SUMMARY: Looking for Alaska is a boarding school, coming of age novel that would make parents everywhere think twice about sending kids to boarding school. Young, bright students get caught up in booze, cigarettes, pranks, and sex. Sounds about right. While the kids seem oblivious to potential consequences of their cutting up, they also bond together, work hard, and seem genuinely interested in their education.
The novel is written in two sections, one before the major event of the story, and the second half after the major event of the story. Written from the point of view of the main character, Pudge, the story flows well, especially the first half. The second half of the plot stalls somewhat, but is still a good read.
PERSONAL REACTION: When reading the Looking for Alaska, Catcher in the Rye and Holden Caufield came to mind. There are many similarities in the novel: the boarding school setting, the rich kids and poor kids groups of students, the teenage angst, and the writing style of both authors. Even with the similarities, the novels are distinctly different.
I liked Looking for Alaska, but I admit that I liked the first half better than the second half, mostly because I think the characters were much more engaging in the first half of the novel. Even so, I would recommend the book to high school age students.
CLASSROOM EXTENSION: Students will read both Looking for Alaska and Catcher in the Rye. They will then develop an in-depth comparison between the novels in one of the following areas: style, setting, characterization, conflict or plot.
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