Review: Life As We Knew It

Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publish date: 2006
Source: Classroom library
"Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter, Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.

Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all--hope--in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world." (Goodreads)

I had sadly not heard of this book until we purchased it for our classroom libraries. I of course read the back of all the books I don't know as I catalog them (aka stick a card and pocket in them) and this one seemed awesome. I took it home last weekend, thinking I might get to it, then I got the flu (yuck) and read a few books while I was holed up in bed. I really liked it and have already recommended it to my students.

One of the things I liked most about Life As We Knew It is that it seems almost realistic, especially after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. When I read about cities being flooded, it wasn't shocking or hard to imagine because it happened! Now I don't know if a meteor could actually hit the moon and knock it out of orbit, but it was scary to think about all of those natural disasters happening at the same time: tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, you name it. I feel like I need to have food and water stored in the basement...just in case.

I also really liked that this was an epistolary novel (woo look at my obnoxious English teacher lingo), or told through journal entries. It was easy to believe that a teenager was just writing about her life as it was happening. Because it was told in that format, though, it wasn't necessarily action packed, but that didn't bother me. I think it was a great format for the story and really helped you to feel what Miranda was feeling. Like I said before, I already book talked it in class and I think it will be popular, especially given recent events.

Life As We Knew It is the first in a trilogy and I am really looking forward to seeing where the series goes!