Bookbuddy

WARNING: This is not the actual book Looking for Alaska by John Green. Do not buy this reading Sidekick if you are looking for a full copy of this great book.Use this expert sidekick to dissect these themes in Looking for Alaska, while enjoying a detailed analysis of each chapter of the book. If that wasn't enough, we close with potential questions and responses to help you get the conversation started with co-workers, friends, or fellow book club members.This newly discovered gem from the past (2005) has become a must-read, thanks in no small part to the success of Green's 2012 masterpiece: The Fault in Our Stars. As many Green fans have already discovered, our sidekick is the ultimate go-to source for understanding the complexities of John Green's tales of teen angst and tragedy. Looking for Alaska tells the story of Miles Halter, a 16-year-old with a nondescript life who is seeking a "Great Perhaps." In his quest, he finds himself at the Culver Creek Boarding School, where his past life of boredom and safety takes a back seat to adventure and sexual experimentation.His trek to the other side of the tracks takes him only a few steps, as he meets Alaska Young just down the hall at school. She is sexy, funny, and everything else that makes teenage boys drool. She is also a self-destructive sort, headed toward the "After" portion of Looking for Alaska, where everything comes crashing down. As our sidekick details, the themes of life and death weave their way through the novel, drawing the characters closer together while preparing them for something that will rip them apart.

By John Green -- Sidekick

Looking for Alaska

John Green

Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

Tony Stark

"You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.”

Nova <3

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

“I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” - François Rabelais

“If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.”

“Y’all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die.”

“I may die young,” she said. “But at least I’ll die smart. Now, back to tangents.”

“Sometimes I don’t get you,” I said.

She didn’t even glance at me. She just smiled toward the television and said, “You never get me. That’s the whole point.”

“How’ve you been?” I finally asked.

“I’m really not up for answering any questions that start with how, when, where, why, or what.”

“That’s a what. I’m not doing what’s right now. All right, I should go.”

“Hold on.” He grabbed a pencil and scrawled excitedly at the paper as if he’d just made a mathematical breakthrough and then looked back up at me. “I just did some calculations, and I’ve been able to determine that you’re full of shit.”

“So why don’t you go home for vacations?” I asked her. 

“I’m just scared of ghosts, Pudge. And home is full of them.”

She said that it was sexist to leave the cooking to the women, but better to have good sexist food than crappy boy-prepared food. 

“I try not to be scared, you know. But I still ruin everything. I still fuck up.”

“Prick us, we bleed. Prick him, he pops.”

“Yeah, I know we should have stopped her, damn it. I am shit sure keenly aware that we should have stopped her. But we shouldn’t have had to. You had to watch her like a three-year-old. You do one thing wrong, and then she just dies.

I was caught in a love triangle with one dead side.

“Can’t wear it to the opera,” said the Colonel, almost smiling. “Can’t wear it to a funeral. Can’t use it to hang myself. It’s a bit useless, as ties go.” 

How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?—A. Y.

And maybe it was only because Alaska couldn’t hit the brakes and I couldn’t hit the accelerator.

“Everything’s a maybe, isn’t it?”

Did I help you toward a fate you didn’t want, Alaska, or did I just assist in your willful self-destruction?

Before I got here, I thought for a long time that the way out of the labyrinth was to pretend that it did not exist, to build a small, self-sufficient world in a back corner of the endless maze and to pretend that I was not lost, but home.

A gorgeous collector's edition of the critically acclaimed debut novel by John Green, #1 bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down and The Fault in Our Stars A perfect gift for every fan, this deluxe hardcover features a stunning special edition jacket and 50 pages of all-new exclusive content, including: - An introduction by John Green - Extensive Q&A: John Green answers readers’ most frequently asked questions - Deleted scenes from the original manuscript ★ 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 Novels of All Time ★ A PBS Great American Read Selection NOW A HULU ORIGINAL SERIES! Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words—and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps.” Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young, who 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. A modern classic, this stunning debut marked #1 bestselling author John Green’s arrival as a groundbreaking new voice in contemporary fiction.

Looking for Alaska Deluxe Edition

(Bre)anne✨

But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails.

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.

But I ultimately do not believe that she was only matter. The rest of her must be recycled, too. I believe now that we are greater than the sum of our parts. If you take Alaska’s genetic code and you add her life experiences and the relationships she had with people, and then you take the size and shape of her body, you do not get her. There is something else entirely. There is a part of her greater than the sum of her knowable parts. And that part has to go somewhere, because it cannot be destroyed.

Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults & ALA Quick Pick. Reprint.

Chloé

i will never get this time in my life back. like ever. ever. ever.

i dnf-ed this back when i was a teen and i didn’t know why i suddenly wanted to start this again but here i am and my unsolicited review.

my thoughts while reading this: 
- aren’t they a bunch of insufferable kids? 
- they’re so tumblr 2012-2014 angsty teens core 
- omg alaska 

i honestly liked the structure of the book’s narration. the chapters are arranged seemingly like a countdown that leads to alaska death. and after that, the chapters served as a timeline which shows the following events that happened to the group after her untimely demise.

2 stars because i’m basing on how i feel now that i’ve reread this as an adult. however, angsty teen me back in 2013 would’ve probably given this higher than that. overall, this is a coming-of-age novel which explores themes of hope, loss, friendship, and the search of meaning.

Amna A.

"There are many of us who would have to live with things done and things left undone that day. Things that did not go right, thing that seemed okay at the time because we could not see the future. 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."

 I very much liked this John Green novel compared to The Fault in Our Stars, surprisingly, this was much more emotional for me. I found the sad parts really sad, and the funny parts made me laugh out unexpectedly. Though what made this book extra special, was that my friend had added her own comments to the book, making me see things I would not have paid attention to if not for the notes. :)

Vicky  Nuñez 

I LOVE John Green, so this review may be biased.

John Green is awesome. This is my first complete John Green book and I must admit it was not what I was expecting. 

Looking for Alaska is a very dark story about love, death, hope, Great Perhaps & final last words. Miles is what would be seen as a nerd and he decides to go to a school about nerds, you might think what is cool about them? Well, everything! 

Everything about the characters draws you in, their experiences and words. Alaska is a mystery, a puzzle everyone wants to figure it out, especially Miles. 

Looking for Alaska struck a cord inside of me, it makes you relate to these crazy characters and love them and obsess along them.

I have no words to describe this story, only to say that everyone should read it and if you haven't: what are you waiting for?

DFTBA.

i dnf-ed this back when i was a teen and i didn’t know why i suddenly wanted to start this again but here i am and my unsolicited review.

- aren’t they a bunch of insufferable kids? 

- they’re so tumblr 2012-2014 angsty teens core 

i honestly liked the structure of the book’s narration. the chapters are arranged seemingly like a countdown that leads to alaska death. and after that, the chapters served as a timeline which shows the following events that happened to the group after her untimely demise.

2 stars because i’m basing on how i feel now that i’ve reread this as an adult. however, angsty teen me back in 2013 would’ve probably given this higher than that. overall, this is a coming-of-age novel which explores themes of hope, loss, friendship, and the search of meaning.

i dnf-ed this back when i was a teen and i didn’t know why i suddenly wanted to start this again but here i am and my unsolicited review.

my thoughts while reading this: 

- aren’t they a bunch of insufferable kids? 

- they’re so tumblr 2012-2014 angsty teens core 

- omg alaska </3 

i honestly liked the structure of the book’s narration. the chapters are arranged seemingly like a countdown that leads to alaska death. and after that, the chapters served as a timeline which shows the following events that happened to the group after her untimely demise.

2 stars because i’m basing on how i feel now that i’ve reread this as an adult. however, angsty teen me back in 2013 would’ve probably given this higher than that. overall, this is a coming-of-age novel which explores themes of hope, loss, friendship, and the search of meaning.

Ana Luiza

Perfect. I don't have words. The best book of John Green.

Sasha-Gaye Solomon

Okay. I've been needling between 3 and 4 stars for this book that may well be my least favourite of John Green's books. Pudge was a likeable character and all, and I'm sure I must have been Pudge in earlier years, however,Pudge, Takumi, Lara and The Colonel remind me of a tamer version of Skins. Self-destructive beahviour fed by even more self-destructive behaviour.

I hated Alaska. Alaska made me want to fist something. She was selfish, emotionally immature and all too reminiscent of people I have met and wish to no longer associate with it. People who cling to their personal tragedies and never ever let them go. People who allow those tragedies to transform them into awful people who emotionally abuse and emotionally manipulate others around them.

But, the the one thing this novel had that kept me going was the prose. John Green manages tot urn abstract thoughts into the most beautiful prose. His thoughts on religion, especially the Buddhist faith and how suffering affects us all and what happens after- wow, that was fantastic.

Absolutely beautiful. So, yeah. 4 out of 5 stars for fantastic writing. Zilch for Alaska the character and this self-destructive bunch of teenagers.

Sebelum. Miles ""Pudge"" Halter sangat suka kata-kata terakhir yang terkenal––dan bosan dengan kehidupannya yang biasa saja. Ia masuk sekolah berasrama Culver Creek untuk mencari apa yang disebut penyair Francois Rabelais sebagai ""Kemungkinan Besar"". Hidupnya jungkir balik di sekolah itu, yang kadang gila, tidak stabil, tak pernah membosankan. Sebab di sana ada Alaska Young, yang menawan, pintar, lucu, seksi, kacau, dan sangat memikat. Alaska menarik Pudge memasuki dunianya, melontarkannya ke dalam ""Kemungkinan Besar"", dan mencuri hatinya. Sesudah. Segalanya tak pernah sama lagi. Cewek-cewek akan menitikkan air mata dan cowok-cowok akan menemukan cinta, gairah, kehilangan, dan kerinduan.... -- Kirkus, starred review

Looking for Alaska - Mencari Alaska

Athiril Ard

** spoiler alert **
           Saat menulis ini, aku sedang kebelet kencing. Tapi lupakan, aku malas bangun dari ranjang.

Mungkin buku ini akan menjadi buku favoritku sepanjang tahun ini, dengan catatan aku tidak membaca buku yang lebih hebat. Mencari Alaska sungguh menyebalkan, dan karena itu aku menyukainya.

Pada awalnya, kukira yang dimaksud "Mencari" di sini adalah, Alaska kabur, pergi, atau lari dari semua orang dan semua orang itu dengan panik mencarinya--seharfiah itu, dan pada akhirnya tampaklah sebodoh apa diriku ini. Dan, ya, kurasa seorang John Green tidak akan membuat plot yang sebodoh itu, jadi dia meledakkan gagasanku berkeping-keping--Alaska mati, dan, ya, mati betulan, sesimpel itu. Aku bahkan agak sedikit linglung saat mengetahui dia mematikan Alaska. "Hah? Heh?" pikirku. Terlalu mendadak. Namun, kurasa di situlah letak keasyikannya, bukan?

Dan, menyebalkannya lagi, dia bisa membuat tokoh-tokohnya begitu hangat hanya dalam beberapa halaman saja. Aku membatin seperti, "Man! Bahkan kuatnya penokohan di satu buku yang kutulis tidak bisa menandingi penokohanmu di lima halaman pertama." Saat itu aku sadar bahwa aku memang terlalu bego dalam menulis, dan John sudah menulis selama ... aku tak tahu, dan tak berniat mencari tahu. Oh iya, itu buku pertamaku omong-omong. PERTAMA. Jadi, tidak terlalu mengesalkan jika kupikir-pikir lagi. Oh, tidak. Aku bohong. Aku sungguh kesaaaaaaaaaal.

Oke, aksi Malam Gudang dan Menumbangkan Paradigma Patriarkat sungguh memesona. John begitu brilian, dan hatiku begitu terlarut dengan perbuatan konyol mereka semua. Baru pertama kali ini, seingatku, aku bisa mencintai tiap tokoh yang ada. Mr. Hyde, si Elang, dan bahkan lelaki yang mengencingi sepatu Kolonel--aku tidak ingat namanya.

Sepertinya cukup. Dan, dadah.

Dani

I just finished this book (literally, less than a minute ago) and I must say I'm holding my tears. Not because of a sad ending. Not because things didn't turn out the way I expected- I didn't expect anything, the unpredictability of it is one of the things that astounded me the most. I am trying to hold my tears because those characters will forever have a place in my heart, just as if I had been there, as if I had talked to them ever so deeply as displayed in the book. I couldn't ask for more. All emotions are contained here, in such delightful way. It is as though I had learned a new meaning for life. And that's something that cannot be easily forgotten.

Daniel Spruill

No words. Just read it. For your sake, read it.

Julie Rubens

I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time and I’m glad I finally did! It was a very good book, definitely not my favorite and sometimes a little boring to be honest, but also definitely not bad!

maryam

I love John Green in a way an amateur writer loves those who shape words with such perfection it leaves the heart bleeding. I have already read "An Abundance of Katherines," "Paper Towns," "Will Grayson, Will Grayson," and I loved them so much. His writing is more than stringing up words together in a beautiful fashion--it's about giving those words meaning in complex and intricate forms and makes us think outside of what we know.

I had heard a lot about Looking For Alaska, and didn't know what to expect--other than "an awkward blow job," said by John himself in one of his YouTube videos. And I'll be quite frank. "Before" the incident, I didn't think the book was as great as his others, because I'm not really a fan of unnecessary sexual content and Miles Halter wasn't anything that great compared to the other characters Green has created, so I was a little disappointed. But "after" the incident, I was swept away. The story really is beautiful and unique in its own way, and I literally finished the last three-quarters of the book in the waiting room when my mom when to go see the doctor. I want to highlight and mark up the entire book. It's so wonderful with such memorable characters and dialogue and--OH. It's just spectacular. The relationships between the characters were just awesome and by the end, you end up growing extremely fond for all of them. I loved the Colonel; he was probably my favourite character. 

John Green, sir, you made quite a debut, and I'm totally looking forward for my signed copy of "The Fault in Our Stars." It can't come soon enough.

Ryan 

2.5 stars

man, what a slightly morbid and depressing book. is it me or does this book give me both dead poets society and the perks of being a wallflower vibes altogether? not sure if that was a good mix.

Anastasija Kajevic

a tribute to jhs me who made alaska young my entire personality 🫨

adriana safia

** spoiler alert **
           all i wanna do is bawling my eyes out, crying, screaming AAAAA, i feel like this book is the other half of me, alaska's background story it just so freaking sad and her death we will never get an answer from it.
overall, this book is definitely recommended and always has a special place in my heart

★★★ // because no one can catch the motherfucking fox

Eden

Brilliantly written book about a couple of brilliant kids. After reading this you may just want to sit and cry for a few hours, just like any other John Green book. It's amazing and I recommend this for anyone

Lot's of crying in the end. One of my favorites. Bye.

Izzy

my most favorite thing was the ending where the main character told us that he believes the souls are not just disappearing, they are somewhere, the energy of a person never dies 

elly

Read the multi-million bestselling smash-hit behind the TV series

probably biased bc i read it for school 2 years ago, but i Hated this book. every character felt overly quirky, like they felt like characters instead of real people. there were a lot of lines that had some bullshit about the sexy curves of a woman or whatever which made me frown. im unsure if the book was uniquely cliché or if that is just the nature of the coming of age genre. for fear of the latter i will be avoiding this genre in the future

lance

Lydia 

Jaden Nelson

I really liked it. A big part in the first half-ish of the book was a little boring but I was ok because it was great character building. Great imagery without getting too excessive, I loved how john greeen's writing style really made it seem like it was being written by a smart teenage boy. My reading experience may have been a little better if I hadn't seen the biggest spoiler of the book online on accident, but I was kind of predicting it anyways ,so it was still good. After (second part of the book) was a little slow for my taste at times but there was just so much emotion packed into this book that it completely made up for it. This may become a 5 star book for me, but if not, one of my favorites for sure and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to start the John Green craze, who is a little older (there is a few explicit scenes, but it is written to conform to the innocence of most teens). Anyways, read it. P. S. if you would like to see John Green's viewpoint on why this book is entirely acceptable to be read in high schools, watch https://youtu.be/69rd-7vEF3s

Looking for Alaska By John Green -- Sidekick

Reviews

Highlights