Looking for Alaska

Green, J. (2005). Looking for Alaska. NY: Dutton. Miles embarks on a new journey at a boarding school. His new roommate, Chip, aka The Colonel, becomes his best friend and mentor. The Colonel introduces him to Alaska and the three of them become virtually inseparable. These three teens forge a strong friendship and become very important to each other. The author is counting down through the book. The title hint that is has something to do with Alaska. We finally get through the countdown and find ourselves at the indescribable tragedy of Alaska’s death. I enjoyed the friendship these boys forged with each other and Alaska. They each had their own little quirks, but they embraced them. High school students will find solace in these main characters going through the same struggles they are experiencing like crushes, crabby teachers and bullying. I would recommend The Fault in our Stars to anyone that enjoyed this book. I thought of Havighurst's development task of "Adolescents need to learn how to get along with peers." when reading this book. Miles, Chip and Alaska show what true friendship looks like. Friendships tend to be based on shared interests. In this book, the thing they have in common is the school they attend. These teens stick together and grow stronger when other teens might falter and pull apart from each other.