Looking for Alaska

Book review by Matt Berman, Common Sense Media
Looking for Alaska Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+

Teens process tragic loss in thought-provoking novel.

John Green Coming of Age 2006
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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 46 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 214 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

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What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that John Green's Looking for Alaska won the Michael J. Printz Award and many other literary awards. It's the story of a group of fun-loving, rule-breaking teens who are rocked by a tragedy and must process the grief and loss. There's lots of sex (descriptions of heavy kissing, oral sex, groping, references to masturbation, erections, making out, watching pornography), drinking, strong language (including "s--t" and f--k"), and smoking, including of marijuana, but nothing is gratuitous or glamorized. It all illuminates character and theme. This award-winning book is considered a modern classic and is on many high school reading lists. It can help both teachers and parents talk about loss, friendship, and the importance of self-discovery.

Community Reviews

gossipgirl13
gossipgirl13 Adult
December 25, 2021
age 14+

Everyone should read this!

Despite the 16+ rating, I read this book when I was 11 years old. I think that everyone should read this, especially teenagers. And yes, it's on the banned booklist, but this is a book aimed at the YA crowd for YA readers, so saying that teens can't read about other teens facing the same problems they might face sort of defeats the purpose. Like all John Green books, it is written beautifully. The characters are fully developed and the description is stunning. As for the 14+ rating, I this is the rating if you read it alone. If you read this book with a parent (like I did) I think a younger age would be suitable. For additional warnings for parents, I would say this: There is lots of swearing. There is heavy romance. There is a good amount of drinking/drugs/smoking. However, without these, this book would be entirely different - and probably not as powerful. Everything that might offend people is there for a reason. As for the actual story, it's about Miles Halter, who is fascinated by last words, and how he goes to a boarding school and meets Alaska Young. Overall, I think this book deserves five stars. It's no wonder it won an award. "Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” - Looking for Alaska
Sara D
Sara D Adult
May 11, 2020
age 11+

It's really not as shocking as people think it is

I will admit that the book contains things that young kids should not be exposed to, but if you honestly think any kid over the age of 11 doesn't know about sex, drugs, and death then your kidding yourself. Teens can handle more than you think they can. So while I wouldn't give this book to your 8 year old, if your kid asks you for the book, let them read it.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
See all 46 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In LOOKING FOR ALASKA, 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 coming-of-age novel is gorgeously written, passionate, hilarious, moving, thought-provoking, character-driven, and literary. It deserves all the awards it's won. 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. Looking for Alaska 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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the mature content iin Looking for Alaska, including a frank sex scene. Do you think including it was essential to the story? What does it tell readers about the characters?

  • What does Miles mean when he goes off to boarding school in search of what 16th-century French author Francois Rabelais called "the Great Perhaps"? Do we all need to go on a similar search to discover ourselves?

  • Why do you think Looking for Alaska has often turned up on the American Library Association's Most Frequently Challenged book list? Why do you think it remains so popular with teens years after it was originally published?

Book Details

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