Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth PfefferBook 41 of 50 for the New Author Challenge
Book 11 of 55 for the Countdown Challenge (2005)
Book 2 for the YA Dystopian Reading Challenge
Book 6 of 25 for the MG Reading Challenge
Awards: Nebula Award/Finalist; ALA Best Book for Young Adults; Andre Norton Award; Booklist Editors' Choice; Quill Book Awards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I've had this one on my to-read list for awhile and even managed to snag a copy through BookMooch. I figured nothing could get me to stay awake during the week hours of the read-a-thon like a book that would scare the living daylights out of me, and this one definitely did its job!
When a meteor hits the moon and knocks it slightly off orbit, the effect on the earth is catastrophic. Miranda, a sophomore in high school, goes from worrying about whether or not she'll go to the prom to worrying about whether or not she and her family will have enough food and fuel to survive the winter. The book is written as Miranda's journal entries. It's a style that I love and I think works especially well with this plot.
I felt like Pfeffer did an excellent job grasping that feeling of helplessness, anxiety, and panic that happens when disaster strikes. I was reminded a lot of how I felt during September 11th, and could imagine how that might be on an even bigger scale. But the author also does a great job portraying how the survival instinct kicks in (or not) and how different people react in a given situation. You can't read this book without considering your own emergency preparedness.
I think this book would be appropriate starting at junior high age. There is a companion book, The Dead and Gone, which looks at the same event from a different set of eyes. At the moment I don't plan on reading it since I was kind of hoping for a continuation of Miranda's story instead. But this is a book that will definitely get you thinking!
Also reviewed by:
- The Book Nest
- Book Nut
- It's All About Books
- Becky's Book Reviews
- Piling on the Books
- Books on the Brain
- 1morechapter.com
- My Friend Amy
- Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?
- Book Addiction
- Karin's Book Nook
- Regular Rumination
- Bart's Bookshelf
- ReadingAdventures
- Presenting Lenore
- Thoughts of Joy
- Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic
- J. Kaye's Book Blog
- Life and Time of a "New" New Yorker
Source: BookMooch
11 comments:
It's a good one fear-inducing one this one, isn't it? :)
While I've not read it myself yet, the second one probably needs reading as from what I've heard the last in the trilogy to be released next year brings both strands together.
I love books written as journals, so this one sounds really appealing to me.
I liked this book, too, although I have yet to read The Dead and The Gone.
I just got this book from the library.Looks like its going to be a good read.
That is a great book for the read-a-thon. I added your review link to mine. Thanks!
Sounds like a great book for the wee hours of the readathon.
This one grabbed me by the throat. I really liked it and my food storage thanks it as well :)
I enjoyed this book as well. Glad you liked it. You're doing great on the Countdown Challenge, too!
Sounds like a solid add to my mountain of to-be-read titles. Great little review!
Also want to add that I heard that she is writing a third books that sort of brings this one and The Dead adn the Gone together.
I read The Dead and the Gone for a children's lit class last spring. It scared the pants off of me! It was so realistic and so well done, I've been recommending it to everyone. I do want to read Life As We Knew It, and I think I've checked it out of the library three times, but somehow other books keep pushing it aside. I'll move it back up on my TBR list.
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