I just finished Looking for Alaska, and I think this novel is one my students will enjoy. Looking for Alaska is not about Alaska the state, which is what I thought it might be about until I looked at the cover and read the excerpt on the back. Instead, this novel is narrated by a young man who at first has very few friends and low self-esteem, but his move to a private boarding school (his choice) changes everything. Now "Pudge" (who is actually very scrawny) is surrounded by a tight circle of friends, including the smart, funny, charming, and daring Alaska Young. Pudge becomes infatuated with Alaska because of her intelligence and her mysteriousness. Unfortunately for Pudge, Alaska has a boyfriend, but he goes to a different school.
As Pudge settles in to his new life - new school, new friends, new adolescent challenges - he has to make many tough decisions about the person he wants to be. In many ways, this novel reminds me of the classic coming-of-age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, where Holden Cauldfield, also at a private boarding school, struggles to make friends, date girls, and walk that fine line between being a kid and being an adult. Similar to Holden, Pudge faces many challenges of peer pressure: smoking, drinking, sex, and playing pranks. Pudge seems to be more of a worrier than Holden, although by the end of the novel, his obsession for the truth pushes him to ignore his conscience.
This novel has a twist that I never saw coming. And it is one that many students can relate to. John Green does a good job creating suspense, and just when you think you know what will happen next, "POOF".
A warning to the reader: This novel contains harsh language, underage smoking and drinking, and some graphic sexual scenes. Although I promote none of these behaviors, I think the reward of learning the lessons that Pudge has learned is greater than the risks.
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