Looking for Alaska | Teen Ink

Looking for Alaska MAG

By Anonymous

     Peter Jenkins’ Looking for Alaska is magnificent. As you can guess from the title, it is about Alaska, every possible aspect of it, from a thrill-seeking surfer to the hermits who live in the wilderness. Even the frozen villages of native Alaskans are here.

My favorite part is the Seward police log that is published in the daily paper. If you do something bad, whether it’s missing a loan payment or streaking down the road and putting imprints of various body parts in a fresh slab of concrete, there is a strong chance of heavy fines and seeing your name in print.

The book reveals the great diversity of Alaska and its residents. The “Bingo Anger” chapter shows a weird side of this diversity. One village has a bachelor auction that isn’t pretty, but is pretty funny. It began decades ago to give the few single women a chance to meet men and raise money for charity, even if it means the men have to walk down a runway in a bar.

Jenkins’ style is very descriptive. When on a kayaking adventure with his daughter, you can practically feel the breeze and see the glaciers above the dark sea. You can almost smell the humpback whale’s breath when it gets close. You can see the mountains, the stars, the Northern Lights, the great brown mound of a bull moose laying on the road. He uses great imagery.

Jenkins moved to Alaska from Tennessee and lived there for a year and a half, traveling all over the state and talking to people, asking them to show him their daily lives, homes, and the necessary changes they must make for the winter. He shows us Alaska through the eyes of a resident, not tourists in their car staring at a bear.

Looking for Alaska is not just about the rugged terrain and the amazing wildlife, it’s about the people. It’s about Eva Ryan, the Alaskan Hunter of the Year who can make a mean plate of spaghetti and moose meatballs. It’s about Andy Johnson, the crazy surfer in Cordova. It’s about all the people who make Alaska fun.

Now for a bit of criticism. This book is quite long, with too much narration and too little dialogue, and parts of it feel too much like an essay.

These points aside, this book has received critical acclaim and I enjoyed most of it.



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i love this !

on Apr. 27 2015 at 1:29 am
Molly Johnson, Scottsdale, Arizona
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Looking for Alaska by John Green is the best book I have ever read. John Green did an amazing job of giving teenagers something to relate to and laugh about. All of the experiences the main character goes through are surely seen in our own teenage lives. With the setting and the language linked with current day, it is much easier to paint a picture in my mind while reading. Connecting with the main characters in Looking for Alaska made reading this book even more enjoyable. From the way the characters reacted to all of the situations they encountered I was able to mirror my . Pudge has a hard time fitting in with his new school and does his best to make friends and keep them. Alaska is more of a of a social butterfly and knows exactly what she wants, and Colonel adds humor to everything he does. Through the three main characters I have seen so many of my own personal traits which makes this novel so much more interesting. John Green is able to paint a picture in my mind of everywhere the three main characters adventure to. With the way Green interprets the senses and past events that have taken place in the setting, he makes it easier to connect with and picture. Overall, Looking for Alaska was a tremendously clear and engaging book that I did not want to put down. I was able to find personal attributes in every character which made it easy to understand. John Green also used the five senses to illustrate the setting and give the reader a better feel for the surroundings.

Babygirl4141 said...
on Dec. 16 2014 at 2:24 pm
Looking for Alaska.  This book has a before part where a girl steals a boy heart and then come the after part where nothing is ever the same. This book is like a romantic book  at the beginning then there come the after part which made me mad and kind of upset where more a less where I wanted to cry but it was a goods and also a bad thing. But this book is really good and if you are one of those people who like a interesting book then this is the book for you! I think the proposed of the author writing this book is because he wanted people to get the feel of a romantic mystery.    Miles he just an average boy going to college him and his roommate they go to class met this girl Alaska who Pudge falls madly in love with.   But there only friend that what you think at first but then stuff happen . They go to this barn where him and Her and some friends  pull a prank on some kids and then. Things happen he gets attached. Then something bad happen and nothing ever the same    There wasn’t  nothing wrong with this book. I like the romantic things about this book. I would defiantly recommend this book .   There wasn’t  nothing wrong with this book. I like the romantic things about this book. I would defiantly recommend this book .

Amna.T. said...
on Dec. 26 2009 at 9:38 am
Amna.T., Birmingham, Other
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Favorite Quote:
&quot;What the is that?&quot; <br /> &quot;It&#039;s my fox hat.&quot; <br /> &quot;Your fox hat?&quot; <br /> &quot;Yeah, Pudge. My fox hat.&quot; <br /> &quot;Why are you wearing your fox hat?&quot;<br /> &quot;Because no one can catch the fox.&quot; <br /> <br /> &mdash; John Green (Looking for Alaska)

you compleatly confusedd, me

LOOKING FOR ALASKA BY JOHN GREEN

Ms G said...
on Nov. 23 2009 at 3:31 pm
This is the wrong book! Looking for Alaska is written by John Greene and is about a girl named Alaska--not the setting of the state.