Entry 4: Looking for Alaska

  I am so glad that I chose the book, Looking for Alaska. It caught by attention right away, not because of the title necessarily, but because of the author. I am not usually opinionated about authors of books, however once I saw this book was by John Green I immediately was interested.When deciding my summer reading choice I searched books written by John Green.  I first was introduced to John Green when the Fault in Our Stars came out. After reading Looking for Alaska, I am very pleased with my choice.

  I found myself constantly making personal connections to this novel. All of the characters changed so  much throughout this book. I really enjoyed seeing that, because they weren't huge changes however the little ones really added up in the end. This reminds me of myself. I thought of Miles first day at Culver creek like my first day of high school. I believe that my personality has not changed however my interest and my friend groups didn't turn out how I expected. I went into high school with one best friend and came out with a huge group of completely different ones. I went into high school playing one sport and came out playing another. I am happy with the changes, however just like miles I feel I am still searching for my great perhaps.

 I completely loved this book, I was in love with the structure, the word choice, and the constantly captivating details. Therefore I would encourage anyone and everyone to read this book. However if I had to choose I would say sophomores, because this novel took place in a high school. I believe they should all read it because it allows them to decide for themselves what their great perhaps is. It questions you and makes you determined to dig deeper in your own life. It also teaches many lessons along the way. It is not the boring kind that teenagers don't care to listen to, they are just little things that really make you think and analyze your own life. Who really are you? Who do you want to be? Those are two questions I have been thinking about after actively reading this novel. I am on the search for my great perhaps, and I hope that others are too.

Entry 3: Looking for Alaska

  I have finished the book, Looking for Alaska. One thing that I really enjoyed about this novel was the ability for the author to easily hook me as a reader. There are not many moments of foreshadowing in this book, but the few that are there are very important. I believe that kept me on my toes. Not knowing exactly what something meant made me want to dig further into this reading. Throughout the book I was hooked, however right at the beginning I knew I was interested.

  The section of the novel I will be sharing is from page five, right before Miles started attending Culver Creek. Miles says at the bottom of page five; '"So this guy"', I said; standing in the doorway of the living room, '"Francois Rabelais."' He was a great poet, and 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. I was after a great perhaps, and they knew as well as I did that I am going to find it." This particular section of the novel hooked me. I believe it is very important to be hooked within the first 20 pages of a novel, or else you will not want to continue reading. This section allowed me to really think and ask questions, get to know my character, and interest me to understand what exactly he considered his "great perhaps."

      This quote was early on in the novel so it helped me understand Miles a lot better. It helped me to understand his passion for last words, and not only passion but desire to put them into action. This showed me he is determined. Secondly it interested me and allowed me to ask myself questions.  What was this great perhaps? Why was he trying to find it? How will he knew if he found it? These are the types of questions that came to my mind while reading this short paragraph of text. From page five on I was actively reading to find out if he would find his great perhaps.
   
     After finishing this novel and watching Miles change so much I do believe he found his great perhaps. Some may disagree because things turned out a lot differently than he planned at Culver Creek, but you will have to read it and see if you believe that Miles did indeed find what he was searching for.

Entry 2: Looking for Alaska

  I am really enjoying this book and as I study further and dig deeper into the text I have uncovered more about the main characters, themes, and how the book is ultimately structured.

  Miles is very interesting. Right away I was told that he desires peoples last words. Miles main reason for moving to Culver Creek school was in search for his own "great perhaps". So miles main focus and desires are to find what he has been looking for, even if he doesn't know exactly what it entails. Next there is Alaska who would be described as a beautiful yet wild girl. She doesn't seem to have many goals according to her friends however I have noticed that she desires attention, and if she gets that through trouble then she will do it anyway. I believe Alaska also desires to not get in any more trouble at Culver Creek. They have let most of her mishaps slide, but one more could lead to a lot of trouble. As you know, Chip is very outgoing and opinionated. Chip comes from a very poor background and desires to break away from that. He doesn't want his past to define him, however he does not want to become a snobby rich kid , as he describes them. Tukumi always seems to drift to the back and not necessarily always be apart of everything that goes on. He desires to fit in. He is constantly being left out especially by chip and Alaska. They are not mean to him, however they aren't that nice to him either. Lara is a little bit more quiet however she is willing to do anything to help someone out, even if it makes her look bad. She is great friends with all of the main characters and she desires to transition well from her old life, despite her much different Romanian background. Next there is Dr. Hyde which we soon learn is very passionate about his work and teachings. He doesn't just want to tell people about different religions he desires for the students to embrace each worldwide religion and to also help him spread them. The other teacher, Mr. Starnes is a little bit different. He is very old and has many health problems. His students refer to him as "ancient", and also play many pranks on him throughout the book. Overall I believe he desires respect and also better health.

  I believe that there are many themes so far in the book, but what I have seen is not all of them. I think we will continue to discover themes towards the end of the book as well. The main themes so far are friendship, love, independence, and self discovery. The theme of friendships was a theme I noticed right away. As the characters were introduced, the reader was shown who was good friends and who wasn't in the "clique" as much. I believe it plays a key role in the story and without the growing friendships and changing friendships the characters wouldn't be able to get through life. They seem to always help each other out, and without that there time at Culver Creek would not be easy. Love is introduced throughout the book as well. Alaska always talked about her boyfriend towards the beginning of the book and how in love she is with him. We later meet the guy of her dreams and instantly see that they do really love each other. Also miles gets his little love story... and by little, I mean little. Lara and miles dated for a very short time but throughout that time became really close. After dating they went back to being friends. All of the characters embrace the theme of independence. They all have different backgrounds and especially for miles being all alone in a new place really forced him to be independent immediately. Self discovery is also something that I have seen a lot of with these characters. I believe its just the beginning of there discovery and by the end they will all know exactly who they are. So far they have each learned something about themselves that they never thought they would and in the end maybe it won't just be miles that finds his "great perhaps".

  The structure of this book is very important. It plays a huge role in the overall story telling of the novel. I have never read a book that is structures like this one ,but I really enjoy it. It is structured in two parts; before and after. So it starts with before and it is all the events and details leading up to the main event and then after is the consequences and effects after the main event. Most of the book is the before stage. I really enjoy this because it doesn't just jump right into the story, it allows you to learn about the characters and gives the reader a clear vision of where this book may be headed. I am not going to spoil anything, so read the book to find out why "after" nothing is ever the same.
 

Entry One: Looking for Alaska

 I have chosen to read the book Looking for Alaska by John Green. I am almost 100 pages into the novel and have been introduced to major characters, conflicts, settings, and more.

 The first character that I was introduced to immediately in the book was Miles Halter. He is the main character in this book and is also the major protagonist. Shortly after getting to know Miles I was introduced to Chip Martin, who is miles new roommate. The third major character that was introduced to was Alaska Young. She also plays a key role in the book as being chips best friend. Next I was introduced to Takumi Hikohito who is also a good friend of Alaska and Chip. Once Miles starts to attendant his new school, I am then introduced to Mr. Starnes and Dr. Hyde. These are two of the teachers at Culver creek. Most recently I have been introduced to Lara Buterskaya who I do not yet know much about. I am eager to continue reading and discuss the complexity of these characters.

 This book has more than one setting. It begins in Miles hometown of Florida. After leaving Florida, Miles travels to the hot and humid Alabama. In Alabama he attends the boarding school of Culver Creek Preparatory School in Birmingham. Culver Creek is the major setting where this intriguing novel unravels.

  While reading Looking for Alaska I have found little conflicts emerging but nothing major has taken place yet. (Key word "yet.") For example when Miles is tied up and pushed into a nearby lake was a small yet unexpected conflict. Although throughout this book I find the there is some person vs. self conflict with some of the characters and mainly Miles. I have noticed that Miles tries to fit and doesn't know how. It is as if he is playing two different characters leading to some person vs. self conflict.

 Making predictions can be complex thoughts, however they can also be very simple yet important. The title of this novel is Looking for Alaska but I'm not sure why. I predict that Alaska will go missing. She will not tell anyone where she is or what she's up to. There is some foreshadowing that she is depressed so I believe she leaves the life she knows to go somewhere else. Maybe temporarily or maybe long term, but with her mysteries ways I am not sure what will happen. I am excited to figure out the true meaning behind the title.

 I have thought of a few questions while reading but one that keeps crossing my mind is does the author "John Green" Have people in mind when creating these characters and events?  Although it is a fictional book I wonder if he knows someone like the characters, I also wonder if he sees himself as one of the characters in the book. If he did create one of the characters with similar characteristics to himself who would it be? I'm not sure if I will ever get this answer however, with further reading and research I might get some clues.

 As far as making connections I believe I have a similar characteristics that miles does. He remembers everyone's last words, and while I'm not that gifted last words do linger in my head. It usually is for my benefit but sometimes I wish I could forget them,  just like Miles.

 So far this novel is very interesting and I am determined and excited to see what happens next. I am hoping to be able to make more connections and feel even more involved with this book as I get deeper into the storyline.