Looking for Alaska

John Green has published numerous brilliant books for the world, which both young and old adults have not only cried, but also laughed over. His writing is relatable, allowing the reader to connect to the book on a deeper level than other novels. Looking for Alaska manages to display exciting adventures using 100% real life characters and settings. The novel contains a number of thrills, pranks, and humor, the majority of which take place on one campus, all in less than 250 pages.Living with a minor life in Florida, Miles “Pudge” Halter, who memorizes last words as a hobby, makes the transition from old life to his new, more appealing one at a boarding school in hot and dry Alabama. Upon his arrival, not only does he realize he must transition from the hot, humid weather of his home state to the more awful, hot air of his new home, but he also must transition from a life of innocence to a life full of smoking, drinking, and interacting with a gorgeous girl. Miles’s journey of recreating himself unfolds as he meets new friends, new love interests, and even gets himself into a bit of trouble. The time he spends there makes his old life look even more depressing, until a disastrous event happens halfway through the book. The second half of the book shows how Miles, as well as his friends, cope with this disaster while they search for answers as to what might’ve caused it. Looking for Alaska not only becomes a mystery, but also questions how to escape the “labyrinth” of the world.Looking for Alaska is a fairly easy read, which will more than likely keep you on your feet the whole time with humor and interesting characters. It contains mature humor, scenes, and language, so it may be inappropriate for young children or tweens; not only because of the dirty details, but also because it takes maturity to appreciate the book. I would highly recommend this novel to you if you are a teenager or in your early 20’s, specifically because the connections you are able to create with the characters and situations are unreal. As a teenager myself, I can say I felt a connection to the book; one of my favorite quotes, occurring at the end of the novel, tells about the invincibility of teenagers and humans as a whole. After describing that energy cannot be created or destroyed and humans therefore are indestructible, John Green goes on to say “When adults say, ‘Teenagers think they’re so invincible’ with that sly stupid smile on their faces, they don’t know how right they are” (Page 220). Although this is only a taste of the book, you can see the appeal it has to teens, as well as the hint of understanding it contains.In addition, although the entire book is fabulous, I do have to say that the first half really is the heart of the book. After the first half, the chapters seem to lack something. Whether this is the lack of something, or someone, Looking for Alaska still remains a good read, especially because the ending of the book pulls the novel together. Throughout Looking for Alaska, there is a search for the meaning of life, but more specifically what happens to us after we pass on. If you enjoy books with a deeper meaning than what is on the surface, I recommend this novel to you. All in all, Looking for Alaska is both a thrilling and somewhat heartbreaking book that tells a story of pranks and adventures, all while searching for a deeper meaning at the same time. I can guarantee you will come out of it with a better understanding of your life, which is why I highly recommend taking the time to read this book.

If you are looking for a realistic fiction that makes you think, then this is the book for you. This is one of the most interesting mind boggling books I have ever read. Looking for Alaska by John Greene is a very interesting book, and I would have never thought that I would like that type of book usually, but I am so glad I read it. John Greene's work is all kind of similar I would compare this book to Paper Towns. Looking for Alaska takes place in a Boarding School in Alabama. The main character is Miles Halter, aka Pudge. Pudge goes to a boarding school where he meets his three best friends Takumi, The Colonel, and last but not least Alaska, a weird and complicated girl. What Pudge does not know is that this time in Alabama will be mysterious and fun. I would give this book four out of five stars. It was amazing.The setting of the book is a boarding school called Creek Preparatory School. I really liked how they incorporated the setting into the theme of the story. I definetly thought that this was the perfect setting for this book. The characters were raw and exciting. The Colonel is Pudge's best friend, and he is very smart and authentic. This whole story is funny because of him. Alaska is purely honest and has a lot of problems but is really unique and exciting and loves to read. Takumi is the quieter one of the group but still fun. Last but not least is Miles Halter. Miles Halter is very innocent and young minded. Miles Halter is obsessed with last words. Each one of these characters has a special interest in something like last words.The conflict in this story is when Alaska dies. They keep on telling him that Alaska committed suicide but they don't know, so the whole story is them trying to find out what happened. The message this book is trying to portray is that things aren't always what they seem. Throughout this story there are huge surprises especially with Alaska theres a lot of unexpected twists.This book is full of intellectual and outstanding work. It is very well written, very well composed. I would recommend this book to people who love romance, mystery, and comedy. This book is a book that I would recommend to hardcore readers. It is a very famous book and very well known. John Greene is an author that is very well known and is popular all around. Something unique about this book is the fact that inside the cover and in the back of the book are comments and questions for the author that he answered, so please take the time to read this book.