Looking For Alaska

Author: John Green
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 160
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reviewer: California Roll

In Looking for Alaska by John Green, winner of the Printz Award and written in 2005, Miles Halter, an awkward 16-year-old boy, gets sucked into an unforgettable journey that begins after he transfers to Culver Creek Boarding School. Miles is obsessed with knowing peoples’ last words. He fixates on memorizing them and is constantly searching for new ones. One, in particular, that jumps out at Miles is, “I go to seek my great perhaps.” At the start of the book, Miles decides that he is going to move to Culver Creek in hopes of starting over and finding his own “Great perhaps.” Little does he know he is about to embark on the most memorable and intense adventure of his life, and he is taking the reader along for the ride. It all starts when Miles is introduced to the Colonel, his roommate whose real name is Chip, and Alaska, who give him the nickname Pudge. Ultimately, they teach him how to get by, avoid trouble, smoke, drink, and have fun while attending Culver Creek. After a wild game of truth or dare involving lots of drinking, an incident occurs that becomes the point that the book revolves around. The book, which is being told in the first person by Miles, is broken into two sections composed of the events leading up to the incident and the events that follow the incident. As the reader progresses through the book, the plot escalates to the point where they are begging for more.

While reading Looking for Alaska, I found myself becoming part of the plot and being engulfed in its story. This book is easily one of the greatest books I have ever read. I recommend it to everyone, especially those who enjoy intense, exciting, and funny books. This book is a must-read that will leave the reader knowing exactly why this book deserved to win the Printz Award.

Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green
Copyright: 2005
Pages: 160
Rating: 10 out of 5 stars!
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Reviewer: Hey There Delilah
CONTENT WARNING: Some content in the book may be inappropriate for younger readers

You probably don't know Millard Filmore's last words. Miles does. In fact, memorizing last words is not only a hobby for him, but a way of life. (In case you're wondering about those last words they were: "the nourishment is palatable".) Miles is pretty much invisible at his public high school. He lives a boring, friendless life and decides to follow his father's footsteps and go to Culver Creek boarding school in Alabama. Miles claims that the reason for this is that he goes "to seek a Great Perhaps", which were another set of last words, not surprisingly. There, he meets his roommate Chip, better known as the Colonel. The Colonel immediately accepts Miles into his social circle and introduces him to Takumi. Together, the three share a hatred for the rich kids and and Miles even gets a knew nickname, Pudge (for irony). The Colonel and Takumi happened to be friends with Alaska. Drop-dead-gorgeous, smart, sassy, independent, fascinating, reckless, spontaneous Alaska. It didn't matter that she was everything Pudge wasn't, because he had completely fallen head-over-heels for her. Blindly, Alaska makes it her mission to get Pudge a girlfriend. He ends up finding a girlfriend, but he isn't over Alaska. Nevertheless, the five of them have great times together smoking, drinking and most importantly, pranking. But what happens when Alaska's drive to get out of the labyrinth goes too far and ruins everything?

I have tried writing this paragraph many times. But every single time I try to think of words worthy enough to describe how amazing I thought this book was, my mind goes blank. Mere words can't describe the tangled mix of stirred feelings inside of me when I was forced to finish the book. Other reviewers (who have found the perfect words) have called Looking for Alaska "a masterpiece, powerful, brilliant and unforgettable." And I have to say, I won't ever forget this book. Looking for Alaska was unlike any book I have read, and it stands apart from many other books in the YA Fiction category. Looking for Alaska deserved The Printz Award one hundred percent and is a book that every single young adult should read. So, I am not just recommending that you read Looking for Alaska (if you haven't already), I am urging you to stop whatever you are doing this second and go read this book right now! Yes, it is that good!

American Born Chinese

Author: Gene Luen Yang
Copyright: 2006
Pages: 235
Genre: Grapic Novel
Reviewer: The Dark Knight

Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese is a humorous, fun to read graphic novel about three totally different stories and how they relate. The first is the legendary Chinese tale of the Monkey King. Legend says that the Monkey King was sick of his puny primate form so he decied to be the most powerful monkey on the planet. He did so by mastering The Four Major Disiplines Of Invulnerability; invulnerability to fire, invulnerability to ice, invulnerability to drowning, and invulnerability to wounds. But since he wished to be the best, this was not good enough for him so he mastered The Four Major Discplines Or Bodily Form; giant form, minature form, hair-into-clones, and shapeshift. The second tale in the novel is of Jin Wang, a teenager who has adjusted to life in America and is struggling to get up the courage to ask out Amelia, the girl he is in love with. The third is the story of Danny, an American teen who is visited once a year by his foreign cousin Chin-Kee, who ruins his life. He has switched high schools three times because Chin-Kee has ruined his reputation and made him known not as Danny, but as Chin-Kee's cousin. All three of these enjoyable stories relate in a totally unpredictable way.

Although the end of American Born Chinese was extremely peculiar, all in all I really enjoyed it. I thought that it was a humorous read that included a good, meaningful story. The illustrations were exquisite as well. i thought that Luen Yang's novel was interesting from page one, in fact I read this book in less than an hour. The only flaw was how odd the ending was. It was almost awful, what I consider to be silly. Ok, so I've said enough - but if you are looking to read a short, enjoyable book, then check out Luen Yang's award winning book.