Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

LOOKING FOR ALASKA has got to be one of the finest books I've read this year. 16-year-old Miles Halter, memorizer of famous people's last words, has never fit in at his Florida high school. He attends his father's alma mater, Culver Creek boarding school in Alabama, in search of Rabelais' "Great Perhaps." For the first time in his life, he makes an extremely close group of friends: the Colonel, who makes up in brains what he lacks in height; Takumi, the Japanese non-computer whiz; Lara, his sort-of crush/girlfriend/friend; and Alaska, the ineffable character.

To Miles, Alaska enbodies the Great Perhaps: she is hot AND smart, a master prankster and infamous bookworm. But Alaska's tortured by her childhood, and Miles (nicknamed "Pudge" by his friends for being so darn skinny) has trouble keeping up with her extreme mood swings. But when tragedy strikes Culver Creek, Miles and his friends must learn how to handle grief and find their way out of the labyrinth of suffering.

John Green made a brilliant debut with this smartly written book. The language is compelling to teens because everyone can relate to it. I couldn't help but wish I were friends with this amazing group of people. There IS a lot of profanity and sexual references, if that bothers you. But I felt that it lent itself to the story nicely. LOOKING FOR ALASKA should definitely be on every teenager's must-read list.