Looking for Alaska by John Greene

1. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

Green, John. Looking for Alaska. Farmington Hills, Mich: Large Print Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016. Print.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Miles "Pudge" Halter, a teenage boy, enrolls in a boarding school to find the something more than he had found in his home state of Florida. At his new school, Miles meets an adventurous prankster named Alaska who changes his life forever.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Miles Halter is young teen that had not experienced much of the world. He had no ties to friends or school. Miles decides to follow in his father's footsteps and moves to Culiver Creek in the muggy heat of Alabama. Inspired by his high school experiences, John Green's first novel is an honest portrayal of the teenage experience. This book does not promote the typical tech obsessed teen. Miles is an intelligent student and values his education. His passion for learning famous last words lends Miles to reading a lot of biographies. Quickly into his journey into a new school, Miles meets Alaska. Eccentric, beautiful, moody, and fierce Alaska. She brings him into a new group of friends that are not afraid to break the rules. He is able to juggle this new world of studying while exploring smoking, drinking, pornography, and pranking. His desire to be near Alaska as more than a friend keeps him close to a girl can never have. Young adults will find much of themselves in the experiences of Miles, like first relationships, making new friends, schoolwork, and wanting someone you cannot have.
The book has a mood that is foreboding due to the countdown. The book is broken into two parts: the before and the after. Each chapter of the book is counting down to a life changing event. The audience is left to wonder if the wonderful times will continue or will it come to an end?
There are some mature scenes in the book that are described in detail. I feel like despite the mature content, the book is important for teens because it speaks to making mistakes with the consequences and how to the search for forgiveness.


4. CREATIVE ACTIVITY

The book is separated into two sections: the before and the after. The activity I believe should be split up the same way.

Before:
The first part of the book concentrates on adventure and learning new things. One of the things that is new to Miles is pranking people. The students will plan and design a prank toward someone. The rules of the prank will be strict: no violence, no destruction, and there need to be only smiles when it ends. The students can present their prank to the class in a visual representation of their ideas. The assignment can also be done in groups to collaborate and make the harmless prank even better.

After:
Miles has a love for anyone's last words said in this life. The second portion of the book is not fun and full of adventure as the first part. With this sorrowed mood in mind, what would the student's want their last words to be and why? What can they say that would sum up the bulk of their lives to those who live?
I enjoy posting my student's work in my class or in the hallway. I would give the student's time to design a small poster of their last words to share with all of my classes.


5. RELATED RESOURCES

Looking for Alaska has had controversy over the books material and relevant to young adults. This is a great article that fights for Free Speech. The article features the author, John Green, speaking about his book and about censorship. Find it here.

• Flood, Alison. "US battle over banning Looking for Alaska continues in Kentucky." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 28 Apr. 2016. Web. 26 June 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/28/battle-keep-looking-for-alaska-kentucky-school-curriculum-john-green-ya>.

This article explains why a county in Tennessee banned Looking for Alaska. John Green also has a video posted in the article with the powerful message, "I am not a pornographer." Find it here.

• Nazaryan, Alexander. "Tennessee county bans YA novel "Looking for Alaska" because of oral sex scene: This is not Steinbeck, school officials say." NY Daily News. N.p., 09 May 2012. Web. 26 June 2017. <http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/tennessee-county-bans-ya-alaska-oral-sex-scene-not-steinbeck-school-officials-blog-entry-1.1638256>.

6. PUBLISHED REVIEW

This is a Kirkus Review over Looking for Alaska. It was originally published on March 5, 2005. It was put online June 24, 2010. Find it here.

• "LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green." Kirkus Reviews. N.p., 24 June 2010. Web. 26 June 2017. <https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-green/looking-for-alaska-2/>.