Major Works
Green has published, to date, five standalone, realistic fiction, YA novels, all of which have been challenged multiple times and been best-sellers. All but Katherines have been adapted for screen and won multiple awards. Looking for Alaska, his first novel, published in 2005, has been one of the most frequently challenged and banned books of the last decade. This section of the blog will take an in-depth look at three of his novels—Alaska, Paper Towns, and The Fault in Our Stars—through rationales. His other two novels, An Abundance of Katherines and Turtles All the Way Down, will be covered in critical reviews.
Rationales
A rationale is a document of information compiled to support the selection of a book for inclusion in a collection or curriculum. It should contain a plot summary, information on the value of the work, the potential content issues or objections with the work, examples of reviews, awards, alternate titles, and any other supplemental information that may be helpful in case of defending against a challenge. The process of compiling a rationale also helps deepen a librarian or educator’s understanding of the reasons why the work is a valuable addition to the collection or curriculum.
Green’s realistic YA fiction is characterized by quirky and complex characters who are at once intelligent deep thinkers and yet prone to all the timeless idiosyncrasies of the teenage state. His stories are rich with literary references, fascinating trivia, and moments of profound contemplation of the impossible state of being human. Many of the details in his fiction have been pulled almost directly from his own experiences as a teenager, Alaska in particular being cited as somewhat autobiographical. Green is also known for respecting teens and working to portray their lived realities. In a 2014 interview with Margaret Talbot of The New Yorker for her piece, The Teen Whisperer, he describes his views on teen, “I love the intensity teen-agers bring not just to first love but also to the first time you’re grappling with grief, at least as a sovereign being—the first time you’re taking on why people suffer and whether there’s meaning in life, and whether meaning is constructed or derived. Teen-agers feel that what you conclude about those questions is going to matter. And they’re dead right. It matters for adults, too, but we’ve almost taken too much power away from ourselves. We don’t acknowledge on a daily basis how much it matters.”
Solo YA Novels
2005 - Looking for Alaska - Miles Halter leaves home to seek “the Great Perhaps” at boarding school in Alabama, where he meets the titular Alaska. One of the most frequently challenged and banned books of the last decade and the sixth most challenged book of 2024 (ALA 2025) . . . continue to rationale
2006 - An Abundance of Katherines - Colin Singleton, a child prodigy who has been dumped nineteen times by girls named Katherine embarks on a road trip with his best friend Hassan, and works to fine tune the mathematical formula that will accurately predict the outcomes of romantic relationships, thus securing his place in history as a genius of note . . . continue to review
2008 - Paper Towns - Quentin Jacobsen, aka “Q”, has been in love with Margo Roth Spiegelman since they were kids. They share a wild night shortly before high school graduation, then she disappears . . . continue to rationale
2012 - The Fault in Our Stars - Hazel has incurable cancer and is living on borrowed time, then she meets Augustus Waters at a Cancer Kid Support Group, and they fall in love . . . continue to rationale
2017 - Turtles All the Way Down - Aza Holmes is consumed by “invasive” thoughts courtesy her OCD, and is challenged to confront the implications of her condition when an old friend’s billionaire father goes missing . . . continue to review
Collaborative YA Books
2008 - Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle - three interconnected holiday rom-com novellas set in the midst of a snow laden small town on Christmas Eve.
2010 - Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan - Will Grayson and Will Grayson both live in Chicago but have never met, until one cold night. Hilarious and poignant, and culminating in the epic high school musical, “Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story.” Grayson has been challenged due to LGBTQ themes.
Non-fiction Adult Books
2021 - The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet - a compilation of essays formatted as starred reviews that were first published in episodes of his podcast by the same name, Green ponders the myriad ways humans interact with and act on the world in which they find themselves. Characteristically at once witty and profound.
2025 - Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection - this short, but detailed history of tuberculosis and how it’s connected to all things, is Green’s latest release and enjoyed multiple weeks as a New York Times number-one bestseller.
“I believe that by just standing there, without judgement, stories can proclaim the full humanity of their characters, and in doing so can help us see the humanity within ourselves.” —John Green (2022)