Hello from Kathy, Autumn, Audrey, and Scott! We will be reading Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. We all appreciate John Green’s works and want to analyze them in more detail, as he tends to hide symbolism and overarching themes throughout his books. Both the Fault In Our Stars and Looking For Alaska are critically acclaimed and are being added to the curriculum of some high school English classes. Looking for Alaska is about 17 year-old Miles “Pudge” Halter who leaves home in Florida for a boarding school in Alabama in order to find his “Great Perhaps”. It’s a coming of age novel of sorts, but it brings more modern themes to the table. The Fault in Our Stars is about 16 year-old Stage IV thyroid cancer patient Hazel Grace Lancaster, who meets and develops a relationship with 17 year-old osteosarcoma survivor Augustus Waters and discovers that, in spite of her illness, she can love and find a little infinity despite the terminal nature of her illness. John Green has a beautiful way with words and relating to his readers; as such, we feel that critically reading his novels will provide excellent opportunities for developing a deeper understanding of young adult fiction. We feel that by analyzing these novels, which both have overarching themes of love, life, death, and “coming of age”, we will have a stronger grasp on reality, the world we live in, and that there is love, little infinities, and a Great Perhaps even in the darkest times.