Looking for Alaska, By John Green

Title:Looking for Alaska
Author:John Greene
Publish Date:August 14, 2008
Publisher:Speak; Reissue edition
Pages:256 pages
ISBN:014241221X
Classification:
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $8.99

Annotation: Miles' first year at a boarding prep school in Alabama brings new and wonderful friends and great escapes of pranks and partying, but it is brought to a head by fatal car crash and the search for meaning of life and death.

Summary: Miles is 16 years old and until he attends Culver Creek boarding school doesn't lead that interesting a life.He chose to attend so he could try to ignite his life in the tradition of his father who also attended the school. He begins to come out of his shell and experience "the great perhaps" as he joins his new friends Alaska, Chip "The Colonel", and plays pranks, drinks, and crushes deeply on Alaska. But when Alaska and he finally kiss it is abrubtly curtailed with a shocking phone call for Alaska and a well-planned way to get Alaska in a car, on a mission but while intoxicated.

Evaluation: Again, I like a smart tale. And this does not disappoint. The best part for me was seeing smart kids behave the way no one thinks they should and to me that was relatable. It dealt with HUGE issues that everybody deals with in life and every character was human and quite frankly this is one of those books that adults and teens can enjoy equally. I am beginning to find that John Green can do that with a book.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Death, Dying, & Living; Intellectual and Philosophical Awareness; Dealing with living as much as dying

Reason this book was chosen: Primarily for its rave reviews. And it was VERY good. And it did deal with some pretty emotional issues. I think for parents or adults who read this, it really does show you how much depth experience your teen is capable of regardless of what you think everything should be.

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