Looking for Alaska

Title: Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green

ISBN: 978-1-4233-2444-7

Recommended Grade Level of User: 9th to 12th

Media Type: Audiobook, Compact Disc (CD)

Copyright: 2006

Audiobook Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Narrator: Jeff Woodman

Duration: 7 Hours (6 CDs)

Genre: Fiction

Reader's Annotation:  Will Miles ever find his Great Perhaps? 

Plot Summary:  Miles is leaving his family and his home for boarding school in Alabama.  After his arrival, he quickly becomes friends with his roommate Chip and his roommate’s female friend, Alaska.  When Miles gets thrown into a lake one day by a local group of notorious pranksters, Miles and his friends declare a prank war.  Amidst the festivities surrounding the pranks, Miles finds that he is developing a crush on Alaska.  Throughout the course of the audiobook, infatuation grows between the two teens.  One fateful night, however, Alaska suddenly perishes in a car crash.  Devastated by their loss, Miles and Chip set out on a quest to uncover the truth behind Alaska’s death.   

Evaluation:  (B)  Green created three well developed characters in Miles, Chip, and Alaska. Each brought interest to the story with unique sets of characteristics and provided for an intriguing and suspenseful narrative.  It is easy to see how each character impacts the others' lives and while the ending isn't necessarily a happy one, it makes the story much more believable.        

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Paper Towns

Title:  Paper Towns

Author:  John Green

ISBN:  978-1-4233-4422-3

Recommended Age Level of User:  14 and Up

Media Type:  Audiobook, Compact Disc (CD)

Copyright:  2008

Audiobook Publisher:  Brilliance Audio

Narrator: Dan John Miller

Duration:  8 Hours (7 CDs)

Genre:  Fiction

Reader's Annotation:  Appearances can be deceiving.  

Plot Summary:  Next door neighbors Margo and Quentin have grown up with each other.  The two were close friends until the age of nine.  After an eventful day in the park, their friendship deteriorated.  As high school seniors, the teens are still neighbors and Quentin has had a crush on Margo all the while.  Since both belong to different crowds and have divergent personalities, Quentin has never revealed his feelings.  One night, Margo and Quentin reunite when Margo shows up at Quentin’s door.  The next day, she mysteriously disappears and the rest of the story revolves around Quentin’s efforts to find Margo and uncover who she really is.    

Evaluation:  (A)  This plot is similar to Green's Looking for Alaska.  They are different stories, of course, but the idea of searching for a girl is reminiscent of the author's other work. Nonetheless, this story was funny and will give the reader (or listener) a lot to think about. Although Quentin has idolized Margo for so many years, he starts to understand that people are not always what they seem.  Teens may be able to relate to this concept.  Paper Towns would make a great addition to a summertime reading book list.     

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• YALSA Best Books for Young Adults

Thirteen Reasons Why

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher

ISBN: 978-0-7393-5650-0

Recommended Grade Level of User: 9th to 12th

Media Type: Audiobook, Compact Disc (CD)

Copyright:  2007

Audiobook Publisher: Random House Audio

Narrators: Joel Johnstone and Debra Wiseman

Duration: 6 Hours, 25 Minutes (5 CDs)

Genre: Fiction

Reader's Annotation:  Hannah’s peers played a role in her suicide and they are about to find out why. 

Plot Summary:  Thirteen Reasons Why is about the story of Hannah Baker.  Before Hannah’s suicide, she documented the reasons that led to her untimely death.  Via cassette tapes, Hannah delivered messages to her peers to let then know why they each played a role in her suicide.  The messages, recorded on a series of seven tapes, were mailed to the first recipient shortly before her suicide.  Hannah’s message instructs each person to listen to all of the tapes and pass them along to the next person mentioned in her story.  Clay, the male protagonist, is one of Hannah’s peers mentioned on the tapes.  The story unfolds from Clay’s point-of-view as he recounts listening to Hannah’s tapes. 

Evaluation:  (B)  The premise of the story is creative and intriguing.  However, the plot is somewhat unrealistic.  It is evident that the author conducted research on suicide as Asher intertwined facts about suicide throughout the story.  It is unrealistic, though, that someone who is truly suicidal would have the energy and gumption to produce a chronicle of his or her life and devise a plan to circulate it.  Also, while people have different reasons for committing suicide, Hannah’s reasons are relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of life.  Perhaps Asher thought the reader would chalk it up to the nature of teenage cognition, but the plot was unconvincing.  Nonetheless, the story is emotional and thought provoking.  Listeners of the audiobook (or readers of the novel) may give the golden rule more thought after hearing Hannah’s story.

On a side note, Hannah’s voice, read by Debra Wiseman was not only unrealistic because it was read by an adult woman rather than a teenage girl, but also since it was too theatrical for someone who has decided to commit suicide.  It is difficult to separate Wiseman’s rendition of Hannah’s story; therefore, I surmise that the novel, rather than the audiobook, is a better choice for those looking to experience Thirteen Reasons Why.   

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