Entry Four

I chose Looking for Alaska because it was by John Green, and he is easily one of my favorite authors. Since John Green is one of my favorite authors, I know he has two Printz Awards, the other is An Abundance of Katherines. Which I have always read about three times because it’s one of my favorites of his. That being said if I wanted to read a John Green book I would have to read Looking for Alaska, which I did.

For personal connections during the book there were some I noticed. For example, I’m around the same age as the characters in the book. Like Pudge I don’t have many friends and the most obvious one, I go to school, even though it’s not a boarding school. It is still school. I don’t memorize last words, but I do memorized a lot of lines from movies, songs, and books.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of John Green because this is his first book and it’s slightly influenced by John’s life at his boarding school. Anyone who likes stories about school, friendship, and pranks because that is what this book is, all mixed together.

Another reason to read this would be that the book is controversial, to some people. For example one school, Depew High School, was going to teach this book to 11th graders, and sent out a permission slip, but parents felt like this book was to mature for their kids. This lead John to post a video about on his channel that he shares with his brother, Hank. To gain support for his book from his fans.

Entry Three

“I never saw anything like it. Takumi wore a starched white shirt with red tie with a black paisley print; the Colonel wore his wrinkled pink button-down and flamingo tie. They walked in step, heads up and shoulders back, like some kind of action-movie heroes. I heard Alaska sigh. “The Colonel’s doing his Napoleon walk.”

“It’s all good,” the Colonel told me. “Just don’t say anything.”

We walked in- two of us wearing ties, and two of us wearing ratty T-shirts- and the Eagle banged an honest-to-God gavel against the podium in front of him. The Jury sat in a line behind a rectangular table. At the front of the room, by the blackboard, were four chairs. We sat down, and the Colonel explained exactly what happened.” –pg. 72

This section is after the gang got busted for smoking on school grounds by the Eagle. They are being tried for their punishment by their fellow classmates on the Jury, but the Eagle can overrule the Jury’s verdict (just like the American court system). Which apparently the Eagle hardly ever does. The Jury is elected by the faculty, and they usually due the cases where the other students are caught smoking or staying out past curfew.   

Entry Two

In the before part of Looking for Alaska each character is wanting something, some more than others. Pudge is seeking his great perhaps and is willing to help his new friends. Alaska is looking for an answer in the dying words of Simon Bolivar. Which were, “How will I ever get out of this labyrinth”. She wants to know what the labyrinth is and how to get out. The colonel wants to get revenge on “the weekend warriors” by pranking them.

The book is structured into two parts, the before and the after. Both one hundred and thirty six days total. John Green starts off each chapter with how many days before/ after, and tells the events of that day. There are many different themes in Looking for Alaska for example, friendship, existence, and choices. Friendship is shown throughout the book, with the characters being loyal and forgiving. The purpose of existence is questioned a couple of times throughout, with Pudge being in World Religion, seeking a great perhaps, and what happened to Alaska. Making choices can be complicated, but Pudge and the others seem to make them. Pudge choosing to seek a great perhaps, help Alaska, and being inaction. Alaska making pranks to help the colonel get what he wants; all the characters going through with the pranks, without question.   

Entry One

Looking for Alaska by John Green, is a story following a junior named, Miles Halter, which the characters call Pudge. When Pudge decides to follow the dying words of a poet, which was “I go to seek a great perhaps”. He decides he didn’t want to wait until he dies to seek a great perhaps, so he convinces his parents to send him to Culver Creek, a boarding school in Birmingham, Alabama. Where he meets friends that will change his life forever, his roommate Chip “the colonel” Martin and Alaska Young. Throughout the story Pudge is conflicted with himself about a number of things, for example, his great perhaps and what happened to Alaska Young. While reading this book a couple of questions crossed my mind. 1. Why it’s called Looking for Alaska, if they already know where she is? 2. Why hundred and thirty six days before and after? 3. How did John Green come up these pranks? Looking for Alaska is like John Green other works, by being the story of a kid who is almost out of high school and having a love story squeezed in there somewhere. This book reminded me of several songs, but one song that I thought fit best with the story is Who Knew by P!nk.