The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars is the third John Green book that I've read recently.  I must say that I've come to expect a lot from John Green.  I think he is one of the wittiest young adult authors I've read.  With that being said, I have to admit that this book, in my opinion, did not live up to Looking for Alaska.   That's not to say that this isn't a phenomenal book, because it is.  It is definitely worth reading.  However, parts of it were predictable for me.  I've seenI can't really say more about that without spoiling the end.  The story revolves around Hazel, a 16 year old girl with thyroid cancer.  Hazel knows that her story has no happy ending.  She realizes that at some point she will cease to exist.  She and her parents know that no matter what they do, they are only going to be able to prolong her life.  Hazel is forced, by her parents, to attend a support group.  One day at support group, she meets Augustus Waters.  Augustus is in remission. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at a young age and lost his right leg to the disease.  He is immediately drawn to Hazel.  However, Hazel is afraid to become close to anyone, because she wants to minimize the damage she leaves behind when the inevitable occurs and she dies.  The story continues to follow the relationship between these two fascinating characters.
 The dialogue between Hazel and Augustus is the high point of this novel.  Some people have complained online that Green's teenagers don't act and speak like real teenagers.  I have to disagree with them there. No, his teenagers don't interact with each other the way many teenagers do today.  However, as an English teacher, it has been my privilege to work with many kids in my Pre-AP class who do think about deep topics and express themselves in much the same way that Green's characters do.  Green's novels may not be for everyone for that very reason, but I can guarantee you that his large fan base shows that there are kids out there who not only enjoy his work, but who can relate to his characters.  Those fans wouldn't be there if his characters came across as fake.