Looking for Alaska

Miles Halter arrives at boarding school searching for what the dying poet François Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps”—something bigger, wilder, more meaningful than his safe suburban existence. What he finds is Alaska Young: brilliant, beautiful, self-destructive, and utterly unforgettable. She pulls him into her world of pranks, cigarettes, and late-night philosophical debates. She shows him what it means to be truly alive. And then, in one shattering moment, everything changes.

Looking for Alaska is the stunning debut that launched John Green into the literary stratosphere. This New York Times Bestseller and USA Today Bestseller earned the prestigious Michael L. Printz Award and continues to resonate with readers worldwide—millions of copies later, it remains as urgent and heartbreaking as ever.

Green writes with unflinching honesty about first love, devastating loss, and the impossible question of what comes after. His characters feel achingly real—the kind of friends you wish you’d had (or maybe did have) during those formative years when everything mattered so intensely. The boarding school setting crackles with authenticity, from the cigarette smoke drifting across campus to the labyrinth where secrets are shared and hearts are broken.

This updated edition includes a brand-new Readers’ Guide with an exclusive Q&A, making it perfect for book clubs, classroom discussions, or anyone ready to revisit this modern classic. Named one of NPR’s Top Ten Best-Ever Teen Novels and TIME magazine’s 100 Best Young Adult Novels, this is the book that started it all.

First drink. First prank. First friend. First love. Last words.

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