Looking for Alaska by John Green, 221 pagesOh, John Green... How is it that you're able to write complex characters dealing with complex issues so well?
Looking for Alaska focuses on Miles "Pudge" Halter, a shy kid who's obsessed with last words, as he goes to boarding school, makes some friends, gets in trouble, and pulls some pretty awesome pranks. Along the way, he meets (and totally falls for) Alaska Young, a spitfire of a girl who is funny, clever, quirky, depressed, manic, and also completely captivating. I really don't want to go any more into the plot, as there are MAJOR SPOILERS involved, but I will say that Pudge is forced to do some hard thinking on a really tough subject.
Green handles Pudge's contemplations masterfully, allowing readers to wonder and puzzle out their own feelings alongside his protagonist, never really pushing in any direction or saying that any thought or belief is right or wrong. Yes, it's murky, but when you're dealing with the BIG QUESTIONS of life, this is pretty much the only way you can handle them while respecting your reader, and Green does it perfectly here. A slightly awkward boy falling for a larger-than-life girl is a plot device that is well-worn in movies and books (and definitely in Green's books, with the exception of The Fault in Our Stars), but it works, and it doesn't feel tired in this book. This one won the Printz Prize for young adult literature, and I can see why. It's a great book; I highly recommend it.
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