lookingforalaska+msriddle

=Directions:= I recommend keeping these directions open in a separate tab while you complete your first review.

Necessary Components
1. A picture of the book's cover.
 * google image search
 * amazon books
 * goodreads (//will need to enlarge book cover to save//)

a. Right click the image, and "save image as" to somewhere easy to find (desktop, my docs) b. While editing your page, click "file" and then "upload image". c. Simply click the image (once uploaded) to insert on to your page.

2. A summary of the book.
 * summarize the main plot points of the book
 * NO SPOILERS!

3. Your thoughts on the book, //in paragraph form//.
 * star rating (1 = RUN AWAY! and 5 = MUST READ!)
 * strengths / what you liked
 * weaknesses / what you didn't like
 * why you would or would not recommend this to a peer

=Model Review:= __**Rating**__ 4 Stars

__**Summary**__ Miles "Pudge" Halter is your average teenager, who feels as though his life is missing something important. He leaves his public school, where he has no real friends or ambitions, to search for the "Great Perhaps" at the boarding school his father attended. While there, he makes true friends for the first time, and meets the girl who will change his life forever. Alaska Young is beautiful, witty, and a little bit unhinged. She helps Pudge on his journey to the "Great Perhaps" through various adventures, both "before" and "after" the big event the book alludes to throughout.

__**Review**__

This is a great piece of realistic YA fiction. It perfectly captures the struggles teenagers face to fit in and find that something great that will give their lives meaning. Pudge's friends (especially the Colonel) are both realistic and funny, and I found myself laughing out loud more than once. Some tropes are a little overdone and perhaps cliched - but overall I found the story moving and interesting. The big event made me think about the nature of living and "burning too brightly" as well. I've read it twice, and found myself crying by the end of both times. Anyone who wants an eventful story about teenage growing pains and self discovery would enjoy this book.