic nor does it influence anything. it just shows a different life style and back grounds. all of which i think is healthy for kids to be aware of. You can keep your kids in the dark but when they see freedom they will go wild. Introduce them to things and make sure they understand why it is wrong. And there are consequences. The death of Alaska, several punishments by the dean, depression from death ect showing why you shouldn't

It is one of my favorite books. It really makes you think about the Labyrinth of suffering and how to get out of it.

This was really good. i got it for christmas '08 when i was 13 (now 14) and read it, and loved it! i do tend to read more graphic books meant for much older kids (such as the private series) but this was overall great! a must read for older kids.

beautiful, started out as a book about a couple of careless teenagers, who made you laugh at everything! Then it got in a sad, but i won't give it away, just saying that it was beautifully sad. Also Greatly written, perfect start for John Green to start his writing career.

You absolutely can not put this book down. It seemingly flies by, though there's not really that much that happens. It's about how a suicide brings a group of friends closer and how they deal with the death of their friend. While this book does have a lot of material that my parents would totally freak out over, it fits in well with the author's 'tell it like it is' tone. I highly recommend it to everybody over 14.

Generally, I never read this kind of book, but, upon getting to know the author through his vlog, I decided to give it a try. The gorgeous and impulisive Alaska Young imediately pulled me in, making me want to see more of her. Miles Halter's infatuation with her, was real, and sweet, allowing me to feel I could easily relate to him. Along with the other charcters they are all bundled into a quirky and devious group of friends that make it so fun to keep reading. Although there is a lot of smoking, alcohol, and sexual references I think this book is still appropriate for most teens. I would also reccomend they read it because it gives strong messages about the consequence of drunk driving. Overall this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. From the beggining it feels real, and makes you almost feel like you could be there, with your friends doing these things. I felt myself crying and laughing right along with them.

I think this book is good because it isn't just about an ordinary teenager's life but somewhat unique and intellecutal.

LOOKING FOR ALASKA is an awesome awesome book! It stirs up the reader's emotions. It made me get misty-eyed. You become completely drawn into the life of Miles, the narrator, as he tries to find his "Great Perhaps" by enrolling in a boarding school. His roommate introduces Miles (ironically nicknamed "Pudge") to his friends, including Alaska, and a whole lot of crazy stuff ensues. They all smoke a lot and get drunk a lot. But I found myself laughing a lot! The language can be pretty rough at times, but it wasn't horrid. Green (the author) really knows how to throw in surprises. And he portrays the characters' emotions really well. LOOKING FOR ALASKA is a great book that I would recommend for readers 12 and up.

THIS BOOK REALLY SHOWS HOW TEENS THAT AGE WOULD ACT IN THAT SITUATION, UNLIKE THE GIVER WHERE THEY ALL TALK SMART AND STUFF...... IF U ARE 14-17 U MUST READ THIS!

Great overall. Perfect story for teens.

This was a great book- you could understand a lot of it, and know what the characters were doing, and why they were doing it. Yes, there is a lot of bad stuff, but that's what makes it exciting. Do YOUR parents let you do that? I think I'd rather read about it than go out and do it, thanks much. But I had an AMAZING time reading it. 'Cha.

Like the review said, there is a fair bit of sex, language and drinking/smoking. However, the sex is only a couple of scenes, and most teenagers will have heard the language before, if not used it. The biggest problem would be drinking/smoking, which are both made out to be completely normal for these teenagers. Don't let this distract you from the great story though.