“Looking for Alaska,” by popular American novelist John Green, follows Miles Halter as he journeys through his first year at Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama.
Based on the description of the book, I was under the impression that “Looking for Alaska” would revolve around a high school romance, but the book turned out to be so much more than that.
From the beginning, it is clear that Miles isn’t your average junior in high school. He
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has a fascination with peoples’ final words before death and is obsessed with studying. He begs his parents to send him to Culver Creek because he knows that he does not fit in at the high school in his hometown.
It doesn’t take long for Miles to be welcomed into the spontaneous, adventure-filled lives of his roommate Chip Martin (also known as “the Colonel”) and the Colonel’s best friend Alaska Young.
His first night at the boarding school, Miles finds himself abducted by the rich kids of campus, the “Weekday Warriors,” and thrown into the nearby lake as part of a prank war that started long before Miles attended Culver Creek.
The Colonel, Alaska and Miles seek revenge on the Weekday Warriors.
While planning pranks and attending classes with Alaska, Miles falls in love with her. However, Alaska has a boyfriend and a painful secret about her past.
Alaska’s character was who kept me reading. She is impulsive, temperamental and passionate. It seemed that every one of Alaska’s friends knows a different part of her, and throughout the book different pieces of the puzzle are revealed.
Tragedy strikes near the end of the book, and Miles loses touch with his friends of Culver Creek. None of them know how to handle the situation and the ending leaves many questions.
Most of the time, I dislike books that leave me wondering. I like everything to be wrapped up, unless there is a sequel.
“Looking for Alaska” was different. Green made a statement by leaving some questions up to the interpretation of the reader, and I enjoyed coming up with my own answers.
The characters in the book were relatable to those in Green’s book “Paper Towns,” but the plot line is different enough that it kept me reading. Once I was a quarter of the way through the book, I couldn’t put it down.
The best part of “Looking for Alaska” was how real the characters seemed. Green’s consistency with characterization helped bring me into Culver Creek.
While college isn’t exactly like boarding school, the similarities help make “Looking for Alaska” a good read not only for teenage readers, but for anyone who craves a story about adventure and a bit of heartache.
4 stars out of 5.
