Green, John. 2005. LOOKING FOR ALASKA. New York, NY: Dutton Books. ISBN 0-525-47506-0
Plot Summary: This poignant coming-of-age novel is about Miles, a quirky, shy teenager from Florida whose hobbies are reading biographies and collecting famous last words. When he goes to boarding school in Alabama, he meets a collection of characters who become his best friends: Chip (The Colonel), Alaska, Takumi, and Lara. He finds comfort in finding other outcasts and they quickly bond. They engage in anti-establishment behavior, like drinking, smoking, and breaking curfew. Miles (nicknamed Pudge because of his thin build) is physically drawn to Alaska, a troubled girl whose mother died in front of her. Alaska is guilty because she did not think to call 911 and it quickly becomes apparent that she is a tortured soul.
Miles, while longing for Alaska, begins a relationship with Lara who merely serves as a substitute for what Miles cannot have. Chip, nicknamed the Colonel, is the leader of the band of misfits and provides much comic relief. He is a genius from a very poor family who attends the school on scholarship. The two main adults, The Eagle (the school headmaster) and a teacher of religion, Dr. Hyde, nicknamed The Old Man, are stern, yet play important roles. Dr. Hyde, in particular, provides Miles with answers to his questions in the context of the major world religions, the subject he teaches.
Ultimately, Alaska self destructs and the reader is left to speculate whether it was an accident or suicide. The remaining friends stage a school prank in her honor in order to find closure. The book ends with Miles, older and wiser, coming to terms with Alaska’s death through writing. The reader is left to wonder what happens to The Colonel, Takumi, Lara, and especially Miles, yet feeling optimistic that they will each make it through the labyrinth of high school and later the labyrinth that is life.
Critical Analysis: The main characters: Miles, The Colonel, and Alaska are three-dimensional and form a central triumvirate. Since they are so well defined, the reader will be able to identify with one or the other, especially Miles, who allows the reader to vicariously experience his life without engaging in the questionable activities (smoking, drinking, pranking). Angst-ridden teenage girls will perhaps see glimpses of themselves in Alaska and The Colonel as the ringleader will appeal to those bright students who often work behind the scenes to make things happen.
The two main adult characters, The Eagle and The Old Man, serve very important roles as both the voices of authority but later as the voices of wisdom. The dialog is believable and the author does not use too much slang, which would date the novel. Green’s brilliant use of time with headings of ninety-eight days before and the day after creates anticipation in the reader and fosters speculation. While the reader has an inkling that something is going to happen to someone, they are not sure what or to whom until ‘after’. The conclusion is satisfying and most things are resolved, although the reader never knows whether Alaska’s death was suicide or accident. The ending is cautiously hopeful, if not truly happy.
Green’s description of the boarding school is generic and while the setting is believable and accurate it does not become dated. Setting the action in a boarding school creates the feeling that the characters are on their own, away from parental influence, where their independence can flourish. The themes revolve around dealing with life and death and the author uses the metaphor of a labyrinth to describe life. The big question becomes how to escape the labyrinth and whether this involves actual death or just coming to terms with one’s on mortality. Green’s use of profanity and teenspeak makes the book contemporary and appealing to teenagers and naming the main female character Alaska could also be described as symbolic: Alaska as distant, wild, disconnected (both the character and the state).
Miles first person narrative immediately draws the reader into his world and he is sometimes morose, sometimes elated – something that the reader can truly identify with. Although Miles’ viewpoint is male, both genders are represented in the book and no stereotypes are noted, discounting the stereotype of adult authority represented throughout the book. Socioeconomic issues are brought to the forefront with Miles’ solid middle-class background contrasted with The Colonel’s more humble origins. The author does not stereotype the only Asian character, Takumi, and although he does somewhat stereotype The Colonel’s mother, a resident of a trailer park, he does not make fun of her; on the contrary, he presents her as a wonderful person who is beloved by her son. The usual high school cliques are presented: the jocks, the rich kids, the superficial teenage girl, yet these stereotypes are necessary to serve as a counterbalance to the “outsiders”.
This well-written, funny-yet-sad, coming-of-age novel should withstand the test of time and may even one day be put in the same category as other great novels of this genre: A Separate Peace and The Catcher in the Rye.
Reviews:
Awards: Michael L Printz Award, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Booklist Editor’s Choice, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
School Library Journal:
“Sixteen-year-old Miles Halter's adolescence has been one long nonevent - no challenge, no girls, no mischief, and no real friends. Seeking what Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps," he leaves Florida for a boarding school in Birmingham, AL. His roommate, Chip, is a dirt-poor genius scholarship student with a Napoleon complex who lives to one-up the school's rich preppies. Chip's best friend is Alaska Young, with whom Miles and every other male in her orbit falls instantly in love. She is literate, articulate, and beautiful, and she exhibits a reckless combination of adventurous and self-destructive behavior. The chapters of the novel are headed by a number of days "before" and "after" what readers surmise is Alaska's suicide. These placeholders sustain the mood of possibility and foreboding, and the story moves methodically to its ambiguous climax. The language and sexual situations are aptly and realistically drawn, but sophisticated in nature. Miles's narration is alive with sweet, self-deprecating humor, and his obvious struggle to tell the story truthfully adds to his believability.”
Children’s Literature:
“This is an amazing first novel by a writer who is young enough to vividly remember his poignant years of high school and skillful enough to turn his memories into story. Green quickly establishes the reality of his unique character and immediately hooks teen audiences by describing his desire to fit in, his passion for collecting the last words of the famous, and his desire for sex and fun. The other characters are equally appealing, and young adult readers will understand why it takes no time at all for Miles to become a smoking, drinking prankster who cavorts around with his zany roommate, "the Colonel" and the wild, beautiful, eccentric, sexually-liberated Alaska Young. Believable, often-humorous dialogue and strong feelings fill the story of a young boy who is far greater than a collection of adolescent impulses. Miles is driven to understand what Rabelais calls "Great Perhaps" as well as what motivates the unfathomable Alaska. His urges for sex are balanced by his need to grasp life's mystery, especially when tragedy interrupts what looked like a romp of a first year away from home. The story is rough, realistic and compelling. Unlike the other award-winning books, this title has characterizations that connect, conversations that ring true, references to inspire further reading, and theological and philosophical truths that speak to young adults and leave them with questions that haunt them.”
Kirkus Reviews:
“The Alaska of the title is a maddening, fascinating, vivid girl seen through the eyes of Pudge (Miles only to his parents), who meets Alaska at boarding school in Alabama. Pudge is a skinny ("irony" says his roommate, the Colonel, of the nickname) thoughtful kid who collects and memorizes famous people's last words. The Colonel, Takumi, Alaska and a Romanian girl named Lara are an utterly real gaggle of young persons, full of false starts, school pranks, moments of genuine exhilaration in learning and rather too many cigarettes and cheap bottles of wine. Their engine and center is Alaska, given to moodiness and crying jags but also full of spirit and energy, owner of a roomful of books she says she's going to spend her life reading. Her center is a woeful family tragedy, and when Alaska herself is lost, her friends find their own ways out of the labyrinth, in part by pulling a last, hilarious school prank in her name. What sings and soars in this gorgeously told tale is Green's mastery of language and the sweet, rough edges of Pudge's voice. Girls will cry and boys will find love, lust, loss and longing in Alaska's vanilla-and-cigarettes scent.”
Connections:
Since this is a book that would probably be read individually as opposed to a required title, the activities for this book are less pedantic and more reflective and personal.
Students should be encouraged to journal their feelings and reflections at various stages in the book: Miles arrival at boarding school, his initial encounters with his new friends, his first experience with love and longing, the exhilaration of breaking the rules, and the final sorrow, acceptance, and anticipation for the future. The teacher/librarian can provide guiding questions such as: Describe Miles’ mixed emotions when arriving in Alabama and meeting “The Colonel” for the first time. How do you feel when meeting new people? Describe a personal example. Have you ever broken the rules? How did it make you feel? Have you ever lost someone you love? How did you overcome your grief? How did you honor that person’s life? How do you define the labyrinth? How is this a metaphor for life? What is your ‘Great Perhaps’?
Depending on the age of the students/readers, the above could be structured as a book talk. With the sensitive subject matter, this should only be done with mature students in an open and accepting setting. Mixed-gender groups might find the topics uncomfortable, yet the discussion would be better with both boys and girls involved. Again, the factor that must be considered is maturity level and creating an environment conducive to open dialog.
Read other books that relate to coming of age themes. Examples are: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, or the classics To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, or A Separate Peace by John Knowles.
Since the book involves drinking and driving (resulting in a death), use teaching materials from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (www.madd.org). They provide statistics, studies, myths about drunk driving, and educational videos. After analyzing the information, have a class discussion about drinking and driving. With older students (Juniors, Seniors) this is a very timely lesson and should lead to an excellent class discussion, especially if the students feel comfortable to express their opinions. Peer pressure and the power of the media to influence behavior can also be discussed. If this lesson takes place just before Prom, it would be even more powerful. Finish up by watching one of the educational films or have students create posters against drinking and driving that could be displayed during Drug Awareness week.
Have a weeklong video series on coming-of-age movies such as Stand by Me, To Sir With Love, The Breakfast Club, Dead Poets Society, or Footloose (note: there are many coming-of-age movies but many are rating ‘R’; the previous titles are age-appropriate for high school (PG-13).
In the book, the protagonist, Miles, is obsessed with famous last words. After identifying quotes from the book, have students work alone or in pairs to research other famous last words. Have them share with the class. A bulletin board display could also be created. My personal favorites are Alexander Graham Bell…….”No”, Oscar Wilde…..”I am dying beyond my means”, and “Turn out the Lights”, Theodore Roosevelt.
Green uses a poem by Edna St. Vincent Milay, “Not so far as the forest”. Have students read “First Fig”, a very short, yet meaningful poem:
My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--
It gives a lovely light!
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Use this poem to discuss Alaska’s short life. Guiding question: Is one’s life measured by quantity of years or quality of life?
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Fantasy: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Audio book, Unabridged)
Gaiman, Neil. 2008. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. New York, NY: Harper Childrens Audio. ISBN 978-0061551895.
Plot Summary: The story begins with the grisly murder of a family and the escape of one family member from the scene of the crime. The escapee is a toddler who by sheer luck not only evades the killer, Jack, but also winds up at a place where he is loved and cared for…..a cemetery!! Saved by the residents, Nobody (Bod) is quickly adopted by a childless ghost couple, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, and is also introduced to his guardian, Silas, an enigmatic figure with access to the outside world, who provides not only food but guidance to Bod as he grows from a toddler to a child and eventually into adolescence.
Growing up in the graveyard, surrounded by ghosts from all ages of history, Bod learns the tricks of the trade: how to fade, how to walk through walls. When it becomes apparent that his human education is deficient, reading is added to the curriculum; and a mysterious visitor, Miss Lupescu, also tutors him in other skills that he will eventually need to save himself from the goblins. He meets a human girl, Scarlett, who becomes Bod’s friends, though her parents think he is her imaginary friend. As he gets older, he also develops a relationship with Liza Hempstock, who had been executed as a witch.
Other curious residents of the graveyard include the ghost of a Roman soldier and the Sleer, a mysterious creature that guards an ancient treasure and longs for a master. Bod eventually become a teenager, defeats the killer of his parents, Jack, along with his associates, the Jacks of All Trades, and saves Scarlett, now a teenager herself. Coming of age, Bod must leave the graveyard for life in the real world, and he does so with both nostalgia for what he is leaving behind and anticipation of the adventures awaiting him in the outside world.
This is a timeless story, appealing to both children and adults. Gaiman’s tale of growing up and wanting to belong is something that all readers can identify with, and one lesson they will take away is that love is eternal and does not die.
Critical Analysis: Gaiman’s original plot is brilliant and the characters and setting are described in loving detail. I listened to this in audio book format, narrated by the author, and his rendering of his own words along with his acting ability (he does all the characters, different accents, even sound effects) was mesmerizing. His description of nature is especially vivid and the dialogue is natural and not forced.
Bod’s transition from the graveyard to the real world parallels the transition everyone must make at the end of one’s life and contrasting the graveyard with the outside world is a brilliant literary device. Gaiman chose to create nontraditional heroes: ghosts, werewolves, and vampires become Bod’s protectors. I found that Bod’s relationship with his ghostly parents to be the least well defined yet his relationship with Silas is extremely well developed.
The plot flows chronologically with glimpses of Bod’s life at critical stages, and the author chose to leave years of Bod’s life out, creating the feeling that Bod is growing up quickly, just as our own lives pass by quickly. The story takes place in England so the descriptions and dialogue reflect British sensibilities. I am not sure if the book would have been as powerful if it had been set in the United States. An important part of the storyline is that ghosts have been in the graveyard for thousands of years and this would not have been as plausible if set in America.
Themes include good prevailing over evil, the pain of growing up (or growing old), fear of the unknown (death, going out in the world), and the power of love. Gaiman speaks through the spirits to provide life lessons that could only be learned by someone who has lived (and died) through the experience. Their collective wisdom along with their love for Bod transcends the story and gives new meaning to the old adage “It takes a village…….”
Reviews:
Awards: Newbery Medal, Locus Award for best Young Adult Novel
School Library Journal:
“Bod's love for his graveyard family and vice versa provide the emotional center, amid suspense, spot-on humor, and delightful scene-setting. The child Bod's behavior is occasionally too precocious to be believed, and a series of puns on the name Jack render the villain a bit less frightening than he should be, though only momentarily. Aside from these small flaws, however, Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.”
Booklist: *Starred Review*
“This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel’s ultimate message is strong and life affirming. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages.”
Bookmarks Magazine:
“Neil Gaiman's fantasies have entranced both younger readers and adults; this gothic fantasy, a coming-of-age story modeled after The Jungle Book and with slight nods to Harry Potter, will appeal to all ages. Gaiman creates a fantastical world where the thoughtful protagonist comes to understand the power of family as he experiences the fear, pains, confusions, and joys of growing up.”
Kirkus Reviews:
"Wistful, witty, wise-and creepy. This needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child."
Horn Book:
"Lucid, evocative prose and dark fairy-tale motifs imbue the story with a dreamlike quality. This ghost-story-cum-coming-of-age-novel as readable as it is accomplished."
Connections:
Read other books by Neil Gaiman including Stardust, Coraline, InterWorld and Mr. Punch. Two of these have been made into movies (Coraline and Stardust). Screen one of the videos for students after they have read the Graveyard Book.
Pair the Graveyard Book with The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Compare and contrast the two using a graphic organizer. Discuss similarities and differences.
Portrayals of good and evil: Discuss how Gaiman takes what are normally perceived as evil characters (ghosts, vampires, werewolves) and turns them into heroes. Are there any modern-day examples or other examples in literature?
Read other books about orphans: David Copperfield, Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, The Secret Garden, or Oliver Twist.
After reading, students may realize that graveyards/cemeteries are not a place to fear. If possible, arrange a field trip to an historic cemetery. Teach students how to do grave rubbings that they can keep or create a library display.
Create a crossword puzzle or a word search based on The Graveyard Book. Use www.puzzlemaker.com.
Poetry connection: Gaiman uses poetry in the Graveyard Book. Analyze a poem about death. An excellent example is Crossing the Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For through from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
The author, Neil Gaiman, conducted a book tour where he read a chapter at each stop. These were recorded and are available online at http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx.
Pair this book with another book about an orphan: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. There are many similarities including a villain who wants the protagonist dead, an enigmatic mentor, and a magical place.
This book may interest students in genealogy. A download of a family tree builder is available free of charge at www.myheritage.com.
Plot Summary: The story begins with the grisly murder of a family and the escape of one family member from the scene of the crime. The escapee is a toddler who by sheer luck not only evades the killer, Jack, but also winds up at a place where he is loved and cared for…..a cemetery!! Saved by the residents, Nobody (Bod) is quickly adopted by a childless ghost couple, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, and is also introduced to his guardian, Silas, an enigmatic figure with access to the outside world, who provides not only food but guidance to Bod as he grows from a toddler to a child and eventually into adolescence.
Growing up in the graveyard, surrounded by ghosts from all ages of history, Bod learns the tricks of the trade: how to fade, how to walk through walls. When it becomes apparent that his human education is deficient, reading is added to the curriculum; and a mysterious visitor, Miss Lupescu, also tutors him in other skills that he will eventually need to save himself from the goblins. He meets a human girl, Scarlett, who becomes Bod’s friends, though her parents think he is her imaginary friend. As he gets older, he also develops a relationship with Liza Hempstock, who had been executed as a witch.
Other curious residents of the graveyard include the ghost of a Roman soldier and the Sleer, a mysterious creature that guards an ancient treasure and longs for a master. Bod eventually become a teenager, defeats the killer of his parents, Jack, along with his associates, the Jacks of All Trades, and saves Scarlett, now a teenager herself. Coming of age, Bod must leave the graveyard for life in the real world, and he does so with both nostalgia for what he is leaving behind and anticipation of the adventures awaiting him in the outside world.
This is a timeless story, appealing to both children and adults. Gaiman’s tale of growing up and wanting to belong is something that all readers can identify with, and one lesson they will take away is that love is eternal and does not die.
Critical Analysis: Gaiman’s original plot is brilliant and the characters and setting are described in loving detail. I listened to this in audio book format, narrated by the author, and his rendering of his own words along with his acting ability (he does all the characters, different accents, even sound effects) was mesmerizing. His description of nature is especially vivid and the dialogue is natural and not forced.
Bod’s transition from the graveyard to the real world parallels the transition everyone must make at the end of one’s life and contrasting the graveyard with the outside world is a brilliant literary device. Gaiman chose to create nontraditional heroes: ghosts, werewolves, and vampires become Bod’s protectors. I found that Bod’s relationship with his ghostly parents to be the least well defined yet his relationship with Silas is extremely well developed.
The plot flows chronologically with glimpses of Bod’s life at critical stages, and the author chose to leave years of Bod’s life out, creating the feeling that Bod is growing up quickly, just as our own lives pass by quickly. The story takes place in England so the descriptions and dialogue reflect British sensibilities. I am not sure if the book would have been as powerful if it had been set in the United States. An important part of the storyline is that ghosts have been in the graveyard for thousands of years and this would not have been as plausible if set in America.
Themes include good prevailing over evil, the pain of growing up (or growing old), fear of the unknown (death, going out in the world), and the power of love. Gaiman speaks through the spirits to provide life lessons that could only be learned by someone who has lived (and died) through the experience. Their collective wisdom along with their love for Bod transcends the story and gives new meaning to the old adage “It takes a village…….”
Reviews:
Awards: Newbery Medal, Locus Award for best Young Adult Novel
School Library Journal:
“Bod's love for his graveyard family and vice versa provide the emotional center, amid suspense, spot-on humor, and delightful scene-setting. The child Bod's behavior is occasionally too precocious to be believed, and a series of puns on the name Jack render the villain a bit less frightening than he should be, though only momentarily. Aside from these small flaws, however, Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family.”
Booklist: *Starred Review*
“This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. There is plenty of darkness, but the novel’s ultimate message is strong and life affirming. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages.”
Bookmarks Magazine:
“Neil Gaiman's fantasies have entranced both younger readers and adults; this gothic fantasy, a coming-of-age story modeled after The Jungle Book and with slight nods to Harry Potter, will appeal to all ages. Gaiman creates a fantastical world where the thoughtful protagonist comes to understand the power of family as he experiences the fear, pains, confusions, and joys of growing up.”
Kirkus Reviews:
"Wistful, witty, wise-and creepy. This needs to be read by anyone who is or has ever been a child."
Horn Book:
"Lucid, evocative prose and dark fairy-tale motifs imbue the story with a dreamlike quality. This ghost-story-cum-coming-of-age-novel as readable as it is accomplished."
Connections:
Read other books by Neil Gaiman including Stardust, Coraline, InterWorld and Mr. Punch. Two of these have been made into movies (Coraline and Stardust). Screen one of the videos for students after they have read the Graveyard Book.
Pair the Graveyard Book with The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Compare and contrast the two using a graphic organizer. Discuss similarities and differences.
Portrayals of good and evil: Discuss how Gaiman takes what are normally perceived as evil characters (ghosts, vampires, werewolves) and turns them into heroes. Are there any modern-day examples or other examples in literature?
Read other books about orphans: David Copperfield, Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, The Secret Garden, or Oliver Twist.
After reading, students may realize that graveyards/cemeteries are not a place to fear. If possible, arrange a field trip to an historic cemetery. Teach students how to do grave rubbings that they can keep or create a library display.
Create a crossword puzzle or a word search based on The Graveyard Book. Use www.puzzlemaker.com.
Poetry connection: Gaiman uses poetry in the Graveyard Book. Analyze a poem about death. An excellent example is Crossing the Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For through from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
The author, Neil Gaiman, conducted a book tour where he read a chapter at each stop. These were recorded and are available online at http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx.
Pair this book with another book about an orphan: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. There are many similarities including a villain who wants the protagonist dead, an enigmatic mentor, and a magical place.
This book may interest students in genealogy. A download of a family tree builder is available free of charge at www.myheritage.com.
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