LSSL 5385 Book Blog- Looking for Alaska

Green, J. (2005). Looking for Alaska. New York, NY: Speak.

Looking for Alaska is a book that builds suspense from the very beginning by being split into a before and after storytelling point of view. The “before” is the story of Miles "Pudge" Halter. He is a kid, who decides in his junior year of high school to go to a boarding school in Culver Creek, Alabama.

There he meets his roommate known as “The Colonel” who becomes his closest friend, along with a troubled girl named Alaska Young, who he falls head over heels in love with, not so much from a superficial attraction, but a much deeper and meaningful one. Unfortunately, she is already taken. Despite this, they seem to gravitate toward each other because of the loss of Alaska's mother and Miles’ low self-esteem, from hazing he receives from the others.

“Pudge” Halters’ days are filled with a lot of cruel pranking from the “Weekday Warriors,” who are the rich kids at the academy. As he and Alaska team up for a little revenge, they develop a bond and closeness which forms a special type of friendship.

The “after” part of the story comes during a stormy night, when in drunken desperation, a tragic accident occurs. Pudge and The Colonel can’t help but feel responsible and desperately seek answers. In the end he is faced with writing an essay for his World’s Religions class based on a story written by Alaska, regarding the “Labyrinth of Suffering.” He ultimately comes to terms with his own suffering and finds forgiveness for himself.

Although you feel a connection and sympathy for Miles, the protagonist, you can’t help but be drawn to Alaska’s story. There is a dark suffering inside her that draws you to her. While the themes in the story are more appropriate towards the upper end of the YA Lit spectrum, this novel could also be read by some older middle school students. The strong, likable characters in this story will undoubtedly make connections with readers of varying ages. Ultimately though, with the strong theme of death and strong subject matter (alcohol and her mother's death,) throughout the story, high school would be the most appropriate. I think this would be a great addition to any high school collection.

**Required YA author

John Green's Webpage:

http://www.johngreenbooks.com/


Other books by John Green:

The Fault in our Stars     ISBN 978-0525478812
Paper Towns                   ISBN 978-0525478188


                                        Author John Green talks about Looking for Alaska