John Green: Teen Whisperer (Volume 49) (Studies in Young Adult Literature, 49)

In a very short time, John Green has become an icon of young adult literature. His first novel, Looking for Alaska (2005) won the Michael Prinz award, Paper Towns (2008) received an Edgar Allan Poe award, and in 2014, Time magazine named him one its 100 Most Influential People. The Fault in Our Stars reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list, and the film adaptation was a worldwide hit.

John Green: Teen Whisperer looks at the work of a versatile author whose works have fast become must-reads for teens and adults alike. After providing a biographical sketch of the author, subsequent chapters focus on different “types” of Green’s writing: radio broadcasts, blogs, vlogs, YouTube videos, and, of course, his novels, including An Abundance of Katherines (2006) and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010). This volume concludes with an interview of Green and a unique final chapter that considers not only the young adult view of his work, but an adult perspective as well.

Based on extensive research, this book captures the diverse elements of Green and his work: predictable, but surprising; stable, yet enigmatic; aloof, but deeply caring; hip, but homespun; irreverent, but deeply spiritual. Exploring why his writing reaches both teens and adults, John Green: Teen Whisperer will be of interest to librarians, scholars, and the author’s many fans.