Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska

• Genre: Fiction; young adult contemporary
• Originally Published: 2005
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 850L; grades 9-12
• Structure/Length: 58 chapters; approx. 221 pages; approx. 6 hours, 40 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: Sixteen-year-old Miles Halter is obsessed with last words, especially the last words of François Rabelais: “I go to see a Great Perhaps.” When he leaves his home in Florida to attend Culver Creek boarding school, he meets Alaska Young, who is obsessed with labyrinths and existential issues. Alaska draws Miles deeper into her labyrinth, leading him closer to finding the Great Perhaps than ever before.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Underage drinking; drug use; fatal car accident; sexual content; strong language

John Green, Author

• Bio: Born in 1977; American author, podcaster, YouTuber, and philanthropist best known for breakout novel The Fault in Our Stars (2012); born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and raised in Orlando, Florida; attended boarding school in Alabama; graduated from Kenyon College with a double major in English and religious studies; intended to become an Episcopal priest until he volunteered as a chaplain at a children’s hospital; worked at Booklist and wrote radio essays for NPR’s All Things Considered before publishing his first book; started a video blog project with his brother Hank Green that catapulted him into creating and producing educational content for Complexly, the umbrella company for John and Hank’s shows, podcasts, projects, and charitable causes
• Other Works: An Abundance of Katherines (2006); Paper Towns (2008); The Fault in Our Stars (2012); Turtles All the Way Down (2017)
• Awards: Michael L.