Life as We Knew It

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bodelll, December 4, 2011 (view all comments by bodelll)
This book is excellent, and I loved it! I could feel the sorrow and despair the people went through. Susan Beth Pfeffer is a descriptive, creative author that left not one chapter without throwing in an unexpected turn, that was extremely well thought out and added to the story very well. One of the many things I loved about the book is that I loved how Mirandah didn't talk like she was an adult, she actually sounded like she was a high school student. Also, the situation between Dan and Mirandah broke my heart. I could not believe that so many terrible things could happen to one person when they were not even out of high school yet. Since I am in high school, it was very relatable. I couldn’t believe the affection Mirandah had for her father, step-mother, and “Rachel” that she would spend her last part of her life trying to find out what happened to them. That was real love. Mirandah all throughout the book said she didn’t believe in God. In the end I feel like she realized that her and family’s wellness and the miraculous miracle at the end was not luck or even fate, but God blessing her and all her hard work and sacrifices she gave to save not only herself but her family, too. This wasn’t the only lesson learned either; there are many others that Mirandah was taught. After reading, I was inspired to keep a journal and stock up in a lot of food storage! This disaster makes you really stop and think if you are actually prepared if something like this were to happen. I couldn’t help but flip the pages striving to know what was going to happen; I could not put it down. Some problems that someone might have with the book is that there is a lot of dying and hardships, but without them, there book would not be exciting or interesting. I can't wait to read the second and third book and I have heard many great comments about them.

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Alan G, December 4, 2011 (view all comments by Alan G)
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer is an amazing book about a family that tries to survive a crisis. Everything changed when an enormous asteroid hit the moon out of it axis. Asteroids hit the moon on a daily basis, but those asteroids range from the size of a pebble to about 25 meters. This asteroid however was much bigger. This asteroid created horrible international disasters. Tsunamis, tidal waves, and much more were occurring all over the world. These disasters were destroying cities along the coast and even some states were completely submerged under water. Thunderstorms knocked most of the power in Miranda’s city.
Miranda is in high school when the international disaster occurs. She is sent along with her brothers to buy the essentials. They but vitamins, canned food, toilet paper, medicine, cat food, kitty litter, and fill up the family car with gas. Gas very rapidly becomes very expensive. The gas price goes up to $35 for only three gallons. You can only purchase 3 gallons at a time due to limited supply.
Miranda tries to live out her life as normally possible. Her brother teaches her how to ski in case of an emergency. During winter, which was caused by volcanic eruptions, she visits friends and skates just as she used to. She lives in a house that has no electricity, no heat, and is very cold due to subzero temperatures.
Miranda’s mother gets sick and can barely move so Miranda has to make dinner and clean the house just as her mother used to. Her mother is very sick and they have to give is aspirin. Pretty soon everyone is sick and very weak. How they survived this long is a mystery. Life As We Knew It is a very sad and depressing, but just as you’re about to cry something happens that makes you smile and/or laugh. Miranda makes it to be a year older, but the question is how long will it be until everything is back to normal or how long is Miranda’s family going to survive. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what’s going to happen next. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys and amazing book.

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Christine D, April 13, 2011 (view all comments by Christine D)
the story is about 16 year old, miranda and her family who appear to be in a slightly rural setting in PA (the small town is nearby). the moon gets hit by a meteor and everything shifts. they are well enough supplied to "survive" for awhile, but of course it's difficult and terrifying; and that's basically what this book is about - their experience of survival, the quesion of if it is worth it, the love of family, hope, despair, what it means to be "living" or simply "alive," et al.

what i like about the book is it isn't grandiose; it isn't war of the worlds - it's very much an example what i could see actually happenning, which, ulitmately, makes it that much more terrifying. i won't give away any examples because the way the author indroduces them is what gives the book it's wonderful tension.

the author does a great job touching on the role of religion, self-preservation, family relationships, survival and overall genreal humans-versus-nature philosophy (it's all light but it's there - which for YA, i really like, you get to choose how much you take from the book.)

overall, this is perfect for anyone drawn to apocolyptic tales, this would rank top-teir for me. Not just for YA, but for all genres. It's the most thought provoking one i've read yet. let's just say, i started working on my survival kit!

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780152061548

Author:

Pfeffer, Susan Beth

Publisher:

Graphia

Subject:

Situations / New Experience

Subject:

Social Issues - New Experience

Subject:

Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic

Subject:

Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings

Subject:

Family

Subject:

Family life

Subject:

Fantasy & Magic

Subject:

Science fiction

Subject:

Situations / Emotions & Feelings

Subject:

Children s-Science Fiction and Fantasy

Copyright:

2008

Edition Description:

Trade Paper

Publication Date:

20080501

Binding:

Paperback

Grade Level:

from 7

Language:

English

Pages:

360

Dimensions:

7 x 5 in 0.6 lb

Age Level:

12-17