Summary: Miles is a sixteen year old who embarks on what he calls the “Great Perhaps,” leaving Florida for a prestigious boarding school in Alabama. Miles meets and befriends some truly interesting individuals including his roommate Chip and the book’s namesake, Alaska Young. As Miles, Chip, and Alaska plan pranks to pull on the schools rich and privileged students, the reader discovers the complexity that lies within each and every character. When a terrible event changes everything, Miles and Chip are left to discover the factors precluding the event.
Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Appeals:
Pacing – Neither fast nor slow, makes the reader want to continue reading to find out what happens. Pace picks up leading towards the climax.
Characterization – Intelligent characters whom are easy to relate to. The emotions and thoughts felt by Miles, Chip, Alaska, and the other characters are those same emotions felt by many teenagers.
Storyline – A story of teenagers in good and bad times with a reminder of how life can change. Deals with serious subjects such as death, depression, self-destructive behaviors, drinking, love, friendship, grief, and moving on. The first half of the book counts down to a surprising event that occurs midway through the book with the remainder of the story from that point forward.
Tone/Mood – The mood varies greatly throughout the book, anywhere from playful to dark, suspenseful to romantic.
Frame/Setting – A boarding school in Birmingham, Alabama and Florida.
Read Alikes:
Two or Three Things I Forgot to Tell You by Joyce Carol Oats
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
A Certain October by Angela Johnson
Other books from John Green including Paper Towns, Fault in Our Stars, An Abundance of Katherines, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (co-written by David Levithan.
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