Looking for Alaska, by John Greene is a wonderful read and is a part of the GKHS library collection. This book was published in 2005 and won the 2006 Michael J. Printz Award from the American Library Association. This year, it was nominated for the Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award and after reading the novel, I can see why the kids voted for it. Miles, the main character, is tired of his mundane life in Florida, so he asks to be enrolled at Culver Creek Boarding School in Alabama in hopes of embracing new possibilities. Miles loves to study the last words of famous people in history and the last words of Francois Rabelais's become a model for living his life. When Miles leaves for Alabama, he quotes Rabelais when his parents ask him why he wants to leave home: "I go to seek a Great Perhaps. During his time at this school, he forms a circle of colorful friends that draw him out of his shell and help him reinvent himself, particularly a wild girl named Alaska, with whom he is in love. Although most of the boys at the school feel the same about Alaska, she is perpetually out of reach to everyone, including herself. This novel touches on love, rebellion against authority, loss, suffering, and the human condition of being unable to control life and death.
This book has lots of themes to which high school students can connect and I give it gold sparkles all around. If anyone has any questions about the book, please come in and see me. I'd be happy to promote it or any others that have got you curious.
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