Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

One minute 16-year-old Miranda was worrying about getting a date and if she is ever going to be able to go back to the sport of figure skating again. The next, an asteroid has hit the moon, sending it closer to earth, affecting the planet in all sorts of ways as to make everyone believe that the apocalypse has come. Tides swamp miles of coastline cities; earthquakes and thunderstorms avail; and volcanoes erupt, spewing volcanic ash into the air, which hides the sun and makes the temperature drop dangerously.

This event changes the way they have to look at everything. Mirandas mom, once so eager to share what they had, now tells her children that family comes first, before anyone else. Mirandas older brother Matt does what he can to support the family and make sure they survive the brutal winter. Her younger brother Jonny is forced to grow up a lot faster than he should have to.

The fights, the fear, the good times--Miranda documents it all in her journal, as she and her family learn to sacrifice a little for what is most important when the world comes to an end: family.

LIFE AS WE KNEW IT hooks you and doesnt let you go. Every time I had to take a break from reading, I stumbled out into the real world, where I was amazed to find that there was still plenty of food, water, electricity, and heat. Mirandas simple, diary-like language thus makes her story all that more believable. This novel is an incredible achievement.