1.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Green,
John. 2012. The Fault in Our Stars.
New York, NY: Dutton Juvenile. ISBN 978-0525478812
2. PLOT
SUMMARY
Sixteen year old Hazel is a cancer patient who
attends a weekly support group. It is
here there that she meets her future love, Augustus. Hazel is intrigued by a particular book and
is fixated with the cryptic ending; she encourages Gus to read the same book
and he is equally intrigued. When Hazel
and Gus begin to fall in love, Hazel pulls away due to her fear of hurting Gus due
to her certain future death. However, Gus convinces Hazel that they should
determine the fate of the characters in the book, so they travel to Amsterdam,
where the author resides. The couple meet the author, who has a drinking
problem and is rude. After the young couple return home, their illnesses become
the driving force that brings the author to the United States and alters their
viewpoint of life and death.
3. CRITICAL
ANALYSIS
John Green’s exceptional writing style has given the
reader an insight into teenagers who grapple with a terminal illness. The subject matter is not easy to address,
but Green creates Hazel in a manner that makes the reader understand her inner
turmoil. He does an extraordinary job in
bridging the characters’ everyday existence with the very real fact that their
existence is indeed limited.
The main story is about Hazel, which makes the book
appeal to female readers. However, the steadfast appearance of Gus may allow
young male readers to enjoy the book as well. Green is able to draw the reader
into the characters’ individual stories, which will engage a wide variety of
readers.
It is easy for readers to imagine Hazel and Gus’
trip to Amsterdam; it is as if the reader is on the trip. Green is able to transcend the fictional story
and make the reader fall in love with the characters. The story is
heartbreakingly realistic and the average reader will be able to empathize with
the characters. The book also tackles
everyday teenage issues such as falling in love, and other teenage angsts. The book is more story and character driven than
other books, which will engage younger teenagers.
Readers above the age of thirteen will become
engrossed in Hazel and Augustus’ lives.
Green accurately displays, not only their everyday lives, but the
impending heartache of their looming death. This is a book that will be
difficult to put down until the reader finishes it.
In addition to the print version, there is an audiobook version of The Fault in Our Stars. This version is performed by Kate Rudd. She does an exceptional job at reading Green’s text and is particularly believable as Hazel. It is understandable why the audiobook version won the 2013 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production.
In addition to the print version, there is an audiobook version of The Fault in Our Stars. This version is performed by Kate Rudd. She does an exceptional job at reading Green’s text and is particularly believable as Hazel. It is understandable why the audiobook version won the 2013 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
- Time Magazine’s #1 Fiction Book of 2012
- An Entertainment Weekly Best Fiction Book of 2012
- #1 New York Times Bestseller
- #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller
- USA Today Bestseller
- #1 Children’s Indiebound Pick
- New York Times Editor’s Choice
- The Huffington Post Best Books of 2012
- A Booklist Books for Youth Editor’s Choice
- The Horn Book Fanfare List
- A Publishers Weekly Best Book
- A School Library Journal Best Book
- Unprecedented EIGHT starred reviews
Starred
Review from Booklist: “Beautifully conceived and executed, this
story artfully examines the largest possible considerations—life, love, and
death—with sensitivity, intelligence, honesty, and integrity.”
Starred
Review from Kirkus: “Green seamlessly
bridges the gap between the present and the existential, and readers will need
more than one box of tissues to make it through Hazel and Gus’ poignant journey.”
Starred
Review from School Library Journal: “Once
again Green offers a well-developed cast of characters capable of both
reflective thought and hilarious dialogue. With his trademark humor, lovable
parents, and exploration of big-time challenges.”
Review
from the New York Times: “…written in
his signature tone, a blend of melancholy, sweet, philosophical and funny.”
Review
from NPR.org: ““Green writes books
for young adults, but his voice is so compulsively readable that it defies
categorization. He writes for youth, rather than to them, and the difference is
palpable….You will be thankful for the little infinity you spend inside this
book.”
*A
book for teens and young adults that shares the process of life and death in a
poignant, but relatable manner.
*Other
books by John Green:
Looking for Alaska. ISBN
978-0142402511
Paper Towns. ISBN 978-0142414934
An Abundance of Katherines. ISBN 978-0142410707
Paper Towns. ISBN 978-0142414934
An Abundance of Katherines. ISBN 978-0142410707
*Other books that focus on terminally
ill teenagers:
Wunder, Wendy. The
Probability of Miracles. ISBN 978-1595144805
Hurwin, Davida Wills. A Time for Dancing. ISBN 978-0316036344
Sparks, Nicholas. A Walk
to Remember. ISBN 978-0446693806*Audiobook
Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. ISBN 978-1-4558-6974-9