Saturday, October 23, 2010

Looking for Alaska









Book Blurb

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.

Rating

4 out of 5

Review

I am now in love with last words. The concept of writing a book around them is intriguing and fresh not at all morbid. Really well written book for a first novel. The characters are simply complex I don’t know how else to explain it. They are not stereotypes but you can relate to them in a broad way. The Colonel, Pudge, Lara and Takumi all loved Alaska she was special to each. She seemed to inspire people in a way that only some people can. As most people in the book I both love and hated Alaska Young. She was full of life but so deeply confused and she could wreck a mood in seconds. Pudge was well dull but likeable. His character was very pliable and easy to manipulate which was perfect for the narrator. He could only tell the story through “fresh eyes” everyone else had too much baggage!! It really made me want to try a bufriedo, go to a boarding school, and pull pranks. I would even go back to high school again to do it. This novel has mature themes and should really be high school or really mature 8th grader who’s parents have read the book and ok’ed it. This book is highly reviewed, won many book awards including the Printz, has two songs written about it (see below) and has been challenged. I love challenged books!! I can only hope I have great ones and can navigate the labyrinth.




Quotes (So Many Goods Ones I have split it into two sections.)

Two Biggies

“I go to seek a Great Perhaps”- Miles quoting Rabelais

“How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?”- Alaska quoting Simón Bolivar

Just so John Green

“All right. The snow may be falling in the winter of my discontent but at least I’ve got sarcastic company. Sit down, will ya?” - Alaska

“So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.”- Miles

“But Lord, ‘subverting the patriarchal paradigm’—it’s like she wrote the speech.” –The Eagle

Looking for theme music!

Looking for Alaska by Hank Green (John’s Brother)

Alaska by Blue Skies

Read Alikes

Someday this pain will be useful to you by Peter Cameron-- Eighteen-year-old James living in New York City with his older sister and divorced mother struggles to find a direction for his life.

Thirteen reasons why by Jay Asher-- When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

Nick and Norah's infinite playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan -- High school student Nick O'Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart.





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