Looking for Alaska by John Green
Author Biography:
John Green is a New York Times bestselling author who has received numerous awards, including both the Printz Medal and a Printz Honor. John is also the co-creator (with his brother, Hank) of the popular video blog Brotherhood 2.0, which has been watched more than 30 million times by Nerdfighter fans all over the globe. John Green lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. Information retrieved from Amazon.com
Published by: Speak
ISBN: 0142402516
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: Ages 14 and Up
Reader’s Annotation:
Miles Halter is sick of his life in Florida. Feeling cramped and stir crazy, Miles leaves for a boarding school in Alabama to seek his “great perhaps,” where he can possibly become greater than himself and find adventure and new experiences. There he meets Alaska, a manic girl that completely charms him and makes his life even more exciting. Yet as Miles experiences an exciting life with Alaska and his friend, the Colonel, a tragic event shows him how brief and precious life can be.
Plot Summary:
Miles has had it with his boring life. Lacking any true friends in Florida and feeling like he is rotting from the inside out, Miles manages to convince his parents to agree to send him to a boarding school in Alabama where he hopes he can spread his wings and seek greater experiences in life. His father, who attended the same school, warns him against drinking and smoking and other parental things and is then sent off where he can seek his “great perhaps.”
Miles arrives at the school with little fanfare and is quickly befriended by a student simply called “The Colonel.” Miles falls in with him, following him around as The Colonel shows him the school. Unfortunately, Miles gets caught up in an extreme prank as he is unceremoniously hauled out of his bed by students that have invaded the dorm shared by he and The Colonel, wrapped in duct tape, and then tossed into a pond. Miles nearly drowns before the water weakens the tape and he is able to free himself. Frustrated, Miles returns to his dorm and asks why The Colonel didn't protect him. It is revealed this is a typical sort of initiation rite for new students, but apparently the duct tape was never part of the plan. Enraged, The Colonel swears to get to the bottom of why such a dangerous prank was played.
Along the way, Miles is introduced to Alaska – an incredibly mercurial girl who one moment is perky, happy, and flirty, and then dark, depressed, and hateful of everyone around her the next. The three form close bonds with each other, and Miles seems to draw closer to his great perhaps.
One night, however, changes Miles’s and The Colonel’s life forever. Despite all the fun the trio has with each other, a tragedy wrenches them apart, threatening to change who they were and will ever be.
Critical Evaluation:
John Green’s first effort at writing a novel is excellent. The book successfully presents characters who are deep and have real problems, and are fully fleshed out through the narrative. Miles seems like a genuinely boring person at first – which is his initial complaint about himself – but the reader watches as he begins to develop into a more likable character as he experiences life with The Colonel and Alaska. Both the The Colonel and Alaska also have depth, initially seeming rude or aloof but eventually opening up to Miles and the reader and showing that they are caring – if damaged – individuals. The characters also react to the tragedy near the second half of the book in a believable way, showing grief and anger and a desire to understand what could ultimately be simply not understandable. The result is a book that presents believable slice of teenage life that is well worth a read.
Curriculum Ties:
Challenge Issues:
Defensive Maneuvers:
Looking for Alaska is an honest slice of teenage life, demonstrating the ups and downs, triumphs and crises, many kids face today. With it's unapologetic look at how loss can affect so many people, Looking for Alaska is a valuable work of literature.
John Green is a New York Times bestselling author who has received numerous awards, including both the Printz Medal and a Printz Honor. John is also the co-creator (with his brother, Hank) of the popular video blog Brotherhood 2.0, which has been watched more than 30 million times by Nerdfighter fans all over the globe. John Green lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. Information retrieved from Amazon.com
Published by: Speak
ISBN: 0142402516
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: Ages 14 and Up
Reader’s Annotation:
Miles Halter is sick of his life in Florida. Feeling cramped and stir crazy, Miles leaves for a boarding school in Alabama to seek his “great perhaps,” where he can possibly become greater than himself and find adventure and new experiences. There he meets Alaska, a manic girl that completely charms him and makes his life even more exciting. Yet as Miles experiences an exciting life with Alaska and his friend, the Colonel, a tragic event shows him how brief and precious life can be.
Plot Summary:
Miles has had it with his boring life. Lacking any true friends in Florida and feeling like he is rotting from the inside out, Miles manages to convince his parents to agree to send him to a boarding school in Alabama where he hopes he can spread his wings and seek greater experiences in life. His father, who attended the same school, warns him against drinking and smoking and other parental things and is then sent off where he can seek his “great perhaps.”
Miles arrives at the school with little fanfare and is quickly befriended by a student simply called “The Colonel.” Miles falls in with him, following him around as The Colonel shows him the school. Unfortunately, Miles gets caught up in an extreme prank as he is unceremoniously hauled out of his bed by students that have invaded the dorm shared by he and The Colonel, wrapped in duct tape, and then tossed into a pond. Miles nearly drowns before the water weakens the tape and he is able to free himself. Frustrated, Miles returns to his dorm and asks why The Colonel didn't protect him. It is revealed this is a typical sort of initiation rite for new students, but apparently the duct tape was never part of the plan. Enraged, The Colonel swears to get to the bottom of why such a dangerous prank was played.
Along the way, Miles is introduced to Alaska – an incredibly mercurial girl who one moment is perky, happy, and flirty, and then dark, depressed, and hateful of everyone around her the next. The three form close bonds with each other, and Miles seems to draw closer to his great perhaps.
One night, however, changes Miles’s and The Colonel’s life forever. Despite all the fun the trio has with each other, a tragedy wrenches them apart, threatening to change who they were and will ever be.
Critical Evaluation:
John Green’s first effort at writing a novel is excellent. The book successfully presents characters who are deep and have real problems, and are fully fleshed out through the narrative. Miles seems like a genuinely boring person at first – which is his initial complaint about himself – but the reader watches as he begins to develop into a more likable character as he experiences life with The Colonel and Alaska. Both the The Colonel and Alaska also have depth, initially seeming rude or aloof but eventually opening up to Miles and the reader and showing that they are caring – if damaged – individuals. The characters also react to the tragedy near the second half of the book in a believable way, showing grief and anger and a desire to understand what could ultimately be simply not understandable. The result is a book that presents believable slice of teenage life that is well worth a read.
Curriculum Ties:
- Suicide
- Crisis management
Challenge Issues:
- Sexual situations
Defensive Maneuvers:
- Have the library's collection policy on hand and memorized. Even though you may have it committed to memory, being able to show specific provisions as proof with strengthen your position.
- Be familiar with the book. Having great knowledge of it will prove you understand the content and the way the challenged matters interact with each other.
- Cite any awards the book may have. Though the patron may disagree with the book, showing that it is well known and seen as having great literary merit will strengthen your defense.
- Have a few reviews ready from respected sources such as Amazon or VOYA. At the very least, you can prove you understand the material and reviews will corroborate that.
- Have a strong idea WHY that item is in the library. Explain its merits, who the intended audience is, and so on.
- State your library's commitment to providing intellectual freedom as written in the Library Bill of Rights.
- Stay calm. Getting defensive or hot under the collar will only weaken your position.
- And finally, be open to discussion and LISTEN. Even if you do not agree with the patron, their concerns are still legitimate and you should show that you are engaged with them. Listening to their concerns may be enough to take the edge off.
Looking for Alaska is an honest slice of teenage life, demonstrating the ups and downs, triumphs and crises, many kids face today. With it's unapologetic look at how loss can affect so many people, Looking for Alaska is a valuable work of literature.