Looking for Alaska by John Green

Kendra's Comments: I would not want to be a teenager again. However, I have to admit I have fallen for John Green and his band of nerdfighters. John Green is the author of Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Catherines. He is also the creator of the Brotherhood 2.0 video project. He has made being a nerd a cool thing. And...considering that I am (and always have been) a book loving nerd myself, this is right up my alley.

Looking for Alaska is about a teenage boy who has led a pretty boring existence until he goes away to a private high school looking for the "great perhaps." He finally starts to make friends and one of these is a beautiful girl who lives down the hall named Alaska. Looking for Alaska hits on pretty much all the hot topics of adolescence - underage drinking, teenage sex, pranks, death, and much more. The book challenges you to think deeply about the awkward situations that teens find themselves in. I thought this book was very realistic (not that it portrayed the kind of life I led as a teen, but the storyline still felt very real).

The Coffee Talk Book Club discussed this book last week. It was the first time we ventured into a ya book for our discussions. It was a welcome relief, and we all seemed to relate to the book a little differently, which is always good for discussion. Check Status at GPL