Dreamy accolade for 'Red Mansions'

Chinese author addresses cultural differences

Green, a father of two, is ever respectful of Berger and his other "nerdfighters", the community of fans worldwide who have led him to Hollywood's door and greet each other with his tagline: "Don't forget to be awesome!" They even have a special thing they do with their arms, crossing at the chest and spreading their fingers in twos. You sort of have to be there.

He was vigilant as a presence on the movie's set, sobbing when the filmmakers got it right and cheering on Woodley, Elgort and Wolff, who is slated to star in the next stop on Green's big screen journey for his Paper Towns.

So, can Green hold on to his mojo? His is the kind of authenticity among young people that led a headline writer at The New Yorker to dub him the "Teen Whisperer". Green doesn't love that term. "I don't whisper to teens very often. I think whispering to teens would be weird and creepy," he jokes. "I love talking to teenagers. I love making stuff for teenagers and making stuff with them."

Green was an early YouTuber. He has a rap-id-fire delivery in an ongoing series of videos he exchanges with his brother Hank, who lives in Montana. Their Vlogbrothers channel has attracted millions and showcases Green's goofy side (like smearing his face with peanut butter) as he weighs in on everything from Hitler's sex life to how to stamp out bullying.

The brothers also put up "Crash Course" videos accompanied by cartoonish graphics to help older children cram for school on the sciences and humanities. They're now used by thousands of teachers.

But until now, Green's off-the-page life has been exclusively small screen. Does the writer part of his brain now need to make peace with his developing big-screen brain?

"I hope that I'm not developing a Holly-wood brain, to be honest with you. I love books. I love writing books. I love movies, too, but I am a book writer and if I'm lucky enough to be able to work with people who are great at making movies then I feel very fortunate, but I have no desire to become a movie person," he says.

Green won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking for Alaska, and his fans have kept all four of his books high on best-seller lists since. This year, Green made Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people.