Tolog Review: Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska
by John Green
reviewed by Campbell Green

Looking for Alaska is a young adult novel that will make you laugh and make you cry at the same time. John Green ties in several themes creatively weaved into this great story. Through his characters and theirs stories, Green teaches the importance of seizing the moment and never letting a moment pass by. The story begins with a young boy named Miles who is seeking “a great perhaps.” He is preparing to attend a boarding school in Alabama in hopes of find this perhaps there. His longing for “a great perhaps” is a metaphor for him seeking adventure in his life. When he arrives at school, he inevitably becomes friends with his roommate whom people call the Colonel. The Colonel introduces Miles, who is immediately called Pudge because of his skinny qualities, to the Colonel’s closest friends. He introduces Miles to Lara in hopes of them becoming a couple, and Lara instantly likes him. However, Miles has his eyes set on Alaska, the most beautiful girl he has ever seen and whom he admires for being her own person. The only problem is that Alaska already has a boyfriend who is in college and who she is madly in love with. Miles finds his great perhaps in this group of friends with their drinking, their pranks, and their personalities. When a tragic accident occurs, Miles and his friends have to figure out how to deal with it, and they have to learn how to let go.

I highly recommend this book because of the way that it keeps the reader interested the entire time, while it is simultaneously an easy read. John Green also easily lets the reader relate to the story going on, especially but not limited to teenagers. The theme of seeking out adventure and not letting it slip out of your hands is a universal one, therefore anyone can somehow relate. Green also ties in the ideas of romance, going beyond the obvious, and even a little mystery that make life that much more interesting. Throughout the entire book, the reader is left wanting more, but especially towards the end.