John Green - “Looking for Alaska” - Printz Winner 2005

This morning I was one of many watching the ALA award ceremony on the web. I was anxious, short on time, and needed to leave for class. My fat, orange, Morris look-alike kitty, Max, watched in puzzlement as I paced from the computer to the oven clock saying “Oooohhhh, Max, only one minute more and then I really must leave.” And of course, once Looking for Alaska was announced as the Printz winner, my fingers uncrossed, I hurrahed and hugged my cat, and took off in an attempt to be on time for class.

While driving, I reminisced my brief encounter with John Green at ALA Chicago 2005. I was at a booth in the stacks, probably about to make a speech in attempt to secure particular arcs for my Teen Volunteers, when this normal looking guy in front of me starts talking about As Simple as Snow. Well, I had enjoyed this book too and thought I’d jump in with some comments of my own. The part of the conversation I actually remember was when the guy stated something like “I thought I’d read his book since he read mine.” His name tag reads John Green. Click. I instantly became an overenthusastic fan. This unbelievable occurance, though I had been told that authors are considered commonplace at ALA, caught me unaware and I embarrasingly admit I think I might have frightened him.

Congradulations John Green, I look foward to see what characters you develop next.