Looking for Alaska by John Green

Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 3rd March 2005
Genre: Young Adult

Summary:
After transferring to a boarding school after being a social recluse, Miles Halter's world is turned upside down when he meets the crazy and beautiful Alaska Young.

The former social recluse, Miles's heart is stolen as he is drawn into Alaska's world of rule-breaking and pranks.

Review: 
Looking for Alaska was John Green's (author of The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns - reviews here and here) debut novel, all the way back in 2005.

Having read more recent works of Green, you can see and appreciate how his writing has greatly developed and improved since this debut novel. I am not saying Looking for Alaska is rubbish, because I actually got quite attached to the characters and storyline (it even made me laugh out loud) but his older writing, in my opinion, is quite weak and boring. I think this because within the first ten pages, I could not bare to carry on reading and it took one very rainy, miserable day for me to sit down and force myself to read this book.

However, once I got going I really started to connect with the characters and the plot started to be like every other John Green book I have read; dramatic, tear jerking and understandably relatable to young adult readers.

Similarly, like every other book by John Green, it poses the reader important life questions that inspire you to take a moment to think about something greater than yourself. I love this aspect of Green's writing although it does not really get me thinking; I much prefer for the characters to teach me and to see what they think as I think this helps give depth and life to these fictional characters.

Nonetheless, if you are looking for some easy young adult fiction to read; you will not be disappointed with Looking for Alaska.

Rating: 5/10. Average.

You can buy Looking for Alaska from Amazon here.