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Looking for Alaska by John Green
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Looking for Alaska (2005)

by John Green

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
6,861363486 (4.3)342
Alabama (80) alcohol (30) boarding school (309) boarding schools (46) coming of age (160) contemporary (30) death (298) fiction (429) first love (31) friendship (168) grief (30) high school (79) John Green (34) last words (40) love (90) own (29) pranks (92) Printz (57) Printz Award (89) read (82) realistic fiction (87) relationships (59) romance (45) school (50) signed (40) suicide (150) teen (128) to-read (81) young adult (790) young adult fiction (97)
  1. 40
    The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (HatsForMice)
  2. 51
    An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (mad.)
    mad.: this his john green's first book and although it has a completely different plot and characters it has the same style as an Abundance of Katherines
  3. 30
    On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (thesundaybookreport)
  4. 20
    Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (fyrefly98)
    fyrefly98: More average-boy-meets-life-changing-girl.
  5. 20
    The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (BookshelfMonstrosity)
  6. 20
    Can't Get There from Here by Todd Strasser (Dainichi-Goddess)
  7. 42
    Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (wegc)
    wegc: Both are about a teen leaving home, trying to broaden their horizons, trying new things.
  8. 10
    Cracked up to Be by Courtney Summers (kissthestarsxx)
  9. 00
    Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey (bluenotebookonline)
  10. 00
    White Noise by Don DeLillo (rickybutler)
    rickybutler: The place to start with one of the American literary monoliths of the 20th century. Green takes a lot of influence--good influence--from DeLillo's stylistic uniquities and adapts it for a YA audience, leaving him arguably with a catalogue as intellectually important and influential for future generations.… (more)
  11. 00
    A Separate Peace by John Knowles (themephi)
  12. 11
    Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King (kaledrina)
  13. 11
    The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (kaledrina)
  14. 00
    Undone by Brooke Taylor (kissthestarsxx)
  15. 00
    Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde (yummyfishmeister)
  16. 00
    Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King (kaledrina)
  17. 00
    To Jaykae: Life Stinx by Jean Davies Okimoto (thesundaybookreport)
  18. 01
    Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard (kaledrina)
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English (359)  Swedish (2)  Dutch (1)  All languages (362)
Showing 1-5 of 359 (next | show all)
I gave this book away for World Book Night 2013 and was very happy to do so.

Words escape me when I try to describe this book.

Raw
Unforgettable

Screw it...don't read my review, just go pick up the book and read it and have your life changed forever. ( )
  ferrisscottr | Jun 18, 2013 |
Terrifically flawed characters, fully believable in every way, satisfyingly told (and this from someone who prefers everyone just live happily ever after.)

Recommended by: Bethany Z, Bryan H. ( )
  Snukes | Jun 14, 2013 |
I'm dead 'nuff said ( )
  JustAnotherYABlog | Jun 11, 2013 |
5Q, 5P - When Miles "Pudge" Halter transfers to a boarding school for his junior year of high school, a whole new world of opportunities and first experiences opens up for him. He befriends a group of misfits including the mysterious and beautiful Alaska Young whom he develops complicated feelings for. As he counts down to an unknown event, Miles explores and struggles with his emotions and identity in an honest and gripping coming of age tale. This book is beautifully written. The language is true to the age of the characters, who are unique, interesting and very relatable. The plot is compelling and draws the readers in, never letting them go until the last page. I loved everything about this masterpiece and believe it is an important read for not just teens, but adults as well. ( )
  LibbyHopfauf | Jun 9, 2013 |
John Green's first book is also his best! ( )
  buzzinglibrary | Jun 4, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 359 (next | show all)
Miles Halter is a teenager from Florida who likes to read bibliographies and collect last words of famous people. He decided to go to Alabama to finish last two years of his high school education. Miles chooses Culver Creek Preparatory School. His parents are questioning if he decide to go to preparatory school to meet new people and change his boring life style.
Miles instantly became a friend with his roommate Colonel who gave him a nick name Pudge. The Colonel is clever, proud, and financially poor. He is a born leader. Miles got introduced to Alaska Young. She gave his life a new dimension. Alaska is a beautiful, funny, intelligent, and rebellious. Miles falls for Alaska. She became a center of Miles universe.
This book is made using a before and after counting element to build up a grand climax of events. It is an unusual, but effective way of presenting a story. It is a great read. Many teen topics are addressed here: smoking, alcohol consumption and consequences, meaning of life, friendship, belonging, religion, death and dying, grief, and healing.
The author of Looking for Alaska, John Green, made me think about life and our attitude about it. A topic of depression got brought in with Alaska’s behavior. She gave out many times signs that she is suicidal. Her attitude about dying and her struggle with her mother’s passing away was never addressed in a productive way. Her depression was not taken seriously. Consequences are tragic and unbearable.
added by sla3 | editschool review, sla3
 
Miles's narration is alive with sweet, self-deprecating humor, and his obvious struggle to tell the story truthfully adds to his believability.
added by khuggard | editSchool Library Journal, Johanna Lewis
 

» Add other authors (8 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
John Greenprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
McCarthy, LindaCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Vandervoort, IreneDesignersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Woodman, JeffNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
Dedication
To my family: Sydney Green, Mike Green, and Hank Green
"I have tried so hard to do right."
(last words of President Grover Cleveland)
First words
The week before I left my family and Florida and the rest of my minor life to go to boarding school in Alabama, my mother insisted on throwing me a going-away party.
Quotations
How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!
If only we could see the string of consequences that result from our smallest actions. But we can’t know better until knowing is useless.
When adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don’t know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we are never irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they are old. They get scared of losing and failing.
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.
When you're walking at night, do you ever get creeped out and even though it's silly and embarrassing you just want to run home?
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0142402516, Paperback)

New York Times Bestseller

Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

An ALA Quick Pick

A Los Angeles Times 2005 Book Prize Finalist

A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

A 2005 Booklist Editor’s Choice

A 2005 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . . After. Nothing is ever the same.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:43:52 -0500)

(see all 5 descriptions)

Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

» see all 5 descriptions

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