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Looking for Alaska
- By John Green
- Genre: Friendship
Common Sense Media says
Award-winning novel of life and death, for older teens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this book hits all the controversial pulse points: drinking, sex, bad language, and smoking, including marijuana smoking, but as Michael Cart, former president of the Young Adult Library Services Association and former chair of the Michael L. Printz committee, says in the publisher's discussion guide, "There is nothing (I repeat, NOTHING) gratuitous in this book. Everything in it serves to define character, give style to voice, and develop theme." Indeed, this award-winning book is on many high school reading lists and can help both teachers and parents talk about loss, friendship, and the importance of self discovery.
What's the story?
Miles, tired of his friendless, dull life in Florida, convinces his parents to send him away to boarding school in Alabama so that he can seek "the Great Perhaps." There he meets his roommate and soon-to-be best friend, Chip, called the Colonel, and Alaska Young, the moody, gorgeous, wild girl who instantly becomes the object of his lust. Miles is quickly enlisted in their war against the Weekday Warriors, the rich kids who go home every weekend, and they bond over elaborate pranks, studying, and assorted rule-breaking. About halfway through the book a tragedy occurs, and those left spend the rest of the book trying to make sense of it, to solve the mystery it leaves behind, and to pull off one last, greatest-ever prank.
Is it any good?
This book richly deserves the awards it has won. It's gorgeously written -- passionate, hilarious, moving, thought-provoking, character-driven, and literary. The characters may often behave badly, but they are vividly real, complex, and beautifully drawn -- and their stories can help readers start dealing with some big topics, like self discovery and loss. This is a hard one to put down. Since new chapters don't start on new pages, there's always a temptation to read just a little bit further. For the first half at least, readers will be grinning all the way -- and in the end, they will be moved, maybe even to tears.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the book's mature content. In a YouTube video, author John Green defends the book's frank sex scene, calling it purposely "wholly unerotic" and asks critics, "Do you seriously think that teens aren't able to read critically?" Do you agree with his point of view?
What does Miles mean when he goes off to boarding school in search of what Francois Rabelais called "the Great Perhaps?" Do we all need to go on a similar search to discover ourselves?
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AGE
MUST READ
I just wrote a really long review, but it didn't go through or something.
The bottom line of is that it's an amazing book, and if you're worried about the "sex scene" you can watch the author, John Green, talk about it in this video;
*youtube*/watch?v=fHMPtYvZ8tM
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I thought this book was amazing. I so often find teen literature disappointing and predictable, but this book was very well written with an amazing plot to back it up.
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AGE
Changed my life!
The swearing is annoying because I don't swear, but other than that, this book CHANGED MY LIFE. I read it 2 times in one day lolz. I've been having the worst year of my life (all my fault though) and I've messed up everything I could possibly have messed up. For the longest time I was wallowed in self pity and my only friend that I had/have now told me to read it and when I did, it just completely changed who I am. It made me stop doing things for everyone else and it made me realized that this is MY LIFE, and one day nobody else is going to care so I need to do things for ME. I think I learned this because it showed me how short life really is and that I can take control of things and make my life what I want it to be. I thought it was all so very captivating and the end message gave me goosebumps. Oh, and Alaska taught me to be more spontaneous (but not stupid lol). She taught me that sometimes you have to do things and stop worrying about what will happen. She taught me to just put myself out there and thanks to John Green, I'm turning my life around. So, what's the lesson here? READ THIS BOOK! You won't regret it :)
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AGE
Books like this are a rare find.
Ah, this is such a beautiful book! The characters are so lifelike and multi-faceted, it's just wonderful. John Green does a fantastic job of balancing excitement and adventure with insightful and philosophical observations. There is definitely underage drinking, drug use, and a little bit of sex, but the characters are not 'rewarded' for any of this, if anything, it all causes their downfalls. And the sex especially is, as John Green once said, a representation of how physical relationships can never ever compare to emotional relationships. So this really is a great read, I highly recommend it.
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Best Book I've Ever Read.
It's amazing! I read it when I was 11 and there was nothing in that book that I didn't already know. Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it for someone under 12 because it does require a lot of thinking to process and understand the book (the good values), but I know four year olds who say and/or do half the things mentioned in the book. Parents that have a problem with the book don't need to confront John Green; they need to confront their children. It's perfectly displaying our youth today.
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Read it!
There's alot of controversy surrounding this book, and I can certainly understand why. Sex, drugs, and a couple of f-bombs can be found within the pages of this book, but I'm glad they're there. What people often fail to understand is that these things are a part of life, and teens are often faced with them quite frequently. I'm not saying that all us teens lead a secret drug and sex filled life (although you'd be suprised), they're things that we do have to deal with. Looking for Alaska is by far one of the best books I've read, and I know many adults will agree with me on that. The great story that Green lays out is not one of sex, smoking, or drinking. It's one of life, death, and finding yourself, but without those things it would be only a mere shadow of the truth. Before you realize this you can never truely enjoy and comprehend this wonderful work of literature.
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AGE
An easy read with a powerful message.
John Green’s Looking for Alaska is an easy read with a powerful message. Alaska Young is the craziest, most beautiful and self-destructive girl that Miles “Pudge” Halter has ever met. Miles leaves is lonely friendless life in Florida for Culver Creek Boarding School in Birmingham, Alabama. He allows the gorgeous and impulsive Alaska to turn his world upside down and inside out in order to find his “Great Perhaps” the reason, meaning and purpose for his life.
Because chapters do not start on new pages it is hard to find a place to stop and it is quite easy to tell yourself “oh I’ll just read a little more” I read this novel in one sitting; it’s haunting and compelling in the simplest of ways. The writing is thought-provoking, funny, and passionate. Green does not shy away from controversial topics; this novel deals with underage drinking, smoking, sex and vulgar language. Though Green addresses these issues in a way that leaves readers understanding of the consequences of such choices, he certainly does not endorse those actions and this is evident from the climax.
The characters act like the teenagers they are, they break rules, pull pranks on fellow students and act rebellious for the sake of being rebellious, but they are complex and vividly-real. The first half of the novel is an adventure of self discovery, lust, friendship and seeking the “Great Perhaps” readers will laugh their way thorough it – the end is an adventure of another matter, seeking the truth and understanding of loss and strengthening the bonds of friendship.
Looking for Alaska is the perfect story for any teenager. Readers will laugh at the witty narration, smile at innocent love, and cry for the realistic truths that this novel holds.
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Amazing Book. EVERYONE SHOULD READ!
This book is a beautifully written story. I think any mature 12 year old could handle it. There is a lot of frequent swearing, and the sex is kind of disturbing, plus there is a lot of smoking and drinking. However this story is tugs at your heart strings, the characters are beautifully written, the story is funny, but very sad. The book also is very well written. If your child is mature than they can most likely read this book.
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The book of all books, will open your eyes
This book, was by far the best book that I have ever read. It shows readers a thing or two about trust and living life to the fullest. It was amazing, no other author could have pulled off the suprised twist in the middle of the book the way Green handled it, and the ending, was simply the end of a 20 year series, or thats how if felt rather. Green puts you in the middle of the story with his vivid details and the way he flows through the book. He makes you want to not put the book down because he is not talking about Wizards or Dragons, he is talking about real life here and this is what counts, this book is by far the most amazing thing i have ever read because it changed me and my view on a lot of things, if you ever want a good quick or a powerful read, or a even a new author to get into, this book, more like this story " Looking for Alaska" is the one you want to go to the book store to get, not the library, the BOOK STORE.
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| Author: | John Green |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Friendship |
| Publisher: | Dutton Children's Books |
| Publication date: | February 5, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 221 |
| Hardcover price: | $15.99 |
| Paperback price: | $8.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 14 - 17 |
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