Fiction for Teens

Miles “Pudge” Halter is obsessed with last words. He leaves home to attend a boarding school in Alabama hoping to find the “Great Perhaps,” mentioned in the last words of the poet Francois Rabelais. On arrival at Culver Creek, he meets the clever, witty and mysterious Alaska Young, who together search for the “Great Perhaps” and puzzle over the last words of Simon Bolivar, “How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?” As he learns more about Alaska, he delves deeper into her past and what it really means to her to find the way out of the labyrinth.

Looking for Alaska is separated into two sections, “before” and “after,” with the reader in the dark about what the event the countdown is for. Sometimes I was eager to get to the middle of the book, however sometimes I really wanted the action to get started there and then. Yes, there are some minor events going on in the first half, but until the middle of the book it feels like you are just waiting around for something to happen.

The characters were interesting and likeable and it felt as if you really got to know them. If you have read The Fault in Our Stars then you will know that Green’s characters are generally funny and have that extra edge.

So, will I be reading more John Green books? Hmm. I don’t know. I will have to visit my library and see what else he has written and if it appeals to me. Have any questions about the book? Then be sure to leave a comment!