Looking for Alaska - John Green

I wanted to quote passages from this book. I kept the book, risking overdue fines, so I could quote passages. I can't find it. I am now dealing with the fact that I may have LOST a library book.

I liked this book. Parts of it made me laugh out loud and read to Jeremy. I would have put some of those passages here if it weren't for books growing little feet and wandering off.

One might ask why did I like Looking for Alaska but not As Simple As Snow. I don't know, but let's try to examine it.

First, the weird girl of the story, Alaska, was not a goth. Nor was she particularly weird. She just was. And she was believable. She had her issues and her baggage but they made her a person, not a stereotype.

Two, the main character, Pudge (real name lost with the wandering book), was not an invisible normal cardboard cut out guy. He had his own personality that was not related to his being obsessed with weird girl. I liked his penchant for last words. It made him interesting and his own person.

Three, I just enjoyed the story. I enjoyed that the characters felt like teens, not someone's image of teens. I cringed at the amount of drinking and pranking (and bad rapping), but I couldn't fault it as being inaccurate of teens at a private high school trying to break as many rules while still doing well, and not losing a scholarship or getting expelled in the process. But not so focused on what can easily be described as stupid high school hijinks that it was a chore to read.

The ending was brilliant and touching. I was just a little unexcited about the book until I got to the ending. There'd probably be another quote here.