Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green 
Published: March 3rd, 2005
Publisher: Puffin
Pages: 221
Challenge: 100+ Reading Challenge
Other: NA
Buy the book: Bookdepository


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 Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. 

After reading John's collaboration novel with David Levithan in Will Grayson, Will Grayson, I thought it was time for me to read some books of him that he wrote alone. I started off with Looking for Alaska, which was named a favorite with a lot of people.

The book tells us about how Miles transfers to Culver Creek, where he meets the Colonel and Alaska Young. Miles instantly falls for Alaska, but she's involved with someone else, so instead, he spends his time staring at her and fooling around with the pranking that the Colonel, Alaska and Takumi seem to have made a profession of.

Looking for Alaska is beautifully written, funny, witty and touched my heart while reading it. I love how John is able to make the characters so smart without making me feel stupid for not knowing the things they know.

Personally, I missed some closure in the end, but when I look back at it, I don't think it's supposed to give real closure. Some things you will just never know.

My overall rating:


Four stars for Fudge, The Colonel and Alaska. An excellent debut.