Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Mairi

Miles is a different kid- not quite a full blown geek, but he certainly has some interesting habits, like memorizing last words. The last words of Francois Rabelais (I go to seek the Great Perhaps) inspire him to seek his own Great Perhaps in boarding school, where he will meet Alaska Young, a girl who cannot be described by anyone. She smokes and sells cigarettes, but there is an almost childlike innocence about her.

I first heard about this book in one of those online what-book-are-you quizzes and, though this was my result, I did not go right out and read it, possibly because of the freaky cover. A good friend and I were hanging out in the library before school one day, looking for books to read, and she recommended this author to me, and this book as one of his best. Truth be told it still did not look that great, but I really needed something to read so I checked it out and started it, after which I could not put it down.

The topics make this book middle school- high school, but it is a pretty easy read.