John Green is one of America’s rising stars in teen culture. The man has worked in a variety of forms: ask anyone, and there’s a good chance they’ve come into contact with his work in some way, whether it be reading one of his books, watching his Crash Course videos for AP World, or interacting with fans on Tumblr. He’s undeniably everywhere in teen culture.

For many, like sophomore Sara Combs, it’s “…his books that drew me.” His novels include such titles as Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, and his most recent The Fault in Our Stars. All have been hits: Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars have both been on the New York Times bestseller list for young adults for 48 weeks; Paper Towns has been on for 34 weeks.

Each book recounts, in extraordinary ways, issues teens may face. In Combs’ words, “They’re realistic, yet have some unrealistic components which make them interesting.” For example, The Fault in Our Stars is a story about a terminal-cancer-stricken girl falling in love with another cancer survivor.

Of the issues, most of the novels deal with relationships between teens. According to sophomore Will Foreman, the characters are “…intelligent, easy to connect with, and simple to understand.” It may even feel like the characters know exactly what’s going on in the reader’s head. Green isn’t afraid to mention bouts of smoking, drinking, or even sexual experiences to develop a character, setting up troubling situations to further the plots and make the characters seem as flawed and believable as any teen.

The books are acclaimed otherwise, too. As a testament to its storytelling prowess, Looking for Alaska is used across the country in English classrooms as required class reading.

The Fault in Our Stars is being made into a Hollywood movie based on it, directed by Josh Boone and starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. The shooting process recently finished in October, and the movie is due out June 16 of next year.

In addition to his novels, Green has a huge internet presence with his YouTube channel: Vlogbrothers. Initially starting as a form of communication between his brother Hank Green and himself, it has turned into a sort of everlasting project between the two, with biweekly videos on nearly every subject imaginable. For example, one of their videos that has gone viral explains the high costs of healthcare in America. Foreman says that the videos are “…funny, and they feel ‘personal’ in a way. It feels like you’re actually talking to him [Green.]”

He also runs Crash Course, a supplementary channel to Vlogbrothers where he teaches world history, US history, and literature such as The Great Gatsby. Many of these are used in classrooms; Mrs. Rebetsky uses the ones on The Catcher in the Rye in her AP Literature class, for instance.

Rebetsky says, “When a student told me about Crash Course, I watched one video. It was like watching three of my lectures in one condensed, ten minute, entertaining video—much better than me!”

His popularity makes sense. Everything he does has played into something more: his books gain exposure on YouTube, his videos gain exposure from his author’s biographies in his books, and he’s introduced even in classrooms. The things he writes and talks about are relevant, entertaining, and insightful for teenage audiences. His relevancy will probably remain as long as he continues to make content.

Green says he has no plans for future novels, due to having his second child and having many commitments with his YouTube presence.

Combs says, “I now have no life because I’m constantly on Tumblr reblogging his posts, reading his books, or watching his videos.”