Looking for Alaska, Entry 2

The main reason Miles wants to go to Culver Creek Preparatory School is so he can find his "Great Perhaps". Francois Rebelais was a poet that Miles liked. Miles is obsessed with last words and what this poet wrote really clicked with Miles. His last words were, "I go to seek a Great Perhaps. That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps." Along the way, Miles makes new friends and enemies and discovers himself. Not only does Miles want his Great Perhaps, he also wants Alaska, this beautiful girl he has a crush on and wants to fall in love with her.

Alaska Young desires to spend most of her time drinking and smoking, and pulling pranks on the rich kids of the boarding school. She wants to be with her friends and Miles.

Some themes that are starting to appear in Looking for Alaska is, heartbreak and love, depression or guilt, and how someones life can effect you in so many ways.

Looking for Alaska has a very weird kind of structure. In Before, the passages act as some kind of countdown to something later that happens in the book. But after the countdown is over and the event has occurred, the book counts up to the end of the story which has a clear climax but is also suspenseful. 

Looking for Alaska, Entry 1

The book I chose to read for my summer reading project that was from the Printz Award Winner list was, Looking for Alaska by John Green. One of the main characters of this book is, Miles “Pudge” Halter. Miles never really seemed to fit in to his hometown. He is a nerdy and unsocial kind of kid that does not have a lot of friends. But later in the book he meets a new group of friends that sort of change his life and becomes a new type of guy.

Another main character of the book Looking for Alaska is, Alaska Young. Alaska is a beautiful girl that Miles, or “Pudge” as they call him, falls in love with. Chip “The Colonel” Martin and Takumi Harihoto are also characters of the book that have fallen in love or have a crush on Alaska as well. Chip and Takumi are friends of Miles.

Miles grew up in Florida and that is where his home is and where he lives. But Miles can’t wait to leave Florida and attend Culver Creek Preparatory School which is located in Birmingham, Alabama. The setting takes place in these places throughout the book.

One of the conflicts of Looking for Alaska would be when Miles and his friends get involved with drugs and alcohol, and even sex. This would be a character vs. nature conflict. One other main conflict throughout the book would be Miles trying to find his new identity. This would be a character vs. self conflict.

One question that I had while reading this book was, will miles truly find a new identity throughout the book and go out of his comfort zone, or will he stay the same person he has always been? I predict that miles will take a look at himself and want a new identity, and I predict he will find one.