133 pages • 4 hours read
John GreenLooking for Alaska
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2005A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
In Looking for Alaska by John Green, sixteen-year-old Miles Halter leaves his unremarkable life in Florida to attend Culver Creek Prep, motivated by a pursuit of the "Great Perhaps." There, he befriends his roommate, the Colonel, and becomes infatuated with Alaska, a captivating yet troubled girl. Alaska's mysterious death deeply affects Miles, prompting him to grapple with themes of suffering, guilt, and forgiveness. Miles realizes that while life is filled with hardship, forgiveness is the key to navigating suffering. Sensitive topics such as death, guilt, and emotional volatility are central to the story.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Readers appreciate John Green's Looking for Alaska for its raw and poignant exploration of adolescence, grief, and self-discovery. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and its prose is engaging and thoughtful. Criticisms include a predictable plot and occasional melodrama, but overall, it resonates emotionally, particularly with a young adult audience.
Who Should Read Looking for Alaska?
A reader who would enjoy Looking for Alaska by John Green is typically a young adult interested in coming-of-age stories marked by deep emotional experiences and introspective journeys. Fans of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower would find it compelling.
RecommendedReading Age
14-18yearsLexile Level
850LBook Details
Realistic Fiction
Mystery / Crime Fiction
Modern Classic Fiction
Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness
Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Depression / Suicide