#9--Looking for Alaska

Bibliographic Information

Looking for Alaska by John Green. Speak. (2006).

Price: $18.99 for hardback; $9.99 for paperback

Pages: 160 for hardback; 256 for paperback

Note: This book was originally published in 2005.

Plot Summary

Sixteen-year-old Miles Halter decides to transfer to his father’s high school alma mater after realizing that his current life is boring and stale. Moving several states over to Alabama, Miles soon becomes friends with his new roommate Chip Martin better known as The General. Although The General seems to take it for granted that Miles will trail after him Miles, for the most part, does not mind as it puts him in constant contact with mysterious, beautiful Alaska, a girl with an unknown past and an unpredictable future. Miles finds himself falling head over heels with Alaska but cannot act on his newfound feelings as Alaska has a boyfriend. However, this does not prevent him from pulling pranks with her, the General, and their mutual friend Takumi. Soon life settles into a predictable pattern with Miles pondering the new concepts he learns in religion class in between the time he spends smoking and drinking with his friends. However, their time together is soon broken up by a horrific event that looms in the not-too-distant future, one that will test their friendship, loyalty, and faith.

Critical Evaluation

While Looking for Alaska is John Green’s first novel many of his subsequent works have a similar flavor. Green is known for his sarcastic, witty protagonists who have life changing experiences throughout the course of his novels. Most are narrated by male teens through first-person perspective with The Fault in Our Stars being the notable exception. Looking for Alaska contains all the above elements. Teens who are into reading obscure books? Check!  Characters who engage in snarky bantering? Check and double check! Protagonists involved in illegal behavior? Also a check! In full disclosure I must admit that I’m not a huge John Green fan as I often find his characters pretentious and therefore insufferable. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Looking for Alaska. Here Green explores deeper themes such as the meaning of life, the place of religion, and the burden of guilt all within the confines of a boarding school setting. Additionally, while Green’s characters certainly have quirky and possibly pretentious hobbies (e.g. memorizing countries’ capitals and reading academic books for fun) these hobbies seem to organically fit the characters. For example, the General memorizes lists in order to avoid confronting his emotions while Miles mirrors Green’s own interest in memorizing people’s last words. Green also manages to create a realistic setting in Culver Creek boarding school. Pranks are pulled, the dean keeps a vigilant eye out for trouble makers, and the teachers are geniuses.  Perhaps this is also why Green’s characters within the novels can be excused for their unusual hobbies. Ultimately, many readers with enjoy Looking for Alaska as it is depicts teens who are simply trying to find their place in the world while having to confront both comedic and tragic events along the way.

Side Note: I have no doubt that part of the reason I enjoyed this novel was because I listened to the audio version of it. Narrator Jeff Woodman does an excellent job with all the characters’ voices although my particular favorites were that of the General and the Eagle. I highly recommend listening to this book on CD!

Reader’s Annotation

When Miles Halter meets quirky, beautiful Alaska during his first year at his new boarding school he falls for her immediately but little does he know the consequences of their friendship.

About the Author

John Green, possibly one of the best known current young adult authors, is known for his five novels all of which are poignant and complex. He is a New York Times bestselling author, a 2006 Printz Award winner, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and has been a finalist twice for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Looking for Alaska was his first novel while A Fault in Our Stars is his most recent one.

To learn more about John Green visit his website here.

To learn more about Looking for Alaska visit John Green’s Q & As here: 

http://johngreenbooks.com/alaska-questions/

Genre

Coming of age, Realistic fiction, Romance, School story

Readalikes

Paper Towns by John Green

·         Many readers feel that this is quite similar to Looking for Alaska complete with a quirky, vibrant girl

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

·         Also about a boy & a boarding school

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

·         Although the main character is a female this book contains the same level of snarkiness and also takes place at a boarding school.

Tags

Alabama, boarding school, cliques, death of mother, drunk driving, hazing, pranks, pretentious, single father, single mother

Awards Won/Lists On

2005—ALA Teens’ Top Ten

2005—Booklist Editors’ Choice

2005—Book Sense Summer Pick Teen Readers

2005—Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist

2005—School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

2006—ALA Best Books for Young Adults

2006—ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

2006—Michigan Library Association’s Thumbs Up! Award

2006—Printz Award

2007—Inky Awards

2009—ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

2009—ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound

2009—Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee

NYPL Best Book for the Teen Age

Professional Reviews

Booklist

Bookpage

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

Chicago Tribue

Common Sense Media

The Examiner

Focus on the Family

The Guardian

Kirkus Reviews

Note: Kirkus lists the age range for this book as 19 and 20 year olds

Kliatt (starred review)

Philadelphia Inquirer

Publishers Weekly

School Library Journal (starred review)

Booktalk Ideas

Finding the great perhaps (5)

Not going to living in future but instead the present (54)

Fascination with Alaska (88)

How Miles felt about Alaska (171-72)

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

*SPOILER ALERT*

This book could be used to help teens who have experienced the death of a friend.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 6th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         Breaking of school rules

·         Hazing that could have caused death

·         Mention of masturbation

·         Pornography

·         Profanity

·         Taking God’s name in vain

·         Theft

·         Underage cigarette usage

·         Underage drinking

·         Vandalism

Librarians can point out that while this book can be controversial it is also excellent for provoking discussions on faith and the meaning of life.

Why Was This Included?

While this was required reading  for class I’ve always been intrigued by John Green novels even though I have mixed emotions about the two I’ve read so far! With Paper Towns and A Fault in Our Stars behind me I was hoping to enjoy Looking for Alaska.

#10--Shiver

Bibliographic Information

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. (2009).

Price: $17.99 for hardback

Pages: 400 for hardback

Plot Summary

When she was eleven years old Grace was dragged off her tire swing by wolves that were determined to eat her. However she was saved by a wolf with yellow eyes who then returned her to her home. Ever since that day Grace has been obsessed with the wolves, her wolf in particular who hovers around the edge of her backyard throughout the winter. Fast forward six years to when high school student Jack Culpepper is thought to have been killed by the very same wolf pack. Suddenly, most of the town is up in arms about the wolves with some determined to kill them. Desperate to save her wolf Grace helps stop the hunters in the woods but she is too late as the hunters have already shot her wolf. However when Grace returns to her home, dejected, she discovers a naked, freezing male teenager on her doorstep. She quickly realizes that he is her wolf in human form making the pack of wolves she has watched for so long into werewolves. Once her wolf is healed she learns that his name is Sam and that werewolves shift from human to wolf when the weather turns cold. Grace feels on top of the world as her beloved wolf is now a human making it possible for them to have a relationship together. Unfortunately, this is Sam’s last year as a human and unless they find a way to reverse his lycanthropy Grace will lose Sam forever.

Critical Evaluation

While this is not Maggie Stiefvater’s first book (that honor would go to Lament which was published in 2008) it is not surprising that this is only her third as she has yet to fully master the intensely beautiful descriptive scenes found in her later writing. Additionally, the pacing and characters present in Shiver cannot match those found in her more recent novels The Scorpio Races or The Raven Boys. However, Shiver is not a bad book. As one GoodReads reviewer commented Stiefvater excels in describing the chilling effects of winter on humans and werewolves alike. The reader is always reminded of the cold temperature through multiple descriptive scenes as well as through the temperature listed at the beginning of each chapter. Even the text is a cold, icy blue. Stiefvater also does an excellent job depicting tender moments between Grace and Sam, particularly when he shows her the golden wood and reads poetry to her in the bookshop. She also exhibits a good deal of creativity in her re-imagining of werewolves where temperature affects their shifting instead of lunar cycles.

Still, there is something to be desired in Shiver. While the end of the novel is exciting and fast paced the middle of the novel is rather boring. In essence Shiver tells the tale of a girl and boy who fall in love while the boy struggles to remain human. This is fit into 390 pages which is much too long as readers are constantly subjected to tender scenes between the two protagonists where they confess their feelings for each other again and again and again. Additionally, not all the characters are particularly compelling. Grace seems nice enough but she is rather boring as her only hobbies and interests are wolf watching and reading non-fiction books. Similarly Olivia only cares about photography while Rachel’s interests are unknown unless one counts her obsession with boys. Finally, some of the plot points are left unfinished. For example, throughout the novel Grace is constantly hurt by her parents’ neglect but by the end of the novel she still hasn’t confronted them about their flippant attitude towards her. Hopefully this will be addressed in the next two books in the series. Overall, many readers will find something to enjoy in Shiver however this certainly isn’t Stiefvater’s finest work.

The GoodReads review that mentions Stiefvater’s descriptions of winter is here.

Reader’s Annotation

Werewolf Sam struggles to remain human in order to be with Grace the girl he has loved at a distance for years.

About the Author

Maggie Stiefvater is certainly eclectic both as an author and a person. To date, she has written about undead kings, werewolves, faeries, and a small, non-existent island. When not writing she enjoys drawing with colored pencils and playing the bagpipes. Although she is arguably best known for her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy she won a Printz honor for The Scorpio Races.

Her name is pronounced: Maggie STEEF-vater (rhymes with water)

To learn more about her visit her website.

Genre

Mystery, Paranormal fiction, Paranormal romance

Readalikes

Linger & Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

·         Sequels to Shiver in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

·         Also about werewolves and romance

Beastly by Alex Flinn

·         About a girl who must love a cursed teen to break the spell placed on him

Tags

Absent parents, bookstores, Michigan, neglectful parents, only child, poetry, romance, werewolves, winter

Awards Won/Lists On

2009—#62 on Amazon’s Best Books of the Year

2009—Amazon’s Best Books of the Month for August

2010—ALA Best Books for Young Adults

2010—ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

2012—Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee

2012—Wyoming Soaring Eagle Nominee

Professional Reviews

Booklist

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

School Library Journal (starred review)

VOYA

Booktalk Ideas

·         Scene where Grace sees her wolf up close for the first time (18-20)

·         You are one of us speech to Grace in golden woods (131-32)

·         Grace’s Parents vs. Sam’s Parent (154)

·         Sam’s poetry reading to Grace (200)

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book could be used to spark discussions on parental responsibilities, anger management, and even the ethics of gun ownership. It could also be used to help teens who feel hurt by their parents’ neglectful attitudes.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 5^th grade

Interest Level: 6^th grade and up

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         Absent parents

·         Falling in love with a wolf

·         Gunshot wound

·         Murder

·         Neglected chidren

·         Nudity

·         Parents attempting to kill their child

·         Profanity

·         Sex scene

·         Somewhat graphic descriptions of human/werewolf shifting

·         Stealing blood from a hospital

·         Teens of the opposite sex sharing a bed

·         Werewolves

Librarians can point out that there are many wonderful elements to this novel including Steifvater’s descriptive scenes and Sam’s chaste attitude towards Grace. Additionally, this book can start great discussions on parental responsibilities. For example, why were the parents of both Grace and Olivia so absent in their lives?

Why Was This Included?

I included this because it was featured in They Suck, They Bite, They Eat, They Kill by Joni Richards Bodart and because I had been meaning to read it for a few years. After I read The Scorpio Races I was amazed at Maggie Stiefvater’s writing skills and told myself I would read all of her books. However, I’ve been reluctant to pick this book up because I’ve heard it described as “Twilight but better”.

#11--Gone

Bibliographic Information

Gone by Michael Grant. HarperTeen. (2008).

Price: $4.99 for special edition paperback

Pages: 570 pages for paperback

Plot Summary

The school day is just like all the others for fourteen-year-old Sam and his best friend Quinn, filled with boring history lessons when they would prefer to be surfing. It’s just the same that is until their teacher disappears in the blink of an eye. They quickly learn it’s not just their teacher who has vanished but everyone who is over the age of fourteen as well. Frightened, Sam, Quinn, and genius classmate Astrid, travel to their small town’s center where children and teens wander, bewildered and scared over this recent turn of events. While no one understands the disappearances nor why a large wall has appeared limiting them to 314 square miles, many are determined to survive until the adults return. Mary and her eight-year-old brother John take charge of all the preschoolers, toddlers, and infants while others scrounge for food. Life becomes increasingly complicated when some of the students from the nearby Coates Academy, a school rumored to be for troubled kids, show up and take control. Fourteen-year-old Caine quickly takes charge backed by his psychopathic crony Drake and enigmatic Diana. Sam, not wanting to become the leader everyone expects him to be takes off to help Astrid find her five-year-old brother Petey who is severely autistic. While they are off searching chaos soon consumes the town resulting in maiming and death.

The situation becomes increasingly dire when it is revealed that some have developed supernatural powers. Sam admits that he can shoot burning light out of his hands while Astrid reluctantly reveals that Petey can teleport and choke people with invisible hands. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones with powers. Caine and Diana both have gifts they are not afraid to use while others seem to have latent powers that surface at the most unexpected of times. Animals have also gone through startling mutations—coyotes speak, snakes fly, and there is a monstrous darkness lurking in the nearby hills. Together Astrid, Quinn, Sam, and their newfound friend Edilio must find a way to not only exist in this frightening new world but stop the cruelty that others’ are intent on inflicting.

Critical Evaluation

Gone is a roller coaster of a novel; just when readers think they have figured out Michael Grant’s world they are surprised anew by what both creatures and characters are capable of. More intense than the violence perpetrated in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy, fans of those dystopian novels will be shocked by the level of cruelty displayed by characters within Gone. In the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) power corrupts and many find themselves capable of actions they would have never have considered committing in their previous lives. Hunger and fear test all those left behind prodding some to torture and kill while others simply turn away, afraid that they will be next. Of course, some survive this bizarre trial by fire, showing their true character. Mary refuses to take sides concerned only with the survival of the little ones; Albert steps up to help feed the town while Lana uses her abilities to heal others.

The most fascinating characters, however, are those that find it difficult to stand up for what is right. Twelve-year-old computer whiz, Jack, finds himself working for Caine, Drake, and Diana as he is too afraid to leave them knowing they will have no compunctions about killing him. He also knows, however, that by helping them he is enabling the torture and murder of others. Equally scared is Sam’s best friend Quinn. Although he recognizes the wrongness of the act he doesn’t stop town bullies from beating a girl bloody out of fear that he will be their next target. Instead of supporting Sam he is jealous of his supernatural powers and his ability to lead. In fact, throughout the novel Quinn constantly wavers in his convictions as the world he once knew has now vanished.

This book is sure to constantly amaze readers with its many twists and turns. While some characters are rather one dimensional it is hoped that they will grow within the next five books in the series. However there are enough dynamic characters and intriguing mysteries that will more than satisfy readers.

Side Note (with spoilers):

While this novel is certainly an action-packed, intriguing mystery there are elements in it that prevent it from being a tour de force. Firstly, there are many elements in it that are reflective of the television series LOST. The show started in 2004 while Grant’s first Gone book was not published until 2008 so it is possible that he gained inspiration from the show. LOST, like the Gone series, details the struggles of a group of people who suddenly find themselves in a mysterious world complete with inexplicable monsters, wild animals, and an evil darkness hiding on the island. Together they must learn how to survive, not unlike the teens and children in Gone while puzzling out the island’s many secrets. There is even mythology at work in both the Gone books and LOST. Grant even admits in an interview with School Library Journal that he was influenced by the television show as well as the writings of Stephen King. Secondly, some of the names used within Gone provide readers a glimpse of what is to come. For example, it isn’t a huge shock when Caine turns out to be Sam’s “evil” twin as Cain is the name of the murderous brother in the Biblical tale of Cain and Abel.

Reader’s Annotation

When everyone over the age of fourteen vanishes teens and children must band together to survive in a strange new world.

About the Author

Interestingly, Michael Grant is married to Katherine Applegate who is a children’s author and recipient of the 2013 Newbery award. Together they have published 150 books including the popular Animorphs series. Grant recently finished the Gone series and is currently hard at work on The Magnificent 12 series. When he is not writing he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children while eating Roquefort cheese.

To learn more about Michael Grant visit his website here.

Genre

Dystopian fiction, Mystery

Readalikes

Hunger/Lies/Plague/Fear/Light by Michael Grant

·         The sequels to Gone

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

·         Also about kids abandoned in a cruel world

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

·         Also involves teens escaping into a world filled with secrets

Tags

Autistic character, California, prodigy, siblings, superpowers, surfing

Awards Won/Lists On

2013—Wyoming Soaring Eagle Nominee

Professional Reviews

Booklist (starred review)

Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal's Q &A with Michael Grant
The Guardian

VOYA (starred review)

Booktalk Ideas

Initial premise (9-10)

“The Rules” (179-181)

Sam’s Final Inspirational Speech (410-11)

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book is an excellent resource for those wishing to examine their own strengths and weaknesses. It makes readers think about how they would react if they were placed in a similar situation.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 4^th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         Amputation scene

·         Beating others up

·         Coyotes eating people

·         Deliberate maiming

·         Graphic injuries

·         Intimidation tactics

·         Intimidation tactics

·         Murder

·         Physically abusive father

·         Racial slurs

·         Single mother

·         Superpowers

·         Taking the Lord’s name in vain

·         Torture

Librarians can point out that while this can be a disturbing book to read it can provide a safe space for teens to explore how they would react in emergency situations as well at the type of person they would like to be when a crisis occurs.

Why Was This Included?

I included this book because I thought the premise was intriguing particularly the bit about superpowers.