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Looking for Alaska

John Green

Start date: April 1, 2013

Finish date: April 30, 2013

Discussion: Book of the Month (BOM)

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What Members Thought

Sep 17, 2012 sash. rated it really liked it

Okay. I've been needling between 3 and 4 stars for this book that may well be my least favourite of John Green's books. Pudge was a likeable character and all, and I'm sure I must have been Pudge in earlier years, however,Pudge, Takumi, Lara and The Colonel remind me of a tamer version of Skins. Self-destructive beahviour fed by even more self-destructive behaviour.

I hated Alaska. Alaska made me want to fist something. She was selfish, emotionally immature and all too reminiscent of people I hav ...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Realteenreviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: living-destinys-list

The Gist

Miles Halter is a high schooler in Florida, he s an outcast and his parents want to believe that he has friends. He has remarkable tendency to remember last words. He also has a dream of finding the ”Great Perhaps” He surprises his parents when he says that he want to go to boarding school in Arizona. He ends up in Culver Creek Boarding School. He meets Chip “the colonel” Martin, and Alaska Young. He now has friends who like to pull pranks and get into trouble on the risk to get back at The Gist

Miles Halter is a high schooler in Florida, he s an outcast and his parents want to believe that he has friends. He has remarkable tendency to remember last words. He also has a dream of finding the ”Great Perhaps” He surprises his parents when he says that he want to go to boarding school in Arizona. He ends up in Culver Creek Boarding School. He meets Chip “the colonel” Martin, and Alaska Young. He now has friends who like to pull pranks and get into trouble on the risk to get back at the “Weekday Warriors”. He gets a nickname “Pudge” despite is un-normal skinniness. He finally fits in and along with that he falls in love . With the ever mysterious Alaska, none-the-less. She is definitely not free and who is he kidding, why would someone like her ever like a guy like him? Him and Alaska grow closer and he is perplexed by the deep and reckless girl that he finds. When he can’t stop Alaska from regretting her life something tragic happens. This is touching story of growing up and forgiving.

What We Think
Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer
I read this book for summer reading. So naturally I read this book really fast. I love reading but forced reading is tedious. Lucky for me I got to choose this book for myself which made it a little bit better. It turned out that the book aided in my speed reading of it. It’s such a fast paced book that I never wanted to put it down. The characters were original and funny. I loved reading from a guy’s perspective. The only time I have read from a normal teenage boys perspective is almost to never. The way that he saw things is a lot different from what girls think. I also love the girl in this book Alaska is really different from other girls. She is daring and ambitious but other ways she is just like other girls. She has her one issues. She is troubled by her past and has regrets, so she is just like everyone else. But because she is who she is her troubles become these major issues. Despite all these issues and over reactions Miles still loves her which makes the story even better. Half way through the book you are like “Oh my god, this guy really loves her!” He wants to help her and won’t give up until she loves him and except him. Then we get to “The Colonel” he is the most amazing guy ever. I love him. He is goofy and different and doesn’t care. He loves his mom and is proud about it and he cares for her. This book is really on the top of my list. The message and events make this book so powerful that you have to love this book. It really captures what it’s like to be a teenager and I felt really connected to the characters. They seemed that they were people who could be sitting next to me in math class or the kid who sits in the back of my English class. Really if you haven’t read this then you should as soon as possible it will change your life.
Real Teen Rating~ A+ : Why are you still reading this?? Go buy the book now!!!!

Reviewed by Dream Catcher
One year ago I read this book for summer reading. I’d heard from a few people that it was a good book. But, considering it was on the summer reading list, I wasn’t too hopeful. But it was amazing. It was seriously a great book. I can’t decide what the best part of it was. The characters? Or the whole idea Miles has of the Great Perhaps? Either way, both things made the book real and relatable. THE GREAT PERHAPS. Everyone wonders about it. Though some may call it a different name, it is something everyone thinks about one time or another. I found this very thought-provoking. I did a lot of thinking while reading this book, and even after I had finished reading it. It made me think, which most books don’t succeed in doing. It was refreshing and inspiring, even. Characters were another key aspect of this book. Each one of them was different but they were all so real it was like I knew them. I especially loved how Miles remembered people’s last words. I thought it was insanely weird and insanely awesome at the same time. Some people had some pretty interesting last words. Alaska was so mysterious and complex and full of secrets that you never really know what to make of her. But she was definitely one of my favorite characters. Together the characters were probably the best part of the whole book, which is really saying something, because the rest of the book was so good. Now, there wasn’t some huge jump-out-and-grab-you plot. In fact, there really wasn’t much plot at all. But I only realized that looking back on it. While I was reading I was so focused and so eager to find out what happened that I never would have noticed the book’s lack of serious plot. So I think the rest of the book (in all it’s greatness) made up for the simple not-plot. I would recommend this book to everyone. It’s a great book for guys and girls, and it really gets you to think. Is there a way out of the labyrinth? Read and and find out!!
Real Teen Rating~ A : Go Buy Now.

Reviewed by The North Star
Well this year I had no clue at all what to read for summer reading because there were no new books on the list. Dream kept telling me to read this book and then Shore finished it and told me to read it. I thought I would give it a try so I picked it up and finished to it in two days. Personally, I didn’t really like this book. The beginning started off really interesting and had me turning the pages but by the time I got to page 150 or so I started to get really bored and it felt the same thing kept happening over and over again. The book was also split into 2 different parts; before and after. The after part was not worth reading AT ALL. I felt it to be really slow and pointless. The before part was really interesting though and definitely worth taking the time to read. Now on to characters. Miles “Pudge” was the strongest character of the book and I agree with Shore in saying that I almost never read from a guys perspective so this was a refreshing change to get into a guys head and see what they are thinking. I also liked how persistent he was on trying to get Alaska and most people wish they had the quality in them, so it makes him a good roe model for teenagers reading the book. Unlike most people I really didn’t like Alaska. I don’t know what it was about her but she annoyed me. Maybe it was because she flirted with every guy she met while she had a loving boyfriend or that she had such massive mood swings, whatever it was I wasn’t crazy about her character. The writing style was just OK, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea (strange saying) but give it a shot sometime. Overall, just an OK book not bad but not amazing either.
Real Teen Rating~ C: Ehhh….

Reviewed by Living Destiny

In an impressive impersonation of a broken record, I read this book for summer reading this year. I know, great minds think alike, right? Well, given that there is nearly NOTHING interesting on the summer reading list, it isn’t surprising that we all happened upon this little delight. And I didn’t really like it. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, and it was certainly better than most of the boring sludge that fills the reading list, but I doubt I would’ve read it for fun. First, the characters. The main character, Miles (Pudge) was irritating. He obsessed over Alaska for the entire book, but also dated Lara. It always irritates me when people like one person but date another because they think they haven’t got a chance, or some other equally ridiculous reason. It’s so fake. I liked Alaska more than North did, because she was a strong and funny girl who did exactly what she wanted, but I still didn’t love her. She was very…erm…promiscuous would be the kind term I think. My favorite character was Chip (The Colonel). He was a great person, very cunning but also very caring. He mouthed off a lot, but it made me respect him more. He was the best. The plot itself was ok. The whole concept of ‘The Great Perhaps’ was intriguing to me. Otherwise, it wasn’t too fascinating. Boy goes to boarding school to escape. Boy makes friends, does crazy things, and, of course, falls for girl. And that’s just the ‘before’ section. I didn’t care too much for the ‘after’ section. It was important to the story, but most of it bored me. So this book was just average. But I will admit that it got me to think about how to get out of the labyrinth.

Real Teen Rating~ C: Ehhh…. ...more

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Jul 05, 2010 Megan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I love this book, it's one of my favorites. It really makes you think. I cried for happiness and sadness, it's extremely hilarious and sad at parts, but overall an ah-mazing book. A definite read! ...more

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Jan 03, 2013 iPetim rated it really liked it

I've heard a lot of good thins about this book, and after reading it.. Well, it was good but it also made me sad and probably wanting more? I was honestly hoping that everything was a prank, that she's alive and they'll end up together, but I guess that's the whole point of the book - the "What Ifs". ...more

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Aug 29, 2010 Nicole rated it it was amazing

Shelves: upcoming-antidotes, contemporary

4.5/5

Reminded me of Paper Towns, but a lot better. Honestly, I wish I would've read this as my first John Green book and not The Fault in Our Stars. Nothing he has written will top that. Still I enjoyed this one, and it was a great debut! ...more

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