Looking for Alaska
Green, J.
(2005). Looking for Alaska. New York:
Dutton.
Looking for Alaska is a modern fiction
novel about a teenaged boy named Miles Halter who, bored and unhappy with his
life in Florida decides to move to Alabama to go to the same prep school his
father did in an attempt at self-discovery.
Once there, Miles makes friends with some very colorful characters who
add elements to his life that he has yet to encounter. Included in those friends are the beautiful,
just-out-of-control, Alaska who Miles falls in love with only to lose one night
in a car accident. After her death,
Miles and friends struggle with the guilt of allowing Alaska to drive when she
was drunk and upset, not knowing if she committed suicide or if her death was
due to drunk driving. Throughout his
journey to discover the truth about Alaska’s death, readers get a glimpse of
the natural progression of Miles’ character development. Because we get to hear the story from Miles’
point-of-view, we are able to connect with his character more effectively, a
crucial quality in realistic fiction.
Last, but not least, the topics of suicide and drunk driving are major issues in schools today and something that must be talked about and dealt
with, and the fact that Green deals with both of them in this novel makes it a
great read for 9th through 12th grades.
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