"Looking For Alaska" by John Green

Rating: 4.5

Description: Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave "the Great Perhaps" even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything but boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. After. And nothing is ever the same.

Note: Description taken from bn.com

Review: "Looking For Alaska" is an amazing book from a new author; it's very deserving of all the awards it's won. Pudge is a great character: he's geeky and socially awkward in a way that most teens can relate to, and his collection of last words gives him a unique quirk that solidifies his character. Alaska is also relateable - in some ways she's the stereotypical bad girl, but her underlying vulnerability and her own geeky quirks make her a very real character. All of the other characters are well-defined and distinct as well, from Pudge's side romantic interest, Lara, to the dean of students, more commonly known as the Eagle. Culver Creek is exceedingly well-done - it's obvious throughout the writing that, as is revealed in the bio, the author attended a similar boarding school. The development of Pudge's relationships with Alaska and the others at Culver Creek are the driving force behind the book, and the changes that Pudge undergoes, both Before and After, is what makes "Looking For Alaska" the incredible young adult novel that it is.