book review on looking for alaska

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Looking for alaska, common sense media reviewers.

book review on looking for alaska

Teens process tragic loss in thought-provoking novel.

Looking for Alaska Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

This book is on many school reading lists; teacher

Looking for Alaska will give older teens a lot to

Even though the main characters often behave badly

A fatal car wreck, a possible suicide, and a chara

Most of the teen characters have lost their virgin

Occasional strong language, including "ass," "s--t

Fast food restaurants, soda brands mentioned.

Lots of underage drinking, fake IDs, drunkenness a

Parents need to know that John Green's Looking for Alaska won the Michael J. Printz Award and many other literary awards. It's the story of a group of fun-loving, rule-breaking teens who are rocked by a tragedy and must process the grief and loss. There's lots of sex (descriptions of heavy kissing,…

Educational Value

This book is on many school reading lists; teachers interested in adding it to their curriculum can find a thorough discussion guide on the publisher's website. Teachers and parents can use Green's novel as a way to talk about big issues, such as loss and growing up, or explore the book's literary language or unusual structure to talk about the art of writing.

Positive Messages

Looking for Alaska will give older teens a lot to think about, most obviously about loss and what it means to journey into a "Great Perhaps." When it comes to guilt and grief, it's important to forgive not only others but also ourselves. People deal with loss and responsibility in different ways.

Positive Role Models

Even though the main characters often behave badly, readers will respond to the realistic teens here who come together to face a devastating loss. Also, every adult is warm, caring, and intelligent: The parents, the teachers, the local cop -- even the requisite rigid disciplinarian who enforces the rules at school is not clueless, has a sense of humor, and cares deeply about the students.

Violence & Scariness

A fatal car wreck, a possible suicide, and a character has gruesome dreams about the wreck and its aftermath. Cruel pranks are played on Miles and the other characters as well that often result in plans for revenge.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Most of the teen characters have lost their virginity, and there are some descriptions of heavy kissing, oral sex, groping, references to masturbation, erections, making out, watching pornography, etc. Author John Green has described the frank sex scene as "wholly unerotic," especially in contrast to the book's next more intimate (but less graphic) encounter.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Occasional strong language, including "ass," "s--t," and f--k," in realistic teen dialogue.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Lots of underage drinking, fake IDs, drunkenness and hangovers, drunk driving, etc., but it's alcohol is not glamorized. Nor is the constant smoking or references to marijuana.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that John Green's Looking for Alaska won the Michael J. Printz Award and many other literary awards. It's the story of a group of fun-loving, rule-breaking teens who are rocked by a tragedy and must process the grief and loss. There's lots of sex (descriptions of heavy kissing, oral sex, groping, references to masturbation, erections, making out, watching pornography), drinking, strong language (including "s--t" and f--k"), and smoking, including of marijuana, but nothing is gratuitous or glamorized. It all illuminates character and theme. This award-winning book is considered a modern classic and is on many high school reading lists. It can help both teachers and parents talk about loss, friendship, and the importance of self-discovery.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

  • Parents say (46)
  • Kids say (207)

Based on 46 parent reviews

Everyone should read this!

It's really not as shocking as people think it is, what's the story.

In LOOKING FOR ALASKA, Miles, tired of his friendless, dull life in Florida, convinces his parents to send him away to boarding school in Alabama so that he can seek "the Great Perhaps." There he meets his roommate and soon-to-be best friend, Chip, called the Colonel, and Alaska Young, the moody, gorgeous, wild girl who instantly becomes the object of his lust. Miles is quickly enlisted in their war against the Weekday Warriors, the rich kids who go home every weekend, and they bond over elaborate pranks, studying, and assorted rule-breaking. About halfway through the book a tragedy occurs, and those left spend the rest of the book trying to make sense of it, to solve the mystery it leaves behind, and to pull off one last, greatest-ever prank.

Is It Any Good?

This coming-of-age novel is gorgeously written, passionate, hilarious, moving, thought-provoking, character-driven, and literary. It deserves all the awards it's won. The characters may often behave badly, but they are vividly real, complex, and beautifully drawn -- and their stories can help readers start dealing with some big topics, like self-discovery and loss. Looking for Alaska is a hard one to put down. Since new chapters don't start on new pages, there's always a temptation to read just a little bit further. For the first half at least, readers will be grinning all the way -- and in the end, they will be moved, maybe even to tears.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the mature content iin Looking for Alaska, including a frank sex scene. Do you think including it was essential to the story? What does it tell readers about the characters?

What does Miles mean when he goes off to boarding school in search of what 16th-century French author Francois Rabelais called "the Great Perhaps"? Do we all need to go on a similar search to discover ourselves?

Why do you think Looking for Alaska has often turned up on the American Library Association's Most Frequently Challenged book list? Why do you think it remains so popular with teens years after it was originally published?

Book Details

  • Author : John Green
  • Genre : Coming of Age
  • Topics : Friendship , High School
  • Book type : Fiction
  • Publisher : Dutton Children's Books
  • Publication date : February 5, 2006
  • Number of pages : 221
  • Last updated : March 3, 2020

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Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Title: Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green

Genre: Contemporary YA

Publisher: Speak/ HarperCollins Children’sBooks (UK) Publication date: March 2005/ July 2006 (UK) Paperback: 272 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

book review on looking for alaska

First drink, first prank, first friend, first girl, last words! A poignant and moving crossover novel about making friends and growing up from American author, John Green. Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words — and tired of his safe, boring and rather lonely life at home. He leaves for boarding school filled with cautious optimism, 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. Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another.

Why did I read the book: John Green is right now, one of my favorite writers.

How did I get the book: Bought.

I don’t know how to write this review. I don’t think I was really prepared for this book even though I read all of John Green’s books; ironically, I read this one last, but this is actually his first and all I have to say about this is: REALLY? This is John Green’s first book? Holy $£%^! Expletives aside, I was expecting something I didn’t get, but what I got was so much better. This is probably his most serious and thoughtful book which is to say a lot, because all of his books are to some extent, serious and thoughtful. It is also a painful book to read but I didn’t know how much until the halfway mark when BAM, surprise, surprise and this is partly what makes this review a difficult one to write because Looking for Alaska is a book that can’t be spoiled and I therefore, can’t discuss some parts of the story the way I would have wanted – but I believe this is for the Ultimate Good because this is a Wonderful Book!

Are these Grandiose Exclamations with Capital Letters really a necessity, you might be asking yourself, to wit, I say, yes, yes they are and they are actually quite fitting as well, given as how this book deals with the meaning of life, with guilt and grief, with last words and first loves; all from the point of view of Miles Halter, 16 year old, a skinny, nerdy guy. He is friendless, lonely, and his greatest quirk is to read biographies in search of last words. François Rabelais’s is:

“I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” and is in search of his Great Perhaps that Miles decides to attend the Culver Creek Boarding School where he hopes to start anew. There he makes friends with his roommate Chip, aka “the Colonel” (who immediately starts calling Miles, Pudge) , a guy named Takumi and their best friend, a girl called Alaska Young. Alaska is the wild, beautiful, intelligent, moody, mysterious, unattainable girl whom Miles falls irrevocably in love with.

The book is divided between Before and After and I did not know (for a change I went in completely unspoiled) what is going to be the pivotal point of divide until it hits but there is an inescapable sense of dread as the days pass, building the After. The event is indeed calamitous and it’s only when it happens that the different between the Before and After becomes oh, so clear. The Before is made up of routine, of monotony, of mundane happenings: kids going to classes, coming up with pranks, drinking, smoking, doing stupid things, hooking up and talking to each other about Stuff like Simón Bolívar’s last words:

‘How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!” So what’s the labyrinth?’ I asked her… That’s the mystery, isn’t it? Is the labyrinth living or dying? Which is he trying to escape- the world or the end of it?”

This “labyrinth” becomes a central discussion encompassing all characters at one point, when the After comes. That’s when the book loses the mundane and reaches the momentous. And it is a grave, serious, painful and genuine journey until we are able to close the book.

I loved Miles because I recognised quite a bit of my teenage self in him. This sense of knowing exactly how certain things are and feel is definitely a plus when trying to understand a character. Even though Alaska is not a favourite (Too moody? Too mysterious? Too fantastic? ) , I can certainly get why Miles would fall in love with her so easily and so abruptly because I know how some people have a certain gravitational field that entrance others. But in any case, I don’t think that the book is about Alaska any more than Paper Towns was about Margo Roth Spiegelman. The girls are mirrors or windows from which to observe the boy-narrator’s lives and this is perhaps my greatest criticisms: that the girls are more out of this world, impossible realities that serve more as plot-propeller than concrete characters in themselves. I am sure some will disagree with me, but this is how I felt about both Margo Roth Spiegelman and Alaska Young and to some extent I feel these girls deserved more. BUT and this is a great but, as I said before the books ARE more about how these two influence and touch the guys’ lives so my point might as well be moot.

John Green’s prose is insanely good writing because it is the kind of writing that creeps in little by little and it’s like I start reading a paragraph and it seems like any regular paragraph in the world of books, until I reach its end and then it hits me and I realise that there is more beauty in one single paragraph of a John Green book than in entire book collections out there.

But what makes John Green’s books wonderful books to me is the fact that I think about them, about the decisions and revelations and lines for hours and days in a row. Sometimes, I forget the name of the characters, sometimes, I forget the details of the stories, but I have yet to forget the ideas and the meaning and the feelings that I felt when I read his books. I remember laughing until my belly ached with An Abundance of Katherines or daydreaming about connectivity after reading Paper Towns and I am sure I will keep on thinking about the last words of this book for a long, long time.

At one point, Miles thinks (with regards to 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.

And I think this is an apt way of describing John Green’s books as well. Most books are drizzle but John Green’s are totally hurricanes.

Notable Quotes/Parts: Some wonderful quotes from the book:

What the hell is instant? Nothing is instant. Instant rice takes five minutes, instant pudding an hour. I doubt that an instant of blinding pain feels particularly instantaneous.
We were kissing. I thought: This is good. I thought: I am not bad at this kissing. Not bad at all. I thought: I am clearly the greatest kisser in the history of the universe. Suddenly she laughed and pulled away from me. She wiggled a hand out of her sleeping bag and wiped her face. “You slobbered on my nose,” she said, and laughed.

Additional Thoughts:I have the honour and the pleasure to say that tomorrow we will post an article written by John Green for our blog on the inspirations and ideas behind writing Paper Towns and, courtesy of Bloosmbury PLC, we will have 15 copies of that book to giveaway. Make sure to come back tomorrow!

Verdict: Looking for Alaska is another fantastic John Green book and that means that there is a lot of food for thought, a great narrator, and the usual, great writing that I have come to expect from this author.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: Seth Baumgartner’s Love Manifesto by Eric Luper

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Ana Grilo is a Brazilian who moved to the UK because of the weather. No, seriously. She works with translations in RL and hopes one day The Book Smugglers will be her day job. When she’s not here at The Book Smugglers, she is hogging our Twitter feed.

20 Comments

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I have always wanted one John Green’s books and it will be awesome if I get one.

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This was also my last (as in ‘latest’) John Green, and the one that I loved most unreservedly. I hadn’t realized that it was his first, in which case, *agog* Also, it shattered my grumpy little heart.

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i’m so unbelievably happy that you loved this book as much as i did.

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You already know how I feel about the guy and his books.

But I read this one after I read (and loved) AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES and it still blew me away. I mean, wow. I loved it so much. Can’t read the end without tearing up. In a very good way.

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I have to agree with you on this one. John Green has a way of building a story that seems so ordinary but the end result is infuriatingly brilliant.

Looking for Alaska is a wonderful novel. I’m happy to see a positive review.

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One of my all time favorite books. ^.^ Brilliant

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lisa (the little reader)

i just finished reading this, my first John Greene, novel last month and still haven’t managed to write a review for it. i don’t even know where to begin. i did enjoy it, but not in a pleasant way, and i think that’s where i’ve had a hard time with it. i’ll get there, but your review really did hit a lot of it square on the head.

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I have had this book on my radar for a long time. I believe my library has it and will be in my next library loot! Thanks for reminding me to read it!!!! 😀

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Tyler_Hendu

I really loved this book until alaska had to die!!! 😡 😡

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this book no has review of chapters 🙁

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Chastine Denise Perkins

I read Looking for alaska my sophmore year in high school and now i have a copy that is falling apart on me. I absoulutly love to read it. john green uses so much imagery and symbolism. there are things hidden between the pages that i find more wonderful each time i read it. there is a lesson to be learned from alaska and pudge, life is a mystery and can end at any second so live you life to the fullest cause it can change in a blink. 😯

Looking for Alaska: Therein Lies the Paradox | Hardcovers and Heroines

[…] Book Smuggler Review […]

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http://lorxiebookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/looking-for-alaska-by-john-green.html i love JOHN GREEN

Looking for Alaska by John Green « The Lemon-Squash Book Club

[…] To read The Examiner’s review of Looking for Alaska, click here.  And read The Book Smugglers review here. […]

Looking for Alaska by John Green | wrapped up in books

[…] The Book Smugglers: ”The girls are mirrors or windows from which to observe the boy-narrator’s lives and this is perhaps my greatest criticisms: that the girls are more out of this world, impossible realities that serve more as plot-propeller than concrete characters in themselves…John Green’s prose is insanely good writing because it is the kind of writing that creeps in little by little.” […]

Looking for Alaska (2005)? by John Green « The Lemon-Squash Book Club

[…] Examiner’s review of Looking for Alaska, click here. And read The Book Smugglers ?review here. ? Extras Check out below to see John Green’s video regarding the controversy over Looking […]

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I liked the book too – I remember reading the quote ‘I go to seek a great perhaps’ somewhere on the internet and never knew that I would end up buying this book. My thoughts on the book: http://www.booksandalotmore.com/2017/06/26/death-looking-alaska-john-green/

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yurbookstore

Wowww…I finally read the book after reading your Review.Thank you so much.. 🙂 Here have a look at the other Book’s of John Green Here: https://goo.gl/NqLuqw

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Looking for Alaska By John Green Book Review: What Is The Way Out Of The Labyrinth?

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book review on looking for alaska

The story in Looking for Alaska is set in a time when everyone is building their self-image, identity, dreams, and love lives – high school. John Green introduces us to Miles Halter, who is the unreliable narrator of this story (But, as you know, the story revolves around our heroine, Alaska) He remembers the last words of famous people – that is his ‘thing’. And unlike Francois Rabelais, whose last words are ‘ I go to seek a Great Perhaps ‘, he does not want to wait till the end of his life to see his Great Perhaps. 

So he goes to Culver Creek – a boarding school like every other boarding school. There is cigarettes, truth & dare, pranks, parents who are cool, parents who don’t get it, the warden (The Eagle, as we know him), and the students in two rival groups (Weekday Warriors and those who stay 24*7 in the school).  

One particular line that I loved about the Weekday Warriors: “ They love their hair because they’re not smart enough to love something more interesting .” The pleasures of hating in teenage envy are apparent.  

The relatability is why the story works. 

At Culver Creek, our narrator, Miles, turns into Pudge, a nickname his roommate, Chip (or as he is called, The Colonel) gives him. Pudge quickly becomes a part of Colonel’s group consisting of Takumi, a Japanese kid with a Southern accent, and Alaska, who is the “ hottest girl in all of human history ”. Miles is new to the Alabama sun, the hostel, and the women. 

The reader is introduced to the heroine of our story, Alaska Young. As a character, she is predictable. I would go as far as to say that she is typical. She is moody, spontaneous, secretive, bookish, feminist, has a tough past. She is flirty, dreamy, and unavailable. The only detail that I absolutely adored about her was the fact that she had named herself when she was young. 

As it is clear, I wasn’t particularly fond of Alaska. Like Miles himself, I only saw parts of her, liked only certain aspects of her personality, and did not seem to “get” the whole package. But I like unlikeable characters in a book. I like being made uncomfortable about still empathizing with them, still understanding them. That is exactly what Looking for Alaska does. In her own words, “ You never get me, that’s the whole point. ”

‘Looking for Alaska’ becomes more than just a teen drama when Alaska dies. I was a fan of the narrative when the big story-turn happens in the middle (The separation of Before and After ) because, usually, these big turns are safely taken either at the end of the novel or right upfront at the beginning. 

Everyone ponders Alaska’s death, including the readers. Everyone ponders about her assignment topic question about what truly is the labyrinth and what is the way out: “ That’s the mystery, isn’t it? Is the labyrinth living or dying? Which is he trying to escape- the world or the end of it?” These words of Simon Bolivar are Alaska’s final questions to Pudge and to us. 

And Pudge answers it. All the readers get a Crash Course (see what I did there?) on Eastern Religion and the answers it provides. He gets an epiphany at Takumi’s confession, which is as truthful as it is heartbreaking, “ If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions. But we can’t know better until knowing better is useless “. They could not know better. They wish they did. The irony is consistent and sits well. Pudge will never know Alaska’s last words. He will never know if she chose to end her life or if it was an accident that they could’ve avoided. He will have to sit with these questions and the uncertainty of everything all his life. 

But the only way out of the labyrinth is to forgive. And Alaska would’ve forgiven them. 

But the Easter Religion epiphany, although impactful, was quick, shallow, and exotic. Another thing that never added up was why Jake, Alaska’s boyfriend, wasn’t at her funeral. It doesn’t make sense. 

Looking for Alaska has also been criticized for only being made for a teen mind – when everything is big, everyone wants to seem smart & worldly, all decisions are impulsive & irrational. It can come off as many years far behind to someone older. But that is what literature is supposed to do: make you feel like a teenager again, make you nostalgic for all of your dumb decisions, make you remember all of the things that seemed big then (and maybe they were big, you know?). 

For me, John Green entices that feeling perfectly. His literature (and videos) stay with me for days on end. I forget the plot, the characters, the narrative, but the emotions stay with me. The meaning stays with me. The questions stay with me. On sudden random cloudy Wednesday afternoons, I dwell on the sentences of John Green. Take one, for instance, “ Imagining the future is kind of like living in a nostalgia ” – actually spoken by Green’s wife . 

In Looking For Alaska, I felt the angst, the frustration, the joys, the worries, the amusements, and the being of being a teenager. By the end, I felt as if someone (someone being John Green’s writing) had poked a hole in my heart. 

I usually hate books and movies that end with questions. I detest unreliable narrators like Miles Halter. But this book has made me sit with the big questions , taught me to be comfortable with having them with me all along. 

Because I still don’t know my way out of the labyrinth. 

Find this book on Amazon here .

PS: Big thanks to Prakhar for gifting me this book. 

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book review on looking for alaska

Book Review

Looking for alaska.

  • Coming-of-Age

book review on looking for alaska

Readability Age Range

  • Dutton Children's Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Reader's Group
  • 2006 Michael L. Printz Award and an ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Year Published

Looking for Alaska by John Green has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

Miles (Pudge) Halter goes to boarding school in search of the “great perhaps,” — a phrase attributed to French humanist Francois Rabelais about discovering the possibilities of life beyond the present — along with his new classmates Chip (the Colonel) Martin, Takumi and beautiful but troubled Alaska. Alaska spends most of her free time drinking, smoking and musing. She is legendary for instigating pranks against the school’s rich kids and leadership. But one night after a prank and a drinking binge with Pudge and the gang, Alaska crashes her car and dies. Alaska’s friends spend the rest of the book trying to piece together the events of that night, to forgive themselves for not stopping her and to understand what really happens to someone after death.

Christian Beliefs

While Dr. Hyde, the aging world religions teacher, doesn’t provide false information about Christ and Christianity, he gives a textbook presentation, empty of any discussion about Christ’s power to restore broken lives. He also places Christianity on a level playing field with Islam and Buddhism. When Pudge’s school competes against a Christian school’s basketball team, the Christians do a “hellfire” cheer, and Pudge and friends yell out faith-mocking comments from the bleachers.

Other Belief Systems

Pudge and friends study Buddhism and Islam alongside Christianity in their world religions class.

Authority Roles

Pudge’s parents support his desire to attend boarding school. His father (an alumnus of the school) even helps him pull a prank on the faculty. Mr. Starnes (the dean of students, known to Pudge’s crew as The Eagle) allows a student jury to mete out punishment. Mr. Starnes is the subject of many pranks but remains fairly good-natured about them. He displays deep, genuine sorrow when Alaska dies, even though she was one of his worst troublemakers. Dr. Hyde gains the respect of Pudge and others with his philosophical explanations of religious leaders and the afterlife. For his class final, he asks each student to use his newly enlightened mind to determine how he, personally, will escape what Alaska had always called the “labyrinth of suffering.”

Profanity & Violence

The teenagers’ dialogue is littered with the f-word and s—, as well as other, milder profanities. The bulk of their discussions rapidly turn crass and/or sexual.

Sexual Content

When everyone else is gone for Thanksgiving, Alaska and Pudge ransack people’s rooms in search of porn. Alaska, a self-proclaimed sex addict, tells the guys a story about getting her breast “honked” and provides Pudge’s girlfriend with graphic instructions on how to give him oral sex (which the girl promptly does). While dating another guy, Alaska makes out with Pudge. Pudge obsesses over Alaska’s body. Prior to meeting her, however, he confesses that he wouldn’t care who his girlfriend was as long as he had someone to make out with.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

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Looking for Alaska by John Green - review

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars was what won me over. He was different, fresh and knew how to put a new spin on books based on teenage life without landing them straight in the cliché category. His debut novel, Looking For Alaska, is a showcase to the raw talent John Green has, the kind of talent that can make you close the crisp last page of a novel and come out as a different person.

Looking For Alaska cannot be merely written off as a typical boy-meets-girl love story, because it isn't. It's more of a tale of how love isn't as translucent as it seems.

Miles Halter or "Pudge" as he is referred to throughout the book, is the protagonist, and the book starts with Miles leaving Florida to attend a school in Alabama. He's introduced by his roommates to beautiful, mysterious and emotionally confused Alaska Young, and the story progresses, mostly centered around Miles' life at Culver Creek and his growing attachment to Alaska. There are also essential parts of teenage life thrown in casually and skillfully to the story, such as pranks, bets and disastrous parties.

The beauty of the book is that it doesn't hide anything. It showcases what young love and growing up really are in a brutal and honest light. How the characters communicate, their relationships with each other, their pasts and the pleasure that comes with being a bad kid shine through the pages. Why I prefer John Green's debut novel to his other ones is because he's made no effort to make it an appropriate and proper book. You might not weep buckets like most people did at the end of The Fault in Our Stars, but you'll get attached to Miles and Alaska, just as they do to each other.

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“Looking for Alaska” by John Green: Is it Worth the Read?

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Image: Looking for Alaska book cover

Sydney Williams , Opinions Editor March 1, 2022

“How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering? -A. Y.’’ A question that the author John Green has his audience asking themselves through the entirety of his young adult novel, “Looking for Alaska.”   

The novel had me scratching my brain trying to figure out Alaska’s ambiguous personality and use of pretentious metaphors. I enjoy reading books that have a good easy message to read, but upon looking deeper, a more meaningful message is revealed. This book did just that. The short 221-page book was amazingly fast paced, and the ending is left up to the audience’s interpretations. I thought that reading from Miles, the protagonists, point of view was very enjoyable, and the audience was able to start to understand who Alaska was at the climax of the book.   

John Green’s novel follows Pudge, a high school student who just moved from Florida to attend a boarding school in Alabama. Along with his group of new friends throughout their difficult junior year of high school. The group of friends: Pudge, Colonel, Alaska, and Takumi, are faced with many deep topics that a lot of highschoolers must deal with.   

The novel has many dark themes like death, and the meaning of life. Pudge has a fascination for knowing famous people’s last words. This unusual interest is what drew in Pudge’s new friends at his new school. From the beginning of the book, Pudge expresses that he is looking for his “great perhaps.” This is later explained as finding his meaning of life.   

Although Alaska’s part in the book is short, her character left a lasting impact on me and how I now view the world. Alaska was somehow both optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. She shared her stories with her friends and that made me feel close to her. She was able to romanticize her life so easily and enjoyed looking to the future, even though she didn’t see the point of her life. From an early age, Alaska was able to be her own person, and she was, and I admire that.  

John Green uses many quotes in this novel that are still flooding my brain. His writing was beautiful and there were many times when reading that I had to close the book and take a deep breath. One of my favorite quotes written was on page 220, “When adults say, ‘teenagers think they are invincible’ with that sly, stupid smile on their face, they don’t know how right they are. We need never be hopeless because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are.”  

Many people on Goodreads have praised this book, giving it a rating of four out of five stars. One Goodreads reviewer giving the book five stars said “ This is what I call an amazing book. It was nothing less than I expected John Green to write .”  

Critics seemed to think that John greens novel “the Fault in Our stars” was better written than “Looking for Alaska.” Some reviewers on Goodreads agreed with the critics, and it seems that readers that read “the Fault in Our Stars” first, liked “Looking for Alaska” less.   

This book has become one of my favorites and reminds me of a modern-day classic. Since reading this book, I have recommended it to many of my close friends, all of which have said they loved the book as much as I did. “Looking for Alaska” is a novel that everyone should read at least once in their life.   

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Book Review For Teens: John Green Looking for Alaska

Book on table Looking For Alaska by John Green

New York Times best selling author John Green was awarded the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award for Looking for Alaska . Our reviewer, New York Times best selling author, Jamie Ford ( Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet ) and his daughter, Madi, tell you why it’s a must read.

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TEEN REVIEW |  By Madi Ford

Earlier this year, I read John Green’s, The Fault in Our Stars, and I loved it (though I was somewhat mad because I didn’t think anyone could be as wonderful and perfect as Augustus Waters in real life, though a part of me is still hoping…)

So, when my dad asked me to choose a book for this review, I sought Green’s first book, Looking for Alaska , which turned out to be a good choice for any teenager (or even adult) as it deals with universal questions of love,  friendship, truth and the unknown areas in between.

The story follows Miles (Pudge) as he attempts to reinvent himself at a new school, with new friends and new experiences (smoking, drinking, dating). But he gets more than he bargained for when he meets Alaska Young, with her witty charm and too-good-to-be-true carefree attitude.

I loved how the book continued after Alaska’s mysterious death. There was so much more to feel at that point. It left Miles and all of Alaska’s friends lost and confused, struggling without closure, questioning who she really was.

Also, the “not so” PG rating gives a believable feel to the book. Unexpected plot twists pull you in. As do the numbering of the chapters, which are a countdown that hint to some big event toward the end.

As a teen, I could relate to Looking for Alaska because the characters felt real. And while the book drew me in emotionally, the story still had a sense of humor that speaks to readers my age.

Although the book reaches from suspense to sadness, I enjoyed every moment.

PARENT REVIEW |  By Jamie Ford

After hearing such favorable (okay, gushing) reviews of John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars , I picked it up, sat on the couch and read the first chapter out loud to my wife. I was hooked. She was too. Three hours and a box of Kleenex later, we sat there in awe. We both loved that book! So much so that I didn’t want to read another John Green book for a while. I just wanted to wallow in the deep emotion of that story. But then, I was asked to review Green’s first novel, Looking for Alaska , with my daughter, Madi. She picked it up, devoured it and placed it in my care.

Alaska reads as satisfying as The Fault because it delivers in the same way. It has likeable (okay, adorable) characters. It has dialogue that’s honest, funny and charmingly vulnerable, and an emotional gut-punch that leaves you haunted for days.

In Looking for Alaska , we find ourselves looking for solace and acceptance through the eyes of Miles Halter. Miles leaves his home and friendless existence in Florida to attend Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama. A teen infatuated with the last words of famous dead people, Miles goes, as the late Francois Rabelai once said, “to seek a Great Perhaps.”

That Great Perhaps befriends him in the form of Alaska Young, a wild, impulsive, self-destructive girl who seems to love all, despite a heart broken by familial tragedy. Miles is smitten. Beyond smitten—he is quietly gobsmacked in love with Alaska, even as he dates another girl and Alaska professes her love elsewhere.

Magically, and painfully, the two share a tender, drunken, confessional moment and Alaska promises, “To be continued?” Miles agrees, while their lips are still touching, and he lets her go, for a moment that becomes a lifetime.

Looking for Alaska is a journey of self-discovery that explores true understanding, forgiveness, and eventually, the idea of love itself. If one loves another, if one feels strongly enough, can the aggregate of those emotions become a sum greater than the original? Can loving someone satisfy never truly knowing them? If those are the answers you’re looking for, you’ll find them in Looking for Alaska .

Jamie Ford, the best-selling novelist of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

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Review: ‘Looking For Alaska’ but Finding Talky Teens

Hulu’s adaptation of the John Green novel hits familiar story beats but feels hollow.

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By Margaret Lyons

The novel “Looking For Alaska,” by John Green, was published in 2005, and that same year Josh Schwartz, the creator of “The O.C.,” signed on to write and direct a feature adaptation.

Then 14 years went by. Green wrote and co-wrote six other books, including the huge hit “The Fault In Our Stars,” and he amassed a tremendous vlog audience. Schwartz finished “The O.C.,” created “Chuck” and co-created “Gossip Girl” and half a dozen other shows with Stephanie Savage. YA literature gained a broader level of cultural respect, and teen TV conquered new genres and platforms — thanks in part to Green and Schwartz and Savage themselves.

And now the long-awaited “Looking For Alaska” adaptation has finally come to be, not as a feature film but as an eight-episode mini-series on Hulu, born into a world it already helped shape. It’s a new show, but somehow not.

The story, inspired by Green’s own high school experience, is intact: Miles Halter (Charlie Plummer) is restless in his hometown and heads off to boarding school seeking adventure, but the kind of adventure that anxious nerds seek — mostly adventurous reading and maybe a prank or two. He immediately befriends his roommate, known as The Colonel ( Denny Love ), The Colonel’s friend Takumi (Jay Lee ) and their friend Alaska (Kristine Froseth ).

The series is structured around a “before” and “after” storytelling device, first deployed in the show’s opening moments: A catastrophic car crash looms, and the show counts the days leading up to it and the days that come after . Though the crash is the turning point of the story, it doesn’t come until quite late in the season, which feels like a lot of “before.” Though I guess that’s how befores often feel.

Alaska is special, because girls in stories like this are always special. She’s a wannabe Rayanne Graff with a book collection, the girl who feels more and needs more and has more secrets, who’s “bad” but in the best ways, who knows things about sex and alcohol. The volatility is part of the draw.

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'Looking for Alaska' isn't the book you read as a teen — and it's not trying to be

'Looking for Alaska' isn't the book you read as a teen — and it's not trying to be

Fourteen years is a long time to wait for a screen adaptation of your favorite book, but that's how long fans of John Green's Looking for Alaska — including creator Josh Schwartz — waited.

Schwartz first optioned Green's manuscript before it published in 2005, seeing it as a feature film (before the golden age of television and books being adapted into miniseries). Over a decade later, he and writing partner Stephanie Savage are now the creative duo behind Looking for Alaska on Hulu, an eight-part miniseries adapting and expanding upon the events of Green's debut novel. Alaska is the story of Miles "Pudge" Halter (Charlie Plummer), who goes to boarding school to satisfy his craving for adventure, and finds that and more in the company of new friends Chip "The Colonel" Martin (Denny Love), Takumi (Jay Lee), and Alaska (Kristine Froseth).

It's not a complicated premise, but it was mostly omitted from the show's promotional materials until September's full trailer (which is deliberately misleading to avoid spoilers). Nothing prior to that even hinted at boarding school, booze, mischief, or anything about the characters beyond a glimpse and a name, if that. The novel’s fan base has widened significantly since publication, thanks to Green’s own success with The Fault in Our Stars , but not opening up the story felt like a way to shut out nonreaders.

Luckily, the miniseries format suits Alaska , giving characters and subplots from the book additional room to breathe (and for readers and nonreaders alike to connect with them). The Colonel gets almost a whole episode of extra shenanigans, and the school's subculture of prank wars and class tension takes center stage in a whole new way. Notably, the show stays in 2005, but instead of opting for a timeless aesthetic, it's pumped full of early-2000s visual and audio cues that jar more than enhance the experience. There are multiple puka-shell necklaces, a CD audiobook of The Da Vinci Code , and not one but two instances of Kelis' "Milkshake" (one is a cover, and your jaw will drop when you hear it). Schwartz and Savage thrive in this era, the time when they worked on hits like The O.C. and Gossip Girl , and you can feel their comfort in returning to it.

There’s an enormous amount of pressure that comes in casting something as beloved as Alaska (historically, John Green fans cannot and will not accept that the author doesn’t cast every film independently by 3-D printing his imagination), but early interviews with Plummer and Froseth revealed two young people who fell in love with the source material like so many before them and were hell-bent on doing it justice.

Froseth makes her case within seconds, and it is air tight. She may not match Alaska’s physical description, but she embodies the girl’s haunting, chaotic energy. Now less of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (waiting 14 years to adapt something does have its cultural perks) and more visibly vacillating between her own mental health extremes, she paints a picture of Alaska that I couldn’t see when I was 17.

Here is someone trying so hard to be cool, even if she’s not conforming to her contemporaries’ affluent or asinine interpretations of the word. She is trying to be smarter, more well-read, more artfully dressed, more sexually proficient, to feel some sense of control in the world as even momentary respite from her demons. Froseth’s eyes are a force to be reckoned with, simultaneously magnetic and inviting, yet crying out almost audibly in pain.

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Against that kind of performance, it’s harder for Plummer to make an impression (you might say he's drizzle, and she's a hurricane). Book Pudge isn’t overtly confident, but he’s not as timid as Plummer’s version, an artistic decision perhaps implemented to make Pudge’s fixation on Alaska more palatable. Initially, it has the opposite effect, teetering on creepy, but recovers after the first episode. Without Pudge's constant inner monologue, it's impossible to know that he's as fascinated by Alaska's moodiness and intellect as he is undeniably attracted to her. The show pushes him directly toward Lara (Sofia Vassilieva), who despite having more material still operates clearly as a distraction from the girl he couldn’t get.

The supporting cast is no slouch. Love nails the brainy and sarcastic Colonel, a role that certainly wouldn't have gone to a black actor when the book came out and for which he is resoundingly the best and only choice. Likewise, Lee brings unquantifiable coolness to Takumi. This Is Us darling Ron Cephas Jones humanizes previously austere religion teacher Dr. Hyde, and his presence alone justifies Hyde's increased role (when not reminding us that The Postal Service exists, Alaska is scored for maximum emotional optimization by This Is Us ' Siddhartha Khosla).

Veep 's Timothy Simons rounds out the ensemble as resident disciplinarian Mr. Starnes, a muted dramatic performance that is easily one of his best ever. Someone who read Alaska as a teen in the early 2000s is now equally able to identify with the adult Starnes and his adolescent charges, and this adds emotional weight you can feel in every scene. A pivotal episode begins on a wordless Simons processing terrible news, and the impact of witnessing that through him instead of a student is immense.

The overall story stays true to Green's novel (and Schwartz's original 2006 screenplay, which isn't hard to find online). Other than new material, the biggest change is adding dimension to Alaska, and weaving together events in the book in new or different permutations. Like the book, the series unfolds in two movements: "Before" and "After." Critical events leading up to the transition have been altered ever-so-slightly, but with greater ramifications on the story and how the characters are affected by the Big Event they will face in later episodes.

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Green likes to say that books belong to their readers. Over the past decade, Alaska has belonged to me, to Schwartz, and to millions of others. The great fear in watching a beloved story move from page to screen is that it won't belong to us anymore, but it's not true: Nothing can take that away. Hulu's Looking for Alaska isn't trying to replace the book, nor would it ever. It breathes new life into the material, introducing it to a fresh audience while giving us old hats the chance to view our treasured story from a different perspective.

Perhaps the most difficult part of watching this series for coverage was the understanding that I, like Miles, must continue. I was never going to watch these episodes and feel what I felt at 17 because I'm not 17. What I do feel is a sense of homecoming, to a formative time and unforgettable friends — the kind of thing that shapes a person, no matter where life takes them after.

Looking for Alaska is now streaming on Hulu.

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Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup .

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LOOKING FOR ALASKA

by Peter Jenkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 16, 2001

A bracing, happy view of Alaska and Alaskans prior to a couple little changes like new oil drilling and Star Wars outposts....

Veteran travel-writer Jenkins ( Along the Edge of America , 1995, etc.) looks for Alaska and finds an idealized America: sparsely populated with hardy individualists in majestic scenery.

For more than a year, the author and family members lived in the northernmost state during all seasons, balmy or frigid, through sunshine or blizzard. Based in Seward, eager as an Iditarod dog, he journeyed through tundra, bush, and mountain, north and south of the Arctic Circle from Cordova to Tok, Kotzebue to Unalakleet. The vistas he saw are picturesque and, reminiscent of TV’s Northern Exposure , the people distinctive. If Jenkins ever met any men or women he didn’t like, they weren’t in Alaska (except, perhaps, for a passing census worker). He found flannel-shirted Alaskans, whether immigrant or native—wanderers, teachers, hunters, fishermen, pilots, civil servants, Haida or Tlinglit—to be stalwart, generous, and noble. A typical nice guy, for example, was “sort of godlike.” And that’s just the people. Domestic animals and the author took a liking to each other, too. The whales, moose, and brown bears offered no opinion, though from his side Jenkins expresses a healthy respect for the magnificence of wildlife. On an Alaskan high, he is unmatched by Jack London or Robert W. Service, and the result is as persuasive as an avalanche. The writing, including some nice contributions by a 20-year-old daughter, is effective in spite of some incorrect personal pronouns and a disconcerting habit of omitting the requisite preposition after “couple”—it’s “a couple snow machines” or “a couple dogs” throughout). The tome, big like the state, will be a revelation to many, including the author’s neighbors back in Tennessee.

Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2001

ISBN: 0-312-26178-0

Page Count: 448

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001

GENERAL NONFICTION

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More by Peter Jenkins

ALONG THE EDGE OF AMERICA

BOOK REVIEW

by Peter Jenkins

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

50th anniversary edition.

by William Strunk & E.B. White ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1972

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...

Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.

Pub Date: May 15, 1972

ISBN: 0205632645

Page Count: 105

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

More by E.T.A. Hoffmann

THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

THE NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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book review on looking for alaska

  • Entertainment
  • How Hulu’s <i>Looking for Alaska</i> Updates John Green’s Book for a New Generation

How Hulu’s Looking for Alaska Updates John Green’s Book for a New Generation

B oarding schools are strange places, little fiefdoms of byzantine social politics and spiking teen hormones. Culver Creek Academy — the setting for John Green ’s 2005 best-selling young adult novel Looking for Alaska and, now, Hulu’ s eight-episode adaptation of the story — is particularly surreal. The high-pressure academic institution in a sleepy Southern hamlet is populated by characters that read like fairy-tale archetypes: the charming but clueless young hero, Miles “Pudge” Halter; the rebellious ingenue Alaska Young; their sidekicks, smart-talking Chip “Colonel” Martin and brainy Takumi Hikohito; a group of carelessly cruel, privileged enemies; and the wise yet stern authority figures. In the new show all of this, plus much of the plot and dialogue, remains unchanged from Green’s book.

But beneath the surface, Green’s story has gotten a facelift for our present moment. In 2005, the book was a revelation for its clear-eyed depiction of teen angst and love, and a generation of readers grew up smitten with the inscrutable Alaska, infatuated Miles and feisty Chip. But everything looks different in the light of 2019’s political landscape and evolving social norms, and so the novel Looking for Alaska — originally told entirely through Miles’ eyes — can feel dated, at the very least for its fixation with what some have deemed an early version of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl . ( Many , including Green himself , have wrestled with the way in which he deals with this trope in his books.)

Today’s TV landscape features shows like HBO’s Gen Z hit Euphoria , Netflix’s controversial 13 Reasons Why and candid Sex Education , and major-network sitcoms and dramas that present diverse depictions of family and teen life. The only way Looking for Alaska could work in this moment is with a broadening of voices and more explicit exploration of themes like sexuality, consent, mental health, race and privilege — and fortunately, that’s what the eight-episode series delivers. Some of these themes, particularly sexuality and privilege, are certainly present in the book, but not with the kind of intention brought to them by executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, who were also behind The O.C. and Gossip Girl. (Green also serves as an executive producer on the series.) The story is the same, but the emotional beats it hits — self-discovery, betrayal, grief — are thrown into sharper relief by the more nuanced telling.

Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns , knows how to tap into teenage emotion. But where he fixates on feelings, Schwartz and Savage — also experts in teen drama — like to see the big, dramatic picture. Though they’ve softened their usually snappy tone to match the meditative pace of this story, their instincts for drawing out insider-outsider tensions remain sharp.

The series is shot with a dreamy reverence for the sepia-toned magic of boarding school in a humid early autumn, when Miles arrives as a new student to find adventure after a lackluster high school experience in his native Florida. It’s set in 2005, but it could be any year in the past few decades: Alaska wears bell-bottoms and chokers, student pranks run rampant and school dances involve the “Macarena.” The kids drink contraband wine, talk in over-wrought witticisms and smoke illicit cigarettes in the woods. (Today, that might be vaping — but the show is committed to its old-school cigarettes.) And the rich kids get away with everything. It’s all timeless teen stuff. Even the music — songs popular in 2005, from a particularly poignant cover of Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” — helps situate us in a familiar past.

Into that haze of nostalgia marches Alaska, a long-legged and bookish young woman with an eye for trouble and a scholarship. She was always a feminist in Green’s writing, bold about her sexuality and quick to excoriate her classmates for casual sexism. Now — with scenes flashing back to her childhood and showing her dealing with teachers and responsibilities of her own — her motivations, and frustrations, come into sharper focus. At one point, she dreams of a future in which she is “inspiring girls to be their unapologetically badass selves” by running a feminist bookstore. At another, she frankly instructs Miles and his new girlfriend in the finer arts of some sex acts — for both of them. (In the book, the only focus is on male pleasure.) Even Miles seems to have internalized today’s rules of consent, nervously checking in with his girlfriend as they reach new bases: “Is this OK?” The show hits these notes with a light touch, but the updates are noticeable, exhibiting evolved norms of communication and turning Alaska into more than a cipher for Miles’ dreams.

looking-for-alaska

In one scene, Alaska and Miles have the following exchange: “Alaska,” he asks delicately, “are you suffering?” “Aren’t we all?” she responds. “It’s kind of the human condition.” “I mean you. Specifically,” he says. Her answer: “I mean sure, I guess.” It’s just a few lines of dialogue, but it’s an addition that resonates. In the book, mental health and depression are never directly addressed; Alaska is referred to, repeatedly, as “moody.” But in 2019 teen mental health awareness — and concerns about anxiety, depression and suicide rates — have become regular topics of conversation. The simple act of Miles verbalizing his concern, and Alaska’s admission that she struggles, are tweaks that matter. No, a school therapist doesn’t materialize to address the many problems these kids are facing. But at least we get an example of how to ask, and a reminder that it’s OK to answer honestly.

The show works hard to give supporting characters backstories that matter, too. The new adaptation’s biggest and worthiest addition is the casting of Denny Love as Chip, a scholarship student with lofty ambitions. Chip is a troublemaker with, yes, a chip on his shoulder. In the book, his anger can seem misplaced. With his race explicitly stated in the show (it went unmentioned in the novel), his struggles to fit in at Culver Creek, accept the status quo and get ahead academically make even more sense. This isn’t just about socioeconomic privilege; Chip’s fight is also about finding a place for himself as a young black man in a southern boys’ club. (Example: a moment in the show when his girlfriend’s dad refuses to let him be her escort at her debutante ball.) Another new revelation: the backstory of the wise old religion professor, Dr. Hyde (This Is Us’ Ron Cephas Jones). In a tender new scene, he opens up to Alaska and Miles about the love of his life and the AIDS epidemic that claimed his life. And Lara (Sofia Vassilieva), a Romanian immigrant, has more of a voice here than on the page, given space to reflect on the changes that moving across the world has wrought on her family’s fortunes.

Green has said this book was based on his own adolescent experience; it’s a personal story. Meanwhile the show, by the nature of its medium and its carefully calibrated updates, has a more universal and relevant message. I was in boarding school in 2005, too. But the book failed to strike me as relatable; Alaska remained too much of a mystery. The show, however, hit home — and not just for its throwback music and early-2000s fashion. It’s poised to do the same for today’s teens, for reasons that go far beyond appearances.

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Book Review: ‘Looking for Alaska’ by John Green

“Looking for Alaska,” by popular American novelist John Green, follows Miles Halter as he journeys through his first year at Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama.

Based on the description of the book, I was under the impression that “Looking for Alaska” would revolve around a high school romance, but the book turned out to be so much more than that.

From the beginning, it is clear that Miles isn’t your average junior in high school. He

Review by Hilary Igl Staff Writer

has a fascination with peoples’ final words before death and is obsessed with studying. He begs his parents to send him to Culver Creek because he knows that he does not fit in at the high school in his hometown.

It doesn’t take long for Miles to be welcomed into the spontaneous, adventure-filled lives of his roommate Chip Martin (also known as “the Colonel”) and the Colonel’s best friend Alaska Young.

His first night at the boarding school, Miles finds himself abducted by the rich kids of campus, the “Weekday Warriors,” and thrown into the nearby lake as part of a prank war that started long before Miles attended Culver Creek.

The Colonel, Alaska and Miles seek revenge on the Weekday Warriors.

While planning pranks and attending classes with Alaska, Miles falls in love with her. However, Alaska has a boyfriend and a painful secret about her past.

Alaska’s character was who kept me reading. She is impulsive, temperamental and passionate. It seemed that every one of Alaska’s friends knows a different part of her, and throughout the book different pieces of the puzzle are revealed.

Tragedy strikes near the end of the book, and Miles loses touch with his friends of Culver Creek. None of them know how to handle the situation and the ending leaves many questions.

Most of the time, I dislike books that leave me wondering. I like everything to be wrapped up, unless there is a sequel.

“Looking for Alaska” was different. Green made a statement by leaving some questions up to the interpretation of the reader, and I enjoyed coming up with my own answers.

The characters in the book were relatable to those in Green’s book “Paper Towns,” but the plot line is different enough that it kept me reading. Once I was a quarter of the way through the book, I couldn’t put it down.

The best part of “Looking for Alaska” was how real the characters seemed. Green’s consistency with characterization helped bring me into Culver Creek.

While college isn’t exactly like boarding school, the similarities help make “Looking for Alaska” a good read not only for teenage readers, but for anyone who craves a story about adventure and a bit of heartache.

4 stars out of 5.

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[Book Review] ‘Looking for Alaska’ by John Green

Book Review of 'Looking for Alaska' by John Green

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Green is New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska , An Abundance of Katherines , Paper Towns , The Fault in Our Stars , and Turtles All the Way Down . Along with David Levithan , he has also co-authored the critically acclaimed novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson . He was the 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green’s books have been published in more than 55 languages and over 24 million copies are in print. John is also an active Twitter user with more than 5.06 million followers.

Thomas Edison’s last words were “ It’s very beautiful over there “. I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful.

Looking for Alaska deals with the universal questions of love, friendship, truth, and the gray areas in between. This story is about Miles, who attempts to reinvent himself in a new school, with new friends and activities, and how his meeting with Alaska Young, a witty and carefree girl, changed his life.

The story is very realistic, especially since John has portrayed the characters exactly as one would expect them to behave without parental supervision .  It seems at first that the book is about a high school romance, but it turns out to be much more than that. It’s more of a tale of how love isn’t as translucent as it seems.

There are no chapters, in a traditional sense. Instead, the novel begins with an unconventional ‘One Hundred and Thirty-six Days Before’ and gradually counts down to the second part, ‘One Hundred and Thirty-six Days After’, leaving in the reader’s mind, an inescapable sense of dread as to what is going to be the pivotal point of division. The before is made up of routine, of monotony, of mundane happenings: kids going to classes, coming up with pranks, drinking, smoking, doing stupid things, hooking up. The after is gloomier, and shows how high school students often deal with troubles in life . That’s when the plot waves goodbye to the mundane and sets off for the momentous. And it is a serious, painful and genuine journey.

“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.” quote from 'Looking for Alaska' by John Green

Miles likes to memorize last words . He talks about the words of Francois Rabelais before he leaves for boarding school, hoping to find a ‘Great Perhaps’ before he dies. And he finds Alaska – the gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska. She is an event in herself. She pulls him into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Alaska’s character is difficult to comprehend. She is impulsive, temperamental and passionate. It seems that every one of Alaska’s friends knows a different part of her and, throughout the book, different pieces of the jigsaw are revealed and brought together. It is through Alaska’s character that John introduces all thought-provoking topics.

At some point, you just pull off the Band-Aid, and it hurts, but then it’s over and you’re relieved.

The beauty of the book is that it doesn’t hide anything. Brutally and honestly, it showcases what young love and growing up really are. The characters’ communication, their relationships with each other, the highs and lows of their pasts and the pleasure that comes with being a bad kid shine through the pages. The suspense of the pivotal point, the mystery of the event, the fun of adolescence and the sadness in the story make this book a cocktail of emotions . This novel gives the readers an unfiltered peek into adolescence.

With a commendable score of 3.9 out of 5, Looking for Alaska is a journey of self-discovery that explores true understanding, forgiveness, and eventually, the idea of love itself, asking innocent questions like, “Can we love someone without truly knowing them?” Readers might not weep buckets, but they will get attached to Miles and Alaska, just as they do to each other.

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Looking for alaska is a book for teenager where u find yourself in it and how you find it and relate to it is something very pleasurable.

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Book review: Lingit language and kinship shine in Twitchell’s first book of poetry

“Gagaan X’usyee: Below the Foot of the Sun”

book review on looking for alaska

By X’unei Lance Twitchell; University of Alaska Press, 2024; 92 pages; $16.95 paperback, $13.95 Ebook.

X’unei Lance Twitchell’s long-awaited first poetry book presents creative work drawn from his years of contemplating his life as an Indigenous man, his knowledge of the Lingit language and his advocacy for Native language revitalization, and his deep-felt considerations of cultural losses and resilience. In four sections based on how the Lingit people speak of gagaan — the sun — these poems spread their light into beauty and realized truths. Some poems make use of Lingit oratory style, although most are imagistic and contemporary in style. Ravens appear as tricksters, as do coyotes in a series of poems written while Twitchell spent time in Navajo country. Earthquakes, or what they suggest about tremors and unsettlings of different kinds, recur throughout.

Unusual among poetry collections, “Gagaan X’usyee” includes poems in both Lingit (formerly Tlingit) and English, not in translation on facing pages but as themselves. This presentation encourages — perhaps even forces — readers to confront the Lingit language directly, to appreciate it as it appears visually on the page, to sound it out and perhaps to recognize words or at least language repetitions and rhythms. Lingit here is respected on a par with English and given its own dignity for understanding and speaking about our world. Twitchell thus encourages translanguaging, the ability to move comfortably between languages. (Translations of the poems that are wholly in Lingit appear at the book’s end, along with a partial glossary.)

Twitchell, who teaches Alaska Native languages at the University of Alaska Southeast, studied the Lingit language and oratory with scholars Nora and Richard Dauenhauer until their deaths, and several poems reference them and their work. “Du Goojí Ynaade” speaks directly of their love, “a halibut hole and a half chasing one another / in poems, grammar, immersions, and outdoor adventures” and of recording sessions when Nora encouraged Twitchell to take a turn translating the words of “her mother’s mother’s father,” a man born in the 1860s and recorded in the 1950s. Approaching a “mountain of work,” “I close my eyes, / take a deep breath, / and continue our ascent.”

Other poems, with recurring themes of alcohol abuse, violence, a broken father, and an imprisoned brother, speak with compassion of generational trauma and its victims. In “Irrational,” a child witnesses “The table and chair have lost / their place in the kitchen” to rage and violence. “Sporadic sleep takes this child / to a landscape where raindrops / wash the bruised surface, / scent of wet earth, mist of security / coats the calming ocean.” “The First Real Pain,” involves the attempted killing of a boy’s pet dog. The boy and the dog are “Survivors / veterans of a war / on whisky.” “He is stronger than he looks” applies to both. “Corbin James” has the narrator confronting a familiar face in a “pumpkin jumpsuit” through a pane of glass, without “handshake or hug in the vise of corrections.” “Dear Father” speaks directly to a father damaged by “the stupidity of this world.” “You stood up to the beast. / You believed in nothing. / You became it all for us.”

Other poems celebrate familial love. Several reference the narrator’s mother’s older years and death. In “Breath Like a Drum” she is “our beloved gumboot who weathered any tide.” When she was near death and he was far away, the narrator reached through a phone line to speak to her, to symbolically hold her hand. “Your love cut through the fog / and you are holding my hands as if / they are fuzzy little ravens in a nest.”

Poems to and about the author’s wife and children are particularly bright spots among the rest. “Woolnáx Wooshkák” uses the image of a wren entering its nest to address his wife. “Those little birds go full speed into their home. / Raven named them ‘landed through a hole,’ / and I watch, amazed at their precision.” Three poems written in Lingit and translated to English at the book’s end are intimate with each of Twitchell’s three children.

“Óosk’i Aa” (“Little One”) speaks to a daughter of courage, strength, and hope. “Shux’wáa Yoo X’atángi” (“First Words”) greets a different daughter’s birth with praise of Lingit identity and language. Both of these take shape as traditional Lingit oratory, repeating simple prayerlike phrases, with the second one beginning “my child. / my child. / we were looking for you / we were looking for you.” The third poem, “Kéet Goosh Awé Haa Daa Yéi Yatee” (“That is a Killer Whale Fin Around Us”) tells of meeting killer whales on the ocean, sprinkling tobacco onto the water, singing whale songs to the whales, and watching them leap. “The third one we saw, maybe a killer whale mother and killer whale father, / they were teaching their child how to be / a Killer Whale Person.”

Twitchell, beyond being a poet, scholar, teacher, and family member, is a multimedia artist. The book’s gorgeous cover, combining gagaan x’usyee — sunbeams bursting through clouds — with form line images of Raven, is his work. Altogether, “Gagaan X’Usyee” is an overdue and invaluable contribution not just to Indigenous and Alaska literature and art but to understandings of how people everywhere live, learn, survive and pass along knowledge and values.

[ Book review: Intimate and creative, Jennifer Brice’s long-evolving essays present her sharp mind at work ]

[ Book review: Pulling traditional legends into the modern world, ‘Chickaloonies 2′ is a giant leap forward ]

Nancy Lord is a Homer-based writer and former Alaska writer laureate. Her books include "Fishcamp," "Beluga Days," and "Early Warming." Her latest book is "pH: A Novel."

book review on looking for alaska

Alaska cruise guide: Best itineraries, planning tips and things to do

Erica Silverstein

Alaska might be one of the most beautiful places in the world, but it's rugged and can be tricky to get around. Explore the Last Frontier by cruise ship, and you can travel to gold rush towns, glaciers, Alaska Native heritage sites and natural areas brimming with wildlife in comfort, even luxury.

When planning an Alaska cruise, you have many things to consider: when to go for the experience you're anticipating, which cruise line is best suited to your travel style, the best Alaska cruise ports to visit and which shoreside activities you want to prioritize. It's not the kind of trip you want to throw together at the last minute — especially since the best fare deals typically go to organized travelers who book early.

For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

If you're eager to spot bald eagles in the wild, ride a dogsled atop an ice field or pan for gold after a hearty salmon feast, an Alaska cruise is calling your name. Dive into The Points Guy's Alaska cruise guide for all the planning tips you need for your dream cruise up north.

Why cruise Alaska?

Most people have similar reasons for cruising Alaska. They want to admire its rugged beauty, seek out wildlife (such as eagles, bears and whales) and learn about its Native cultures and gold rush history. It's so far from the rest of the mainland U.S. that it's become a bucket list destination, especially for travelers looking to visit each of the 50 states.

One of the key reasons to cruise Alaska versus taking a land tour is to visit destinations along the Inside Passage that you cannot reach by road. Plus, many of the state's famous glaciers are best viewed from the sea.

If you want to see landlocked areas, such as Denali National Park, you can tack a cruise line-operated tour onto the beginning or end of your sailing for a seamless land and sea vacation. It's easier than fumbling with multiple train, bus, ferry and hotel reservations to cobble together the same trip on your own.

book review on looking for alaska

A cruise can also make an Alaska trip more affordable. Instead of taking a long and expensive flight to Anchorage or Fairbanks, you can choose a cruise that sails round-trip from Seattle or Vancouver (note, you won't be able to tack on a post-cruise land trip to Denali if you do this). Restaurant prices in Alaska can be high, but a cruise bundles meals, accommodations and transportation into one price that, with sales, can be cheaper than you'd think.

Related: Best Alaska cruise tips to help you make the most of your time aboard and ashore

When do cruises go to Alaska?

Nearly every major cruise line has a presence in Alaska from May through mid-September, with some offering sailings as early as April or as late as October. The season is short due to weather. Cold temperatures, icy waters and a long snowy season are not conducive to early spring and late fall cruises.

Alaska cruise weather can be chilly (in the 40s to 50s) first thing in the morning and at night. However, if it's a sunny summer day, temperatures can shoot into the 70s and even low 80s. It also rains a lot in Alaska; it's drier in the spring than in the summer.

When you want to go will depend on which activities you want to do, how you feel about cool weather and rain, and the price. Cruises at the beginning (April and May) and end (September and October) of Alaska's cruise season are generally a bit cheaper than those in June, July and August.

Related: Best time to cruise to Alaska

Best Alaska itineraries

Where do Alaska cruises even go? Most sail along the Inside Passage, a maritime route along the state's southern coast (and into British Columbia and Washington state) that weaves around the area's thousand islands. Some venture farther north into the Gulf of Alaska; these are often one-way cruises that begin and end at the ports near Anchorage.

Learn more about the best Alaska cruise itineraries for your next vacation.

Inside Passage

The Inside Passage is the most popular Alaska cruise route. Weeklong itineraries generally embark in either Seattle or Vancouver, British Columbia — though some itineraries originate in Juneau. A few lines, such as Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Cunard Line, offer 10-night Inside Passage cruises from San Francisco, Seattle or Vancouver.

Glacial ice carved this passageway long ago, and today, cruise ships and fishing vessels thread their way through the islets and channels to see some of the most spectacular natural sights in the world.

You'll find magnificent mountains (often snowcapped, even in the summertime), lush forests, waterfalls, fjords and calving glaciers. If it's marine life you've come to see, you'll find it in abundance, from whales and dolphins to sea lions and harbor seals. On land, you'll likely spy bears and Dall sheep while eagles, puffins and a host of seabirds circle above.

book review on looking for alaska

Many people trek to Alaska to commune with nature, but there's also history here that you shouldn't overlook. Shore excursions and onboard lectures will explain the cultures of the Indigenous peoples of Alaska, as well as more recent inhabitants from the Russian community in Sitka and the fortune-seekers who moved to Skagway during the Klondike gold rush in the late 1890s.

Popular Inside Passage ports of call include Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Haines, Sitka and Skagway. Most cruises will visit three or four ports of call.

Additionally, you'll have one day spent cruising the Inside Passage and one focused on "scenic cruising," where you can enjoy the landscapes but won't go ashore. This is not nearly as boring as you might think since you'll see incredible sights like Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve or Hubbard Glacier .

One nice thing about the Inside Passage is how calm the water is because you're sailing between land masses. If you worry about seasickness, an Inside Passage trip is the best Alaska cruise itinerary versus a sailing where your ship transits rougher, open waters.

Related: The best Alaska cruise for every type of traveler

Gulf of Alaska

If you book a weeklong Gulf of Alaska voyage, you'll also enjoy exploring parts of the Inside Passage and its ports that could include a mix of Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Ketchikan, Haines and Icy Strait Point.

You'll have up to two days of scenic cruising, in addition to sailing the Inside Passage. Because Gulf of Alaska cruises sail farther north, scenic destinations might include College Fjord, in addition to Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.

book review on looking for alaska

Generally, these one-way sailings travel from Seward or Whittier (the cruise ports closest to Anchorage) to Vancouver (or vice versa). Most itineraries are seven nights, but you'll find a handful that are longer.

For these itineraries, you'll need to fly into or out of Anchorage and take a train or bus to/from the cruise departure ports, which can take an hour or two. You can book the transportation on your own or through your cruise line.

Gulf of Alaska sailings — especially those in late August and September — can encounter rough seas in the gulf portion of the voyage. Be prepared if you're particularly prone to seasickness.

Related: One-way Alaska cruises vs. round-trip: Which is best?

Longer sailings from the West Coast

Finally, you'll find some round-trip San Francisco itineraries — usually 10 or 11 nights long — as well as longer sailings between San Francisco and Vancouver. These cruises are best suited to travelers who love days at sea.

On a 10-night cruise, you'll have four sea days (for example, two days from San Francisco to Juneau) plus a day of scenic cruising at a spot like Tracy Arm (Twin Sawyer Glaciers), Endicott Arm, Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay National Park. The waters before you enter the Inside Passage can be calm, rough or anything in between, depending on when you go.

Ports on these longer sailings might include Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point and Victoria, British Columbia.

You can also find one-way repositioning cruises between Southern California ports (Los Angeles and San Diego) and Vancouver at the beginning or end of a ship's Alaska cruise season.

Related: The best luxury Alaska cruises you can book right now

Cruisetours

Cruise lines understand that not all of Alaska's best sights lie along the coast. Denali National Park and the city of Fairbanks are well inland. And some coastal highlights, like the Kenai Peninsula, aren't typically visited on a seven-night cruise. So the cruise lines created their own "cruisetours": vacations that combine a weeklong cruise with a two- to seven-night bus tour.

book review on looking for alaska

On a cruisetour, you'll sail on a one-way Gulf of Alaska cruise, so your cruise starts or ends in Alaska. Depending on the tour itinerary you choose, you might visit Seward and the Kenai Peninsula, Alyeska, Talkeetna, Anchorage and Fairbanks — as well as spend one to three nights in Denali National Park.

Some lines also offer Alaska cruisetours that venture into Canada's Yukon, including a few Holland America tours that combine half a cruise with a cruisetour that starts or ends in Skagway.

Your tour might include a ride on the scenic Alaska Railroad . Some activities are included in the cost of the cruisetour; other outings can be booked like shore excursions, depending on your interest and budget. If you're hoping to see the northern lights, booking a cruisetour in September might be your best bet to see the aurora on a cruise vacation.

Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises

Best Alaska cruise lines

Most big-ship and luxury cruise lines send at least one cruise ship to Alaska every summer. Some of the best Alaska cruise lines are Holland America and Princess Cruises because they have especially long histories in the region and offer cruises, as well as cruise and land tour combinations, on multiple ships each season.

If you want a more active trip in less touristed areas, a great choice would be a small-ship expedition line, including Alaska specialists such as Alaskan Dream Cruises and UnCruise Adventures.

Ships in all price ranges sail a variety of itineraries, so don't let budget stop you from visiting. If luxury is what you're after, you can find lines that will go overboard pampering you on your journey north.

Related: A beginners guide to picking a cruise line

Best cruise lines for extended trips to Alaska

book review on looking for alaska

If you want to cruise Alaska but also see some of the interior and enjoy a stay in a lodge or hotel, go for a cruisetour package from either Holland America or Princess Cruises. Both have fantastic itineraries that take passengers not only to the Inside Passage, but also to Anchorage, Denali National Park, the Yukon, Kenai Peninsula, Talkeetna and Fairbanks. Princess and Holland America even own a handful of their own lodges.

Best Alaska cruises for families with kids

Carnival, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian, Princess and Royal Caribbean all have extensive kids clubs aboard their ships that cater to all ages, from babies to teens. Little kids will adore meet-and-greets with beloved characters on board Disney cruises, or hanging with Dr. Seuss characters when sailing with Carnival. Older kids will love the rock climbing walls, video game stations, sports courts, go-karts and laser tag on Royal Caribbean and NCL ships.

Related: Best Alaska cruises for families

Best cruise lines for adventure-seekers

book review on looking for alaska

Active travelers might prefer expedition-style voyages on smaller ships that include more time for adventurous activities, such as hiking in the Tongass National Forest, wildlife and glacier viewing from Zodiac rafts or kayaks, or even overnight camping. These ships often feature complimentary shore excursions, kayaks and bikes for guest use and onboard scientists and naturalists.

If you've got active teens who have an interest in nature and the environment, an expedition voyage could be exactly what will keep them engaged and off their devices. Just expect the majority of your shipmates to be older adults.

Look to UnCruise Adventures, Alaskan Dream Cruises, HX (formerly Hurtigruten) and Lindblad Expeditions for the best adventure cruises.

Related: Pros and cons of small-ship cruising in Alaska

Best for multigenerational groups

Sailing with grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and kids? Try Celebrity Cruises, Holland America and Princess Cruises. These cruise lines, especially on their newer ships, offer something for everyone — as well as a higher caliber of onboard dining than on the cheapest cruises.

Kids can hang out in the youth lounges while parents hit the spa or try a wine-tasting class. Everyone can come back together for dinner and evening entertainment or onboard activities suitable for all ages.

Best for couples and big celebrations

The luxury cruise lines are your best bet if you're a couple and enjoy spacious suites, gourmet food, pampering (many luxe lines hire butlers to cater to every passenger) and the opportunity to meet other like-minded cruisers. The personalized service and all-inclusive nature of luxury voyages might also be attractive to anyone celebrating a milestone, such as an anniversary, big birthday or retirement.

Look at Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises and Viking.

Related: The best Alaska cruises for couples

Things to do in Alaska

Alaska cruises offer a wide range of activities in port, with options for active travelers, wildlife lovers, history buffs and shoppers. Whether you're traveling with young kids or require more sedentary recreation, the Alaska cruise ports won't disappoint.

Related: Best shore excursions on an Alaska cruise

Wildlife tours are available in every port. Hop a bus, kayak, boat or plane to look for bears, eagles, whales, sea otters and other wildlife. Note that moose don't regularly show up in the Inside Passage; you'll need to head farther north to find them.

Book a fishing trip to try your hand at catching salmon or halibut, or go out crab fishing for a glimpse into that type of work.

Active travelers can explore Alaska by sea kayak or canoe, hike on glaciers and through rainforests, zip line, bike, ride an ATV and even snorkel (you'll need a dry suit). You can even opt for a round of golf at the course in Haines.

book review on looking for alaska

In Alaska, sightseeing doesn't only take place on the ground. Floatplane and helicopter tours take you around scenic areas like Misty Fjords or land you on a glacier, perhaps for a dogsledding or hiking adventure on the ice. If you prefer to stay grounded, you can find informative trolley tours of ports like Skagway.

Alaska cruises provide plentiful opportunities to learn about Native Alaskan culture. You can get a taste of the gold rush life by trying your hand at panning for gold, attending a salmon bake or visiting a dogsled camp. A hike on the Chilkoot Trail or ride on the White Pass Railway lets you follow in the footsteps of the miners who came to seek their fortunes. Cap your day by trying out locally brewed craft beers.

Shopping abounds, and you can buy everything from diamond jewelry to T-shirts and other souvenirs. You'll need to look carefully for Alaskan-owned stores selling local handicrafts, but they're worth seeking out.

Related: Alaska cruise mistakes you never want to make

Best Alaska cruise ports

The best Alaska cruise ports are also the most crowded because no matter which type of itinerary and cruise line you select, you'll likely visit a mix of the same ports. The immediate port area will be filled with tourist shops and eateries. If you want to see nature at its finest, you must book a tour or venture farther afield.

If you want to see some of Alaska's most rustic and charming villages or stick to wild places, book a voyage with a line like Alaskan Dream Cruises or UnCruise to visit destinations like Baranof Island, Chichagof Island, Petersburg and Wrangell.

book review on looking for alaska

Ketchikan is known for three things: Native Alaskan (Tlingit) totem poles, Misty Fjords National Monument and the city's distinction as the Salmon Capital of the World. The town has more standing totem poles than anywhere else in the state; see them at the Saxman Native Village and the Totem Heritage Center. Access the Misty Fjords by kayak, floatplane or scenic cruise. Fishing excursions are plentiful here, too.

Ketchikan is where folks go to see the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, with athletes wielding axes and saws in traditional lumbering activities. It is also the jumping-off point for a Bering Sea crab fishing tour.

Alaska's capital city is interesting because no road leads from here to the rest of the state. It's located at the base of Mount Juneau, and you can only get there via boat or small plane — even residents have to bring their cars to Juneau via ferry. Home to Mendenhall Glacier, this is a popular port for hikes by, kayak tours to and helicopter landings on the glacier.

For a view of the city and cruise port, take a ride in the sky on the Mount Roberts Tramway. Various wildlife-viewing trips (whales, bears and more) and visits to dogsled camps and salmon bakes leave from Juneau.

book review on looking for alaska

If you're interested in Alaska's gold rush history, Skagway — 90 miles northwest of Juneau — is a port you shouldn't miss. In fact, it's the gateway to the Klondike and Dawson mining district in Canada's Yukon territory, where prospectors searched for gold in the late 1890s. The historic district still has a Wild West feel, though that's been a bit commercialized for the modern era. This port can get crowded in summer when several ships can call on the same day.

Skagway is an easy port for independent travelers who want to explore the town or go for a hike on their own. It's most famous as the terminus for the White Pass Railway into the Yukon.

Sitka is as much a working fishing town as it is a tourist destination. Sitka's Russian heritage also sets it apart from other Alaskan ports on your cruise itinerary. See St. Michael's Orthodox Cathedral with its onion dome and the Russian Bishop's House.

Before the Russians came, the Tlingit people settled here. You can learn about their history and culture at the Sitka National Historical Park and Sheldon Jackson Museum of Native Alaskan Art. Wildlife enthusiasts might want to visit the Alaska Raptor Center, or go bird- and bear-watching.

The population of Haines remains less than 2,000, according to the United States Census Bureau, and it isn't yet as touristy as some of the other Alaskan ports, such as nearby Skagway. It's known for great fishing (salmon, halibut and trout) and an eagle preserve — because eagles know where the best fish can be found.

Animal lovers and kids tend to enjoy a visit to the Kroschel Center for Orphaned Animals here. For a special tour, go bear-watching at twilight.

Icy Strait Point

Icy Strait Point is notable among Alaska cruise ports because the area and its attractions are all Native Alaskan-owned. Most port and tour staff hail from Hoonah, Alaska's largest Tlingit village. The port is set on Chichagof Island, which is known for its large bear population. Wildlife lovers have plenty of opportunities to search for whales and eagles here; adventure-seekers won't want to miss the ZipRider, with its course of six zip lines.

Scenic cruising

Most Alaska itineraries include some "scenic cruising," where your ship sails past incredible natural sights. You'll rarely leave the ship during these sail-bys (unless you happen to be aboard certain expedition, luxury or small ships that offer the chance to get on board a skiff to get closer ... but, even then, you're still viewing these sites from the water).

book review on looking for alaska

Onboard naturalists generally narrate what you're seeing, so head to the observation lounge (or tune to a broadcast on your in-room television) to learn about some of the top sights featured on scenic cruising days.

Top scenic cruising destinations in Alaska include Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve , Hubbard Glacier, Tracy Arm (Twin Sawyer Glaciers), Dawes Glacier at Endicott Arm and College Fjord.

Related: Hubbard Glacier vs. Glacier Bay: Which is the better scenic cruising spot in Alaska?

When to book an Alaska cruise

The best time to book an Alaska cruise is when a cruise line first opens bookings on that sailing, often more than a year in advance. You'll have your pick of itineraries and cabins — balcony cabins are popular in this scenic destination — and often the best fares.

Because Alaska has such a short season with a limited number of ships and is a dream trip for many, cruises are in high demand and people plan early.

book review on looking for alaska

If you wait to book, you're not entirely out of luck. Cruise lines often run sales in the fall or in the early months of the year (a period known in the cruise industry as " wave season "). You can take advantage of discounted fares, free upgrades or complimentary add-ons, such as Wi-Fi, gratuities, restaurant meals, beverage packages and tours. Some of the most desirable cabins might be sold out; being flexible about your sail date or itinerary can help.

In general, waiting until the last minute is not the best idea, unless you live in Seattle or Vancouver and don't need to book flights. While some less preferred sail dates or cabin categories might be available a few months out, spurring cruise lines to drop rates, you might have trouble finding affordable airfare and pre- or post-cruise hotel accommodations that do not consume your cruise savings.

Related: When is the best time to book a cruise?

What to bring on an Alaska cruise

When it comes to packing for an Alaska cruise, your mantra should always be: dress in layers. On the same day, you might be warm in town but chilly on your tour to a glacier. If you plan on hiking, kayaking or riding on a dogsled, you'll need the appropriate activewear.

Definitely pack for rain; consider skipping the umbrella and instead bringing a wide-brimmed waterproof hat, rain jacket, rain pants and waterproof shoes or boots.

This is also the trip for a camera with good telephoto lenses and binoculars. For more on what to bring on an Alaska cruise, check out our Alaska cruise packing list .

Bottom line

An Alaska cruise is a memorable experience. The beauty of the land and its immense history; the thrill of seeing bears, moose and bald eagles; and the mysteries of the surrounding marine life will astound you. It's a trip worth taking the time for planning and doing right — because who knows if or when you'll make it back to the Last Frontier.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

  • The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
  • A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
  • The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
  • The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
  • A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
  • 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
  • Top ways cruisers waste money
  • The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin

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book review on looking for alaska

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IMAGES

  1. Looking For Alaska by John Green Review

    book review on looking for alaska

  2. Book Review: Looking For Alaska by John Green

    book review on looking for alaska

  3. Looking For Alaska

    book review on looking for alaska

  4. Looking For Alaska & Character Expansion

    book review on looking for alaska

  5. Book Review: Looking For Alaska

    book review on looking for alaska

  6. BOOK REVIEW

    book review on looking for alaska

VIDEO

  1. Looking for Alaska Dr. Hyde Buddhism Scene

  2. I moved to Alaska, Book Update, & More...!

COMMENTS

  1. Looking for Alaska Book Review

    Educational Value. This book is on many school reading lists; teacher. Positive Messages. Looking for Alaska will give older teens a lot to. Positive Role Models. Even though the main characters often behave badly. Violence & Scariness. A fatal car wreck, a possible suicide, and a chara. Sex, Romance & Nudity.

  2. Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

    John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and a finalist for the Los

  3. Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

    Verdict:Looking for Alaska is another fantastic John Green book and that means that there is a lot of food for thought, a great narrator, and the usual, great writing that I have come to expect from this author. Rating: 8 - Excellent. Reading Next:Seth Baumgartner's Love Manifesto by Eric Luper. Contemporary John Green Young Adult.

  4. LOOKING FOR ALASKA

    LOOKING FOR ALASKA. Girls will cry and boys will find love, lust, loss and longing in Alaska's vanilla-and-cigarettes scent. The Alaska of the title is a maddening, fascinating, vivid girl seen through the eyes of Pudge (Miles only to his parents), who meets Alaska at boarding school in Alabama. Pudge is a skinny ("irony" says his ...

  5. Looking for Alaska By John Green Book Review: What Is The Way Out Of

    December 4, 2020. The story in Looking for Alaska is set in a time when everyone is building their self-image, identity, dreams, and love lives - high school. John Green introduces us to Miles Halter, who is the unreliable narrator of this story (But, as you know, the story revolves around our heroine, Alaska) He remembers the last words of ...

  6. Looking for Alaska

    Alaska spends most of her free time drinking, smoking and musing. She is legendary for instigating pranks against the school's rich kids and leadership. But one night after a prank and a drinking binge with Pudge and the gang, Alaska crashes her car and dies. Alaska's friends spend the rest of the book trying to piece together the events of ...

  7. News, sport and opinion from the Guardian's US edition

    We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us.

  8. "Looking for Alaska" by John Green: Is it Worth the Read?

    John Green's novel follows Pudge, a high school student who just moved from Florida to attend a boarding school in Alabama. Along with his group of new friends throughout their difficult junior year of high school. The group of friends: Pudge, Colonel, Alaska, and Takumi, are faced with many deep topics that a lot of highschoolers must deal with.

  9. Looking for Alaska

    -525-47506-. OCLC. 55633822. LC Class. PZ7.G8233 Lo 2005. Looking for Alaska is a 2005 young adult novel by American author John Green. Based on his time at Indian Springs School, Green wrote the novel as a result of his desire to create meaningful young adult fiction. [1] The characters and events of the plot are grounded in Green's life ...

  10. Looking For Alaska

    Looking For Alaska. John Green. HarperCollins UK, May 31, 2012 - Young Adult Fiction - 272 pages. The unmissable first novel from bestselling and award-winning author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN. "In the dark beside me, she smelled of sweat and sunshine and vanilla and on that thin-mooned night I could see little ...

  11. Looking For Alaska Book Review

    Looking For Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A modern classic, this stunning debut, marked #1 international bestselling author John Green's arrival as a groundbreaking new voice in contemporary fiction. "You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it ...

  12. Looking for Alaska

    Looking for Alaska. 368p. Dutton. Jan. 2015. Tr. $19.99. ISBN 9780525428022. Gr 10 Up— The Printz Award-winning novel that kickstarted John Green's career and introduced a whole generation of teens to a new era of YA literature is turning 10 this year. Though the text itself remains the same, there are many extras included in this edition.

  13. Looking for Alaska

    About Looking for Alaska. The award-winning, genre-defining debut from John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award • A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist • A New York Times Bestseller • A USA Today Bestseller • NPR's Top Ten Best-Ever Teen Novels • TIME magazine's 100 Best Young Adult ...

  14. Book Review For Teens: John Green Looking for Alaska

    But then, I was asked to review Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, with my daughter, Madi. She picked it up, devoured it and placed it in my care. Alaska reads as satisfying as The Fault because it delivers in the same way. It has likeable (okay, adorable) characters. It has dialogue that's honest, funny and charmingly vulnerable, and ...

  15. Review: 'Looking For Alaska' but Finding Talky Teens

    The novel "Looking For Alaska," by John Green, was published in 2005, and that same year Josh Schwartz, the creator of "The O.C.," signed on to write and direct a feature adaptation. Then ...

  16. 'Looking for Alaska' isn't the book you read as a teen

    A review of Hulu's 8-episode 'Looking for Alaska,' based on the novel by John Green. 'Looking for Alaska' stars Charlie Plummer, Kristine Froseth, and more.

  17. LOOKING FOR ALASKA

    The tome, big like the state, will be a revelation to many, including the author's neighbors back in Tennessee. A bracing, happy view of Alaska and Alaskans prior to a couple little changes like new oil drilling and Star Wars outposts. A very appealing tour for stay-at-home outdoorspeople. (16-page color insert, not seen) 0.

  18. Differences Between the Looking for Alaska Show and Book

    The new eight-episode Hulu adaptation of John Green's 2005 book 'Looking for Alaska" updates the novel for a new generation of viewers. Here's how the show differs from the book.

  19. Book Review: 'Looking for Alaska' by John Green

    I like everything to be wrapped up, unless there is a sequel. "Looking for Alaska" was different. Green made a statement by leaving some questions up to the interpretation of the reader, and I enjoyed coming up with my own answers. The characters in the book were relatable to those in Green's book "Paper Towns," but the plot line is ...

  20. [Book Review] 'Looking for Alaska' by John Green

    The suspense of the pivotal point, the mystery of the event, the fun of adolescence and the sadness in the story make this book a cocktail of emotions. This novel gives the readers an unfiltered peek into adolescence. With a commendable score of 3.9 out of 5, Looking for Alaska is a journey of self-discovery that explores true understanding ...

  21. Looking for Alaska by John Green

    thanks for watching :') this was a rambley oneFollow me on social media:Book Instagram: @nikkis.book.nookPersonal Instagram: @nikkimariewittTwitter: @golden_...

  22. Book review: Lingit language and kinship shine in Twitchell's first

    "Gagaan X'usyee: Below the Foot of the Sun" By X'unei Lance Twitchell; University of Alaska Press, 2024; 92 pages; $16.95 paperback, $13.95 Ebook.

  23. Alaska cruise guide: Best itineraries, planning tips and things to do

    Ovation of the Seas in Alaska. MICHEL VERDURE/ROYAL CARIBBEAN. A cruise can also make an Alaska trip more affordable. Instead of taking a long and expensive flight to Anchorage or Fairbanks, you can choose a cruise that sails round-trip from Seattle or Vancouver (note, you won't be able to tack on a post-cruise land trip to Denali if you do this). ). Restaurant prices in Alaska can be high ...

  24. After assassination attempt, Trump and Biden seek calm, unity

    President Joe Biden, a Democrat, ordered a review of how a 20-year-old man with an AR-15-style rifle got close enough to shoot at Trump from a rooftop on Saturday. Trump, as a former president ...