looking for alaska by john green book review

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Looking for alaska, common sense media reviewers.

Teens process tragic loss in thought-provoking novel.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

This book is on many school reading lists; teacher

Looking for Alaska will give older teens a lot to

Even though the main characters often behave badly

A fatal car wreck, a possible suicide, and a chara

Most of the teen characters have lost their virgin

Occasional strong language, including "ass," "s--t

Fast food restaurants, soda brands mentioned.

Lots of underage drinking, fake IDs, drunkenness a

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,…

Educational Value

This book is on many school reading lists; teachers interested in adding it to their curriculum can find a thorough discussion guide on the publisher's website. Teachers and parents can use Green's novel as a way to talk about big issues, such as loss and growing up, or explore the book's literary language or unusual structure to talk about the art of writing.

Positive Messages

Looking for Alaska will give older teens a lot to think about, most obviously about loss and what it means to journey into a "Great Perhaps." When it comes to guilt and grief, it's important to forgive not only others but also ourselves. People deal with loss and responsibility in different ways.

Positive Role Models

Even though the main characters often behave badly, readers will respond to the realistic teens here who come together to face a devastating loss. Also, every adult is warm, caring, and intelligent: The parents, the teachers, the local cop -- even the requisite rigid disciplinarian who enforces the rules at school is not clueless, has a sense of humor, and cares deeply about the students.

Violence & Scariness

A fatal car wreck, a possible suicide, and a character has gruesome dreams about the wreck and its aftermath. Cruel pranks are played on Miles and the other characters as well that often result in plans for revenge.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Most of the teen characters have lost their virginity, and there are some descriptions of heavy kissing, oral sex, groping, references to masturbation, erections, making out, watching pornography, etc. Author John Green has described the frank sex scene as "wholly unerotic," especially in contrast to the book's next more intimate (but less graphic) encounter.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Occasional strong language, including "ass," "s--t," and f--k," in realistic teen dialogue.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Lots of underage drinking, fake IDs, drunkenness and hangovers, drunk driving, etc., but it's alcohol is not glamorized. Nor is the constant smoking or references to marijuana.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

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.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (46)
• Kids say (206)

Based on 46 parent reviews

Everyone should read this!

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

• Author : John Green
• Genre : Coming of Age
• Topics : Friendship , High School
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Dutton Children's Books
• Publication date : February 5, 2006
• Number of pages : 221
• Last updated : March 3, 2020

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LOOKING FOR ALASKA

by John Green ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2005

Girls will cry and boys will find love, lust, loss and longing in Alaska’s vanilla-and-cigarettes scent.

The Alaska of the title is a maddening, fascinating, vivid girl seen through the eyes of Pudge (Miles only to his parents), who meets Alaska at boarding school in Alabama.

Pudge is a skinny (“irony” says his roommate, the Colonel, of the nickname) thoughtful kid who collects and memorizes famous people’s last words. The Colonel, Takumi, Alaska and a Romanian girl named Lara are an utterly real gaggle of young persons, full of false starts, school pranks, moments of genuine exhilaration in learning and rather too many cigarettes and cheap bottles of wine. Their engine and center is Alaska, given to moodiness and crying jags but also full of spirit and energy, owner of a roomful of books she says she’s going to spend her life reading. Her center is a woeful family tragedy, and when Alaska herself is lost, her friends find their own ways out of the labyrinth, in part by pulling a last, hilarious school prank in her name. What sings and soars in this gorgeously told tale is Green’s mastery of language and the sweet, rough edges of Pudge’s voice.

Pub Date: March 1, 2005

ISBN: 0-525-47506-0

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2005

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCHOOL & FRIENDSHIP

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BOOK REVIEW

by John Green

More About This Book

BOOK TO SCREEN

SEEN & HEARD

IF ONLY I HAD TOLD HER

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.

In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me , three characters tell their sides of the story.

Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781728276229

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

More by Laura Nowlin

by Laura Nowlin

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Title: Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green

Genre: Contemporary YA

Publisher: Speak/ HarperCollins Children’sBooks (UK) Publication date: March 2005/ July 2006 (UK) Paperback: 272 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

First drink, first prank, first friend, first girl, last words! A poignant and moving crossover novel about making friends and growing up from American author, John Green. Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words — and tired of his safe, boring and rather lonely life at home. He leaves for boarding school filled with cautious optimism, to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.” Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another.

Why did I read the book: John Green is right now, one of my favorite writers.

How did I get the book: Bought.

I don’t know how to write this review. I don’t think I was really prepared for this book even though I read all of John Green’s books; ironically, I read this one last, but this is actually his first and all I have to say about this is: REALLY? This is John Green’s first book? Holy $£%^! Expletives aside, I was expecting something I didn’t get, but what I got was so much better. This is probably his most serious and thoughtful book which is to say a lot, because all of his books are to some extent, serious and thoughtful. It is also a painful book to read but I didn’t know how much until the halfway mark when BAM, surprise, surprise and this is partly what makes this review a difficult one to write because Looking for Alaska is a book that can’t be spoiled and I therefore, can’t discuss some parts of the story the way I would have wanted – but I believe this is for the Ultimate Good because this is a Wonderful Book!

Are these Grandiose Exclamations with Capital Letters really a necessity, you might be asking yourself, to wit, I say, yes, yes they are and they are actually quite fitting as well, given as how this book deals with the meaning of life, with guilt and grief, with last words and first loves; all from the point of view of Miles Halter, 16 year old, a skinny, nerdy guy. He is friendless, lonely, and his greatest quirk is to read biographies in search of last words. François Rabelais’s is:

“I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” and is in search of his Great Perhaps that Miles decides to attend the Culver Creek Boarding School where he hopes to start anew. There he makes friends with his roommate Chip, aka “the Colonel” (who immediately starts calling Miles, Pudge) , a guy named Takumi and their best friend, a girl called Alaska Young. Alaska is the wild, beautiful, intelligent, moody, mysterious, unattainable girl whom Miles falls irrevocably in love with.

The book is divided between Before and After and I did not know (for a change I went in completely unspoiled) what is going to be the pivotal point of divide until it hits but there is an inescapable sense of dread as the days pass, building the After. The event is indeed calamitous and it’s only when it happens that the different between the Before and After becomes oh, so clear. The Before is made up of routine, of monotony, of mundane happenings: kids going to classes, coming up with pranks, drinking, smoking, doing stupid things, hooking up and talking to each other about Stuff like Simón Bolívar’s last words:

‘How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!” So what’s the labyrinth?’ I asked her… That’s the mystery, isn’t it? Is the labyrinth living or dying? Which is he trying to escape- the world or the end of it?”

This “labyrinth” becomes a central discussion encompassing all characters at one point, when the After comes. That’s when the book loses the mundane and reaches the momentous. And it is a grave, serious, painful and genuine journey until we are able to close the book.

I loved Miles because I recognised quite a bit of my teenage self in him. This sense of knowing exactly how certain things are and feel is definitely a plus when trying to understand a character. Even though Alaska is not a favourite (Too moody? Too mysterious? Too fantastic? ) , I can certainly get why Miles would fall in love with her so easily and so abruptly because I know how some people have a certain gravitational field that entrance others. But in any case, I don’t think that the book is about Alaska any more than Paper Towns was about Margo Roth Spiegelman. The girls are mirrors or windows from which to observe the boy-narrator’s lives and this is perhaps my greatest criticisms: that the girls are more out of this world, impossible realities that serve more as plot-propeller than concrete characters in themselves. I am sure some will disagree with me, but this is how I felt about both Margo Roth Spiegelman and Alaska Young and to some extent I feel these girls deserved more. BUT and this is a great but, as I said before the books ARE more about how these two influence and touch the guys’ lives so my point might as well be moot.

John Green’s prose is insanely good writing because it is the kind of writing that creeps in little by little and it’s like I start reading a paragraph and it seems like any regular paragraph in the world of books, until I reach its end and then it hits me and I realise that there is more beauty in one single paragraph of a John Green book than in entire book collections out there.

But what makes John Green’s books wonderful books to me is the fact that I think about them, about the decisions and revelations and lines for hours and days in a row. Sometimes, I forget the name of the characters, sometimes, I forget the details of the stories, but I have yet to forget the ideas and the meaning and the feelings that I felt when I read his books. I remember laughing until my belly ached with An Abundance of Katherines or daydreaming about connectivity after reading Paper Towns and I am sure I will keep on thinking about the last words of this book for a long, long time.

At one point, Miles thinks (with regards to Alaska):

So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.

And I think this is an apt way of describing John Green’s books as well. Most books are drizzle but John Green’s are totally hurricanes.

Notable Quotes/Parts: Some wonderful quotes from the book:

What the hell is instant? Nothing is instant. Instant rice takes five minutes, instant pudding an hour. I doubt that an instant of blinding pain feels particularly instantaneous.

We were kissing. I thought: This is good. I thought: I am not bad at this kissing. Not bad at all. I thought: I am clearly the greatest kisser in the history of the universe. Suddenly she laughed and pulled away from me. She wiggled a hand out of her sleeping bag and wiped her face. “You slobbered on my nose,” she said, and laughed.

Additional Thoughts:I have the honour and the pleasure to say that tomorrow we will post an article written by John Green for our blog on the inspirations and ideas behind writing Paper Towns and, courtesy of Bloosmbury PLC, we will have 15 copies of that book to giveaway. Make sure to come back tomorrow!

Verdict: Looking for Alaska is another fantastic John Green book and that means that there is a lot of food for thought, a great narrator, and the usual, great writing that I have come to expect from this author.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: Seth Baumgartner’s Love Manifesto by Eric Luper

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Ana Grilo is a Brazilian who moved to the UK because of the weather. No, seriously. She works with translations in RL and hopes one day The Book Smugglers will be her day job. When she’s not here at The Book Smugglers, she is hogging our Twitter feed.

20 Comments

I have always wanted one John Green’s books and it will be awesome if I get one.

This was also my last (as in ‘latest’) John Green, and the one that I loved most unreservedly. I hadn’t realized that it was his first, in which case, *agog* Also, it shattered my grumpy little heart.

i’m so unbelievably happy that you loved this book as much as i did.

You already know how I feel about the guy and his books.

But I read this one after I read (and loved) AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES and it still blew me away. I mean, wow. I loved it so much. Can’t read the end without tearing up. In a very good way.

I have to agree with you on this one. John Green has a way of building a story that seems so ordinary but the end result is infuriatingly brilliant.

Looking for Alaska is a wonderful novel. I’m happy to see a positive review.

One of my all time favorite books. ^.^ Brilliant

lisa (the little reader)

i just finished reading this, my first John Greene, novel last month and still haven’t managed to write a review for it. i don’t even know where to begin. i did enjoy it, but not in a pleasant way, and i think that’s where i’ve had a hard time with it. i’ll get there, but your review really did hit a lot of it square on the head.

I have had this book on my radar for a long time. I believe my library has it and will be in my next library loot! Thanks for reminding me to read it!!!! 😀

Tyler_Hendu

I really loved this book until alaska had to die!!! 😡 😡

this book no has review of chapters 🙁

Chastine Denise Perkins

I read Looking for alaska my sophmore year in high school and now i have a copy that is falling apart on me. I absoulutly love to read it. john green uses so much imagery and symbolism. there are things hidden between the pages that i find more wonderful each time i read it. there is a lesson to be learned from alaska and pudge, life is a mystery and can end at any second so live you life to the fullest cause it can change in a blink. 😯

Looking for Alaska: Therein Lies the Paradox | Hardcovers and Heroines

[…] Book Smuggler Review […]

http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/looking-for-alaska-by-john-green.html i love JOHN GREEN

Looking for Alaska by John Green « The Lemon-Squash Book Club

[…] To read The Examiner’s review of Looking for Alaska, click here.  And read The Book Smugglers review here. […]

Looking for Alaska by John Green | wrapped up in books

[…] The Book Smugglers: ”The girls are mirrors or windows from which to observe the boy-narrator’s lives and this is perhaps my greatest criticisms: that the girls are more out of this world, impossible realities that serve more as plot-propeller than concrete characters in themselves…John Green’s prose is insanely good writing because it is the kind of writing that creeps in little by little.” […]

Looking for Alaska (2005)? by John Green « The Lemon-Squash Book Club

[…] Examiner’s review of Looking for Alaska, click here. And read The Book Smugglers ?review here. ? Extras Check out below to see John Green’s video regarding the controversy over Looking […]

I liked the book too – I remember reading the quote ‘I go to seek a great perhaps’ somewhere on the internet and never knew that I would end up buying this book. My thoughts on the book: http://www.booksandalotmore.com/2017/06/26/death-looking-alaska-john-green/

yurbookstore

Wowww…I finally read the book after reading your Review.Thank you so much.. 🙂 Here have a look at the other Book’s of John Green Here: https://goo.gl/NqLuqw

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The story in Looking for Alaska is set in a time when everyone is building their self-image, identity, dreams, and love lives – high school. John Green introduces us to Miles Halter, who is the unreliable narrator of this story (But, as you know, the story revolves around our heroine, Alaska) He remembers the last words of famous people – that is his ‘thing’. And unlike Francois Rabelais, whose last words are ‘ I go to seek a Great Perhaps ‘, he does not want to wait till the end of his life to see his Great Perhaps. 

So he goes to Culver Creek – a boarding school like every other boarding school. There is cigarettes, truth & dare, pranks, parents who are cool, parents who don’t get it, the warden (The Eagle, as we know him), and the students in two rival groups (Weekday Warriors and those who stay 24*7 in the school).  

One particular line that I loved about the Weekday Warriors: “ They love their hair because they’re not smart enough to love something more interesting .” The pleasures of hating in teenage envy are apparent.  

The relatability is why the story works. 

At Culver Creek, our narrator, Miles, turns into Pudge, a nickname his roommate, Chip (or as he is called, The Colonel) gives him. Pudge quickly becomes a part of Colonel’s group consisting of Takumi, a Japanese kid with a Southern accent, and Alaska, who is the “ hottest girl in all of human history ”. Miles is new to the Alabama sun, the hostel, and the women. 

The reader is introduced to the heroine of our story, Alaska Young. As a character, she is predictable. I would go as far as to say that she is typical. She is moody, spontaneous, secretive, bookish, feminist, has a tough past. She is flirty, dreamy, and unavailable. The only detail that I absolutely adored about her was the fact that she had named herself when she was young. 

As it is clear, I wasn’t particularly fond of Alaska. Like Miles himself, I only saw parts of her, liked only certain aspects of her personality, and did not seem to “get” the whole package. But I like unlikeable characters in a book. I like being made uncomfortable about still empathizing with them, still understanding them. That is exactly what Looking for Alaska does. In her own words, “ You never get me, that’s the whole point. ”

‘Looking for Alaska’ becomes more than just a teen drama when Alaska dies. I was a fan of the narrative when the big story-turn happens in the middle (The separation of Before and After ) because, usually, these big turns are safely taken either at the end of the novel or right upfront at the beginning. 

Everyone ponders Alaska’s death, including the readers. Everyone ponders about her assignment topic question about what truly is the labyrinth and what is the way out: “ That’s the mystery, isn’t it? Is the labyrinth living or dying? Which is he trying to escape- the world or the end of it?” These words of Simon Bolivar are Alaska’s final questions to Pudge and to us. 

And Pudge answers it. All the readers get a Crash Course (see what I did there?) on Eastern Religion and the answers it provides. He gets an epiphany at Takumi’s confession, which is as truthful as it is heartbreaking, “ If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions. But we can’t know better until knowing better is useless “. They could not know better. They wish they did. The irony is consistent and sits well. Pudge will never know Alaska’s last words. He will never know if she chose to end her life or if it was an accident that they could’ve avoided. He will have to sit with these questions and the uncertainty of everything all his life. 

But the only way out of the labyrinth is to forgive. And Alaska would’ve forgiven them. 

But the Easter Religion epiphany, although impactful, was quick, shallow, and exotic. Another thing that never added up was why Jake, Alaska’s boyfriend, wasn’t at her funeral. It doesn’t make sense. 

Looking for Alaska has also been criticized for only being made for a teen mind – when everything is big, everyone wants to seem smart & worldly, all decisions are impulsive & irrational. It can come off as many years far behind to someone older. But that is what literature is supposed to do: make you feel like a teenager again, make you nostalgic for all of your dumb decisions, make you remember all of the things that seemed big then (and maybe they were big, you know?). 

For me, John Green entices that feeling perfectly. His literature (and videos) stay with me for days on end. I forget the plot, the characters, the narrative, but the emotions stay with me. The meaning stays with me. The questions stay with me. On sudden random cloudy Wednesday afternoons, I dwell on the sentences of John Green. Take one, for instance, “ Imagining the future is kind of like living in a nostalgia ” – actually spoken by Green’s wife . 

In Looking For Alaska, I felt the angst, the frustration, the joys, the worries, the amusements, and the being of being a teenager. By the end, I felt as if someone (someone being John Green’s writing) had poked a hole in my heart. 

I usually hate books and movies that end with questions. I detest unreliable narrators like Miles Halter. But this book has made me sit with the big questions , taught me to be comfortable with having them with me all along. 

Because I still don’t know my way out of the labyrinth. 

Find this book on Amazon here .

PS: Big thanks to Prakhar for gifting me this book. 

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Looking For Alaska : Book summary and reviews of Looking For Alaska by John Green

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Looking For Alaska

by John Green

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Published Mar 2005 221 pages Genre: Literary Fiction Publication Information

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Book summary.

First drink. First prank. First friend. First love. Last words.

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words—and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet François Rabelais called "The Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young, who will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. Looking for Alaska  brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A modern classic, this stunning debut marked #1 bestselling author John Green's arrival as a groundbreaking new voice in contemporary fiction.

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"Alive with sweet, self-deprecating humor." - School Library Journal (starred review) "What sings and soars in this gorgeously told tale is Green's mastery of language and the sweet, rough edges of Pudge's voice." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "The spirit of Holden Caulfield lives on." - Kliatt "What sets this novel apart is the brilliant, insightful, suffering but enduring voice of Miles Halter." - Chicago Tribune "Stunning conclusion ... one worthy of a book this good." - Philadelphia Inquirer " Looking For Alaska is a showcase to the raw talent John Green has, the kind of talent that can make you close the crisp last page of a novel and come out as a different person...A gem of modern literature." - The Guardian (UK)

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John Green Author Biography

John Green is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska , An Abundance of Katherines , Paper Towns , The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All The Way Down . He is also the coauthor, with David Levithan, of Will Grayson, Will Grayson . He was the 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green's books have been published in more than 55 languages and over 24 million copies are in print. John is also an active Twitter user with more than 5 million followers.

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Book Review: ‘Looking for Alaska’ by John Green

“Looking for Alaska,” by popular American novelist John Green, follows Miles Halter as he journeys through his first year at Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama.

Based on the description of the book, I was under the impression that “Looking for Alaska” would revolve around a high school romance, but the book turned out to be so much more than that.

From the beginning, it is clear that Miles isn’t your average junior in high school. He

has a fascination with peoples’ final words before death and is obsessed with studying. He begs his parents to send him to Culver Creek because he knows that he does not fit in at the high school in his hometown.

It doesn’t take long for Miles to be welcomed into the spontaneous, adventure-filled lives of his roommate Chip Martin (also known as “the Colonel”) and the Colonel’s best friend Alaska Young.

His first night at the boarding school, Miles finds himself abducted by the rich kids of campus, the “Weekday Warriors,” and thrown into the nearby lake as part of a prank war that started long before Miles attended Culver Creek.

The Colonel, Alaska and Miles seek revenge on the Weekday Warriors.

While planning pranks and attending classes with Alaska, Miles falls in love with her. However, Alaska has a boyfriend and a painful secret about her past.

Alaska’s character was who kept me reading. She is impulsive, temperamental and passionate. It seemed that every one of Alaska’s friends knows a different part of her, and throughout the book different pieces of the puzzle are revealed.

Tragedy strikes near the end of the book, and Miles loses touch with his friends of Culver Creek. None of them know how to handle the situation and the ending leaves many questions.

Most of the time, I dislike books that leave me wondering. I like everything to be wrapped up, unless there is a sequel.

“Looking for Alaska” was different. Green made a statement by leaving some questions up to the interpretation of the reader, and I enjoyed coming up with my own answers.

The characters in the book were relatable to those in Green’s book “Paper Towns,” but the plot line is different enough that it kept me reading. Once I was a quarter of the way through the book, I couldn’t put it down.

The best part of “Looking for Alaska” was how real the characters seemed. Green’s consistency with characterization helped bring me into Culver Creek.

While college isn’t exactly like boarding school, the similarities help make “Looking for Alaska” a good read not only for teenage readers, but for anyone who craves a story about adventure and a bit of heartache.

4 stars out of 5.

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Looking for Alaska Paperback – April 4, 2023

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 272 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 9 - 12
• Lexile measure 850L
• Dimensions 6 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Publisher Dutton Books for Young Readers
• Publication date April 4, 2023
• ISBN-10 0525556540
• ISBN-13 978-0525556541
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dutton Books for Young Readers (April 4, 2023)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0525556540
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0525556541
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 16+ years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 850L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• #405 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Self Esteem & Reliance
• #558 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Death & Dying
• #1,313 in Teen & Young Adult Friendship Fiction

About the author

John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan), and The Fault in Our Stars. His many accolades include the Printz Medal, a Printz Honor, and the Edgar Award. John has twice been a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and was selected by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. With his brother, Hank, John is one half of the Vlogbrothers (youtube.com/vlogbrothers) and co-created the online educational series CrashCourse (youtube.com/crashcourse). You can join the millions who follow him on Twitter @johngreen and Instagram @johngreenwritesbooks or visit him online at johngreenbooks.com.

John lives with his family in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Looking for Alaska by John Green - review

Looking for that something in life, that 'great perhaps' that we all search for, Miles decides to go to the boarding school which his father went to. He's looking for friends, fun, to find a meaning to his life and do more than just drift. Than he gets there and becomes Pudge. He also finds that he can pick two lives: he can be a weekday warrior or join his roommate, 'the Colonel', in his pranks.

Than he meets Alaska: curvy, young, vibrant, up-and-down, crazy, clever, confident, and with uncertain bursts of sadness. Maybe the pressure of Alaska is too high for Miles and he is a fool who can't help diving in.

It shows the depression of the young and free: how, if we can't love ourselves then we can't love others; and that if we can't forgive ourselves and decide that we should not regret anything then we can't live a happy life of acceptance.

It shows the dual personalities of our modern-day sadness: how we put on that we don't want to be accepted, yet want to be accepted by those we have let down.

It's just a good read because it shows youth in all its greatness, love in all its badness, and how trust can break up life. Maybe Alaska is just like us, searching for that thing that will help her get out of this never-ending world of tops, turns, society. To find that sweet escape that some of us crave; some of us fear.

I give this book a 7 out of 10, for it's simply a great book but not an AB-FAB 10-out-of-10 book.

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As book challenges skyrocket, these are the books Hoosiers tried to ban last year

The number of books being challenged in libraries across the country has skyrocketed.

A report Monday by the America Library Association revealed more than 900 attempts were made last year to remove 4,240 different books from school and public libraries in the United States — the highest levels ever documented by the ALA, according to the organization.

Such efforts, the ALA said, are a far cry from where censorship attempts were roughly a decade ago.

In 2014, the ALA logged 183 challenged book titles. Since 2021, the United States has witnessed a surge in calls to ban or challenge books orchestrated largely by conservative groups such as Moms for Liberty and aided by Republican lawmakers .

Last year in Fishers, members of the Hamilton East Public Library board removed "The Fault in Our Stars," by Indianapolis author John Green — including scores of other books — from the library's teen section due to a policy labeling Green's novel as not "age appropriate."

"The Fault in Our Stars" was returned later to the library's teen section after intense public backlash and what one HEPL board member blamed as a misinterpretation of the board's new relocation policy.

"These are not ordinary times," said Emily Drabinski, president of the American Library Association, in Monday's report. "The unprecedented wave of organized censorship intensifies, particularly in our public libraries."

Public libraries in 2023 experienced a 92% increase in the number of books targeted for relocation or removal from the previous year, according to the ALA.

The organization emphasized that its data is a snapshot of book censorship compiled by librarians and from news stories published throughout the U.S. The actual number of challenges, it said, may in fact be higher.

The ALA reported that groups and individuals demanding the censorship of multiple titles, "often dozens or hundreds of books at a time," drove last year's surge. Nearly half the books challenged — 47%, the organization said — were stories about people of color, Black and LGBTQ+ Americans.

“Each demand to ban a book is a demand to deny each person’s constitutionally protected right to choose and read books that raise important issues and lift up the voices of those who are often silenced,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom Director, in an earlier news release.

Here's what we know about the books being challenged around the country.

The Top Ten most challenged books of 2023 in the United States

The most frequently challenged books of 2023 in the U.S., according to the ALA, are:

• “ Gender Queer ,” by Maia Kobabe (Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit)
• “ All Boys Aren’t Blue ,” by George M. Johnson (Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit)
• “ This Book is Gay ,” by Juno Dawson (Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, claimed to be sexually explicit)
• “ The Perks of Being a Wallflower ,” by Stephen Chbosky (Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, rape, drugs, profanity)
• “ Flamer ,” by Mike Curato (Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit)
• “ The Bluest Eye ,” by Toni Morrison (Reasons: Rape, incest, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) content)
• (TIE) “ Me and Earl and the Dying Girl ,” by Jesse Andrews (Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, profanity)
• (TIE) “ Tricks ,” by Ellen Hopkins (Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, drugs, rape, LGBTQIA+ content)
• “ Let's Talk About It ,” by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan (Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, sex education, LGBTQIA+ content)
• “ Sold ,” by Patricia McCormick (Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, rape)

OPINION: Why you should read these 51 banned books now

What states are challenging the most books?

The ALA revealed that 17 U.S. states challenged more than 100 book titles last year. Florida and Texas, by far, challenged the most books in 2023 with a combined total of more than 4,000 titles.

The breakdown of challenges, in which access to each book could be restricted or revoked at a school or public library, is as follows:

• Colorado (12 challenges issued; 142 books targeted)
• Connecticut (17 challenges issued; 113 books targeted)
• Florida (33 challenges issued; 2,672 books targeted)
• Idaho (18 challenges issued; 165 books targeted)
• Illinois (69 challenges issued; 204 books targeted)
• Iowa (16 challenges issued; 259 books targeted)
• Kentucky (11 challenges issued; 448 books targeted)
• Maryland (13 challenges issued; 148 books targeted)
• Missouri (17 challenges issued; 126 books targeted)
• North Carolina (47 challenges issued; 229 books targeted)
• Ohio (40 challenges issued; 235 books targeted)
• Pennsylvania (52 challenges issued; 218 books targeted)
• Tennessee (21 challenges issued; 350 books targeted)
• Texas (49 challenges issued; 1,470 books targeted)
• Utah (21 challenges issued; 152 books targeted)
• Virginia (25 challenges issued; 387 books targeted)
• Wisconsin (27 challenges issued; 448 books targeted)

A full map of what U.S. states are challenging books can be found online at the ALA's official website.

Others are reading: What's behind the national surge in book bans? A low-tech website tied to Moms for Liberty

What books did Hoosiers in Indiana challenge in 2023?

Indiana challenged fewer books in 2023 compared to neighboring states like Illinois and Ohio, according to data the ALA provided to IndyStar.

Hoosiers filed at least 16 challenges at Indiana libraries last year, according to the ALA, targeting up to 24 books. Among the most challenged book titles was John Green's 2006 debut novel, "Looking for Alaska," a story that follows a boy who leaves home for boarding school and meets a girl named Alaska Young.

Claims that Green's novel is sexually explicit and has LGBTQ+ content has consistently put it in the crosshairs of those who want it removed or relocated off the library shelves. "Looking for Alaska" was listed among the ALA's most banned books of 2022 .

Indiana's top ten most challenged books in 2023, according the ALA, are as follows:

• " Looking for Alaska ," by John Green.
• " It's Perfectly Normal ," by Robie H. Harris.
• " The Goats ," by Brock Cole.
• “ Gender Queer: A Memoir ,” by Maia Kobabe.
• " Crank ," by Ellen Hopkins.
• " The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian ," by Sherman Alexie.
• " Jesus Land: A Memoir ," by Julia Scheeres.
• “ The Bluest Eye ,” by Toni Morrison.
• " The Glass Castle ," by Jeannette Walls.
• " Water for Elephants ," by Sara Gruen.

Since 2020, the ALA has documented at least 87 challenges to books from Hoosiers in Indiana, the sum of which vexes officials like Caldwell-Stone.

“Each challenge, each demand to censor these books is an attack on our freedom to read, our right to live the life we choose, and an attack on libraries as community institutions that reflect the rich diversity of our nation," Caldwell-Stone said in a news release Monday. "When we tolerate censorship, we risk losing all of this."

Project 317: Indy's SoBro neighborhood has 'little bit of everything'

John Tufts covers trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at  [email protected] . Follow him on X at  @JTuftsReports .