Life As We Knew It

This is not one of my favorite books, it's a bit too sad for me. I will say that this books has stuck with me since the first time I read it to my younger sister years ago. I've read it many more times since then. I just can't seem to get this book out of my head, it's hauntingly beautiful book.

Imagine if the world right now was to completely change, food would be very scarce. Water hard to get, no AC or heat. No school. No nothing. Some many people would die without their prescription medication. People would kill each other for food.

This book is very dark, but it could've been darker. I honestly believe if something like his happened, this book wouldn't fit. There would be more killing and death. Humans wouldn't do very well in this kind of thing.

In this book we follow a young girl named Miranda. She is a very nice young girl and I honestly think she handles this whole moon crises as well as any young person can. She does her best to help her family all while dealing with having her whole life flipped upside down and ripped from her.

I'd say this is an amazing book that everyone should read. I've yet to read the rest of the series but I'm going to. I will warn you though, this book with stay with you for the rest of your life. You'll find parts of the story popping into your head for no reason.

The writing is so simple and I enjoy that. It makes this whole world so much more vivid and terrible. I really think is book will always make you grateful that you live in the world you do. It sure made me feel so thankful nothing like this has happened to us.

Life as we Know centers around the life of a family after a catastrophe ,as told by the 16 year old narrator Miranda, in diary format. After a worldwide catasptrophe, Miranda and her family must learn to survive in a drastically changed world. Gas prices rise, food is scare, family and friends are dead.With everything changing around them Miranda and her family struggle to stay together.

The main protagonist matures nicely in the book from a slightly pampered sixteen year old to more mature and decisive character.Miranda intially pines for the creature comforts lost but eventually realizes that they are all in a struggle for survival. Life as We Knew It Is not just a look at how things change after catatsrophe but, also a look at how people change.Life As We Knew It is the first book in the last survivor's series.
This book is a perfect book for readers that like post-apocalyptical reads with great writing, the main character will also be very relateable to many readers.

Age group: 13 and up
Content: a refernce to somone letting her teenage daughter go off with a grown man, a reference to a charcter committing suicide, references to several people dying in disasters, some characters consume wine at a dinner, also a reference to teenage pregnancy.

Reader reviewed by GBC

Life As We Knew It is a great book for teens who are looking for a book with a post-apocalyptic feel, but without a terrorist attack or world war.  There are plenty of deaths, and people do act a bit crazy, but this book provides a great view of what life could be like if life as we knew it changed drastically.  After the moon gets knocked out of orbit, and disaster ensues, Miranda steps up and finds a way to survive and help her family, both growing up and learning a lot about herself.  The book prompts all kinds of discussion, especially begging the question: "What would you do?".  This is a fantastic end-of-the-world type story for middle school and up!

Reader reviewed by Books N' Cooks

Life As We Knew It was the latest book for our little book club. A young adult book, once I started reading it, I couldnt put it down.

This book was about the life of a 16-year old girl and her family living in Pennsylvania after a meteor hits the moon and knocks it out of orbit. This spurs off a series of natural disasters tsunamis, storms, droughts, blizzards, effecting the lives of everyone. Ordinary life shifts rapidly to a life with spotty or no electricity, little to no news about the present circumstances or predictions for the future, and limited food supplies (whatever you have stocked up on). The family struggles to cope with these challenges and prepare for an uncertain future, sacrificing so much for each other.

This book really makes you realize just how quickly things can change, and how we should remind ourselves how lucky we are. There are so many things most people today take for granted a never-ending supply of food and gas; electricity; heat and air conditioning; telephones; etc. Life As We Knew It takes away all of these things, and reminds us of what is important family.

I found Life As We Knew It to be a quick read but highly recommended.

Reader reviewed by Jenna

Like As We Knew It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!!
The disasters in the book are great and creative, I  mean a meteor hitting the moon dead center and knocking it out of orbit creating tidal waves covering most of the continent, volcanoes exploding so often because of the moons gravity pull that the ash is starting to cover the sun, they're getting blizzards in August, Imagine that for a summer!!

Reader reviewed by Amy Ward

What an amazing book!  And heart-pounding!  And sad!  And terrifying!  And disturbing!  I could go on and on but I think you get the picture!  Life as we Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer tells the horrifying story of Miranda and her family after a meteor knocks the moon closer to earth.  The horror is unimaginable.  It was very difficult to read this book.  At times I would be crying and other times I would be so hopeful.  It was a rollercoaster of emotions.  I had to force myself to put the book down even though I didn't want to.  I actually had a few bad dreams because of this book.  But don't let that put you off.  It was an amazing story.  Miranda and her family go through ordeals that I wouldn't wish on anyone!   The best thing about the book is how they are able to hope and try to live life in the midst of chaos!  The ending had me on the edge of my seat!  Find out what happens for yourself!

Reader reviewed by BooksObsession

This apocalyptic novel was fantastic and thought-provoking! Based on the "end-of-the-world" concept, this book gave a whole new meaning to family and survival. I liked how it was written in the form of diary entries. It kept my attention, and made me eager to read the sequel. I really enjoyed this book, and definitely recommend it to other readers.

Reader reviewed by Khy

It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.

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For my review, I have compiled a list of good things about this book:

1. The characters were very easy to relate to. This made the book much each to get into and made the book's point come across clearer and more powerfully.
2. The diary writing made the book even easier to get into. I really got into the mind of Miranda, the narrator.
3. The book moved quickly, but not too quickly.
4. This book is very effective in making you appreciate what you have. After I finished it, I was thinking "We have food. There's electricity. And it's warm outside. Thank goodness."

I can't think of any bad things about the book, except for the fact that Miranda irritated me a lot. She always managed to get into fights with her mom over silly things.

I command everyone to read it and gain a new appreciation for all the things in the world most people don't usually appreciate.

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.

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

Miranda hears the news about the meteor about to hit the moon but isnt concerned, because even though it will be the largest to ever do so, scientists dont predict anything bad to happen. But they were wrong. As Miranda and her family watch, the meteor crashes into the moon, knocking it out of orbit and closer to the earth. Everything changes. With the tides drastically altered, natural disasters are occurring worldwide causing thousands of casualties, with no end in sight. Everyone is affected as gas prices rise to above $10 a gallon, supermarkets close, and other stores and the homes of dead people are ransacked. As the climate changes only for the worse, Miranda and her family find themselves in an increasingly desperate situation, continuously wondering just how long their current supplies can sustain them and which of them will be the first to go.

Although Life As We Knew It is an extremely depressing novel, it was also extremely well-written. The story is filled with a constant air of desperation and sadness as Miranda struggles between self-pity and actively helping her family. I really enjoyed how Mirandas character was so nicely developed; she really matured throughout the novel because of the horrible situation she and her family were in. The idea behind this novel is so unique, and it really makes you think and ask yourself, what if the world would end tomorrow? It makes you really take into account what you should be grateful in your life, because a totally unpredictable natural occurrence could change your life tomorrow.

Life As We Knew It is a scary novel that Id only recommend for serious readers. I didnt necessarily enjoy reading this dismal tale, but it has a great message and unforgettable story.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com