However, without these, this book would be entirely different - and probably not as powerful. There is a good amount of drinking/drugs/smoking. If you read this book with a parent (like I did) I think a younger age would be suitable.įor additional warnings for parents, I would say this: The characters are fully developed and the description is stunning.Īs for the 14+ rating, I this is the rating if you read it alone. Like all John Green books, it is written beautifully. And yes, it's on the banned booklist, but this is a book aimed at the YA crowd for YA readers, so saying that teens can't read about other teens facing the same problems they might face sort of defeats the purpose. I think that everyone should read this, especially teenagers. It can help both teachers and parents talk about loss, friendship, and the importance of self-discovery.ĭespite the 16+ rating, I read this book when I was 11 years old. This award-winning book is considered a modern classic and is on many high school reading lists. There's lots of sex (descriptions of heavy kissing, oral sex, groping, references to masturbation, erections, making out, watching pornography), drinking, strong language (including 's-t' and f-k'), and smoking, including of marijuana, but nothing is gratuitous or glamorized. It's the story of a group of fun-loving, rule-breaking teens who are rocked by a tragedy and must process the grief and loss. Printz Award and many other literary awards.

Parents need to know that John Green's Looking for Alaska won the Michael J. Nor is the constant smoking or references to marijuana.ĭid you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. Lots of underage drinking, fake IDs, drunkenness and hangovers, drunk driving, etc., but it's alcohol is not glamorized.

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