Searching for the "Great Perhaps"

Miles a.k.a. "Pudge" has a strange obsession: He collects the last words of people both famous and obscure. After reading the supposed final words of deceased poet Francois Rabelais, "I go to seek a Great Perhaps," Miles is convinced there must be more to life than his current, drab existance. He is thus inspired to go seek that Great Perhaps for himself. He transfers to Culver Creek, an Alabama bording school, where he meets a host of quirky characters including the somewhat neurotic Colonel and the charming-yet-unstable Alaska. Miles spends his first 128 days at Culver Creek hanging out with his new friends and learning lessons about life, love, and how to engineer the perfect prank. Then an unexpected tragedy strikes and, in the days to follow, Miles and his friends must pick up the pieces and deal with emotions far beyond what they ever expected to encounter this early in their lives. Looking For Alaska deals with life, love, grief, and, ultimately, healing. Although not light reading by any stretch of the imagination, John Green's award-winning novel is nonetheless a very worthwhile read! --AJL