Looking for Alaska by John Green

4.5 (19)
$12.99

Product Details

Web ID: 14388814

The award-winning, genre-defining debut from John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our StarsWinner of the Michael L. Printz Award A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist A New York Times Bestseller A USA Today Bestseller NPR's Top Ten Best-Ever Teen Novels TIME magazine's 100 Best Young Adult Novels of All Time A PBS Great American Read Selection Millions of copies sold! 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.

  • Product Features

    • Author- John Green
    • Publisher- Penguin Young Readers Group
    • Publication Date- 12-28-2006
    • Page Count- 272
    • Hardcover
    • Age Range- 14-17 Years
    • YA
    • Dimension- 5.45 H x 8.2 W x 0.65 D
    • ISBN-13- 9780142402511
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Ratings & Reviews

4.5/5

19 star ratings & reviews

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4 months ago
from Laurelville, Ohio

Very 90's

This book had a very 90's nostalgia! I found this book to be very similar to other books and movies from the 90's. I didn't love or hate this book. But, I will say I don't think this is a book that is appropriate for an 8th grade English reading assignment.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

5 months ago
from Ohio

Not for high school

This book was given for high school summer reading. It was about how people handle grief. These kids bended all the rules! They have an oral sexual encounter… it was in poor taste and demeaning for this girl. I thought it was in poor taste and I would not recommend it. The prank at the end was stupid.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

10 months ago
from Wichita, Kansas

love it

great book. my favorite for sure

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

11 months ago

This was a great read!

After reading Looking for Alaska, I didn't fully know how I felt about it. There were a few parts that I deemed to be a little unnecessary or uncomfortable. However, that made me realize how great the book actually is as these scenes represent what teens are truly like. Each character was relatable in their own way. Whether that be due to their mental health, sense of humor, actions, ways of thinking, etc. I felt as though the overall story line and plot was fairly easy to follow along with. Each chapter kept me interested and eager to find out what the big event in the novel was. The fact that the structure of the book was split into two parts, being called, "before" and "after", was what made me choose to read the book in the first place. It was that feeling of mysteriousness that filled my head every time I read a line. The amount of time the story spent on the characters after Alaska died felt interesting to me as it shows a realistic time period of dealing with grief. If I had to recommend a book, this wouldn't be my first option but I would definitely suggest it. It's a good read but for those who can understand how teens actually are.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago

john green, what a guy

alaska is how i see myself this one hit close to home. i read it years ago and think of it nearly every day. go listen to his podcasts they have made my life so much better

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago

Excellent addition to my library

Looking for Alaska was one of my favorite books I have read. John Green is one of today’s most talented writers and he continuously writes incredible novels. Based on the title of the book, I assumed it was somewhere in the genre of mystery. When I began reading I was confused why it began with “Before.” I couldn’t help but think ‘before what?’ From the second I read the first few sentences, I was intrigued. The narrator of the book is the main character, Miles. Miles takes us through his journey of leaving his home in Florida and going to a boarding school in Alabama. We learn that Miles loves to read the biologies of writers even if hed never read their writing. Miles collects the last words of every person he reads about but we don’t find out why until later in the book. When he gets to boarding school, Miles immediately becomes acquainted with his roommate, Chip a.k.a. the Colonel, and his roommate’s friends, Alaska, Lara, and Takumi. Together, they navigate through the difficult teenage stages of life. Miles, who we now know as Pudge quickly falls in love with Alaska. I do believe that Alaska was overly sexualized in this novel and I did not like that. John Green tries to make Alaska an important character with deep, relatable thoughts but then makes everyone fall in love with her. He also introduces Alaska to the novel with a story she tells the Colonel about how one of her male friends inappropriately touched her even though she had a boyfriend waiting for her back home. The way that Alaska was portrayed did not have any significant impact on the novel so I can confidently say that the way John Green sexualized her was completely unnecessary. One thing I enjoyed about the book was the theme of escaping the labyrinth. Throughout the entirety of the book, Alaska explained to Pudge that she wanted to escape the labyrinth but we don’t know what the labyrinth is. Is the labyrinth living? Is it dying? I don’t think Alaska even knew herself, all she knew was that she needed to escape it. The sense of mystery in this book was what kept me hooked. I enjoyed not knowing everything. I enjoyed being confused alongside the main characters. I like that while I read this book I could aid Miles in solving the riddle that is Alaska. I do wish that I had read this book knowing some of the knowledge that I know now. For example, I wish I know that white tulips are associated with funerals, love, and forgiveness. Nonetheless, I was still able to connect the dots that Alaska drew, and in the end, the picture was not what I expected. Alaska, Pudge, Takumi, and the Colonel all helped me get a glimpse into what life could be. I am not saying that they lived perfect lives but they did live their not-so-perfect lives to the fullest. I hope to one day be as bold as Alaska and as persistent as Pudge. I wish to be loyal like Takumi, and charismatic like the Colonel. I will be rereading this book. Looking for Alaska is not the type of book to read once, it's the type of book that needs to be read over and over again because it is just that good. Thank you, John Green, for allowing me to step into your mind through your book, I had a great time there.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from New York

Overreact

It was okay I thought this book would be something else but it is the same story is not sad as others say it was kind of funny but it's just a regular teenager's story

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

3 years ago
from New Jersey

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Not only is John Green my favorite author, he rightfully deserves the credit myself and others give him. He is an incredible mind that carefully crafts his books and this is no exception. I hope you consider giving this a read, it could be life changing as many of his books have been for me. Take the chance, if you don't like it lend it to a friend, but trust me... you won't regret it.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com