Looking for Alaska
John Green

Miles Halter, a sixteen year old obsessed with the last words of dying people, is heading to boarding school in search of the "Great Perhaps." After an uneventful childhood, he is excited to find an eclectic group of friends in his new school, including roommate Chip, a scholarship student who longs to one-up the rich, and Alaska Young, a doomed but fascinating soul with a razor-sharp wit, deep intellect and extremely sexy body. Miles, as well as most of the other boys, is deeply in love with Alaska, whose story is told in snippets over the course of the book. Alaska, wantonly reckless and self-destructive, is also the reigning queen of the prank. Under her tutelage Miles learns to smoke and how to pull the perfect school prank. The chapters begin with "one hundred thirty six days before" and count down to and then after Alaska's apparent suicide. This book was the 2006 Printz winner and deservedly so. Students will love this book, but the language and activities of the characters make this best suited to high school students. Highly Recommended.