Book Review: Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

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. (From Goodreads)

Best Bits: What a story! I really enjoyed how Pfeffer set up the story to begin with an event that everyone watches for fun...and turns into a story about learning to live in a world that is vastly different from the way it has always been. Miranda is a great character, she has moments of selfishness and rebellion, and she regrets the mistakes that she makes during her time post-meteor. I also appreciated that it was suspenseful without the violence. That's not to say that no one died in this book...millions of people did. The author simply managed to do this in a way where the reader doesn't see them happen, while still allowing the reader to be emotionally involved. 

Nit picks: This book is done in a journal format. At some points in the story this worked brilliantly. At others, however, I was left feeling that the journals were written in a way that felt more like a regularly formatted novel. It tended to throw me off a little bit. 

Life As We Knew It
By Susan Beth Pfeffer
Published by Harcourt Children's Books
337 Pages
Rating: A