Helpful Score: 5
Wow...I love this book! The main character is wonderfully written. It is a beautiful tale of family. Not the depressing apocalyptic horror story-though an underlying element of stark and frightening realities. But this is a young girl's journal that is filled with love, strength, and hope. This book will cause you to think of every little thing you have to be thankful for and appreciate what is truly important. I was in tears at her writing of Christmas and I loved the ending. I will definitely be reading the books to follow. Again, Wow! I love this book!
Helpful Score: 1
LIFE AS WE KNEW IT hooks you and doesn't 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. Miranda's simple, diary-like language thus makes her story all that more believable. This novel is an incredible achievement.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a good book. It really made me think about my life and sorting priorities out and what I'd do if I was in this girl's situation. I just hope this can't really happen!
The moon gets struck by an astroid and all hell breaks loose in the world.
Miranda is a teenager and whatever is happening in the world is doing so to make her miserable. She is keeps saying how much worse can it get? to the point where you want to scream at her to not be so selfish and stupid and look around at what is happening but that doesn't happen.
She is too self centered and stupid to continue this series.
Miranda is a teenager and whatever is happening in the world is doing so to make her miserable. She is keeps saying how much worse can it get? to the point where you want to scream at her to not be so selfish and stupid and look around at what is happening but that doesn't happen.
She is too self centered and stupid to continue this series.
YA post-apocalypse novel. Definitely suitable for YA as many of the uncomfortable things that would really happen are not even mentioned. But, OTOH, it's refreshing to read about apocalypse without wars, people killing each other over food, or cannibals! And there isn't any time spent on how the community is interacting; I kind of think people wouldn't hole up quite so much. But it's not really about that, the theme is family, so that's fine too. Excellent descriptions of the hardships that are endured - the confusion, the cold, the greyness, it goes on. Miranda is believable to me, although I'm so far from being 17 I couldn't tell you if she's believable to a person that age. Very engrossing. I see this is a series, and I am a little curious, but in the end this book was just a little too young for me to want more.
i liked the style and the mood of the book matched the subject without getting morbid. the auther showed quite realisticly what would happen to a family left with no food and only themselves to depend on. the form or a diary that it is written in makes for easy reading
What a poignant tale of the struggles one family endures after a catastrophic event. This Story is told from the point of view of a 16 year old girl who has to grow up very fast as they all fight for survival. A great story that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good read (or listen). This book has been nominated for the Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Award this year and absolutely deserves this nomination.
This was such a wonderful book. It was so good that even my 8 and 10 year old boys couldn't wait for me to have an errand to run so we would be in the car so we could get back to listening to this gripping tale of struggle and trials for this girl, her family and the world around her. We had so many "What if..." type of conversations when our errands were done and our listening was done for that day. Kids can come up with some interesting questions...it was cool to see what they thought about this book and what we might do in the same situation. We agreed we like the moon just where it is.
In this disaster book, a large asteroid hits the moon and throws it out of orbit around the earth. The author actually sticks with some science and talks about tides changing and weather being affected. Of course there is the immediate panic of people. Utilities go out, fossil fuels run out, food runs out. The people in the book end up having to relearn how to live because of their circumstances. There are hardships both emotional and physical. To some people the characters may come across as "whiny", but I'd like to challenge the reader to imagine how they may feel in those circumstances. There have been a lot of comments about how certain situations were unrealistic, but I found it to be mostly spot-on, even if slightly exaggerated.
The book is written mostly as a journal with more detailed entries scattered within that are more of a narrative. I actually liked the format that the author decided to use.
The book is written mostly as a journal with more detailed entries scattered within that are more of a narrative. I actually liked the format that the author decided to use.
An excellent apocalypse story from the view of a teen-aged girl
This is a very compelling story. I sat down and read it all in one sitting. It drew me in and I couldn't quit reading it. I finished the book but can't quit wondering what happened to the characters in the story. It makes you more grateful for the little things in life we often take for granted, because they could be taken away from us just like that.
Loved this book! It was an all-night cover to cover read.
I recently have become interested in disaster prep and survival. I sometimes wonder if the teenagers I know have any idea how privileged they are to live in a time and place where life is relatively easy and they don't have a constant struggle to get the basics of food, water, shelter and sanitation. This book deals with tragedy and loss on a massive scale, and while people might debate the likelihood of anything like this happening, I think many of the hardships people underwent were realistically described and could happen in several scenarios.
I recently have become interested in disaster prep and survival. I sometimes wonder if the teenagers I know have any idea how privileged they are to live in a time and place where life is relatively easy and they don't have a constant struggle to get the basics of food, water, shelter and sanitation. This book deals with tragedy and loss on a massive scale, and while people might debate the likelihood of anything like this happening, I think many of the hardships people underwent were realistically described and could happen in several scenarios.
I find survival stories fascinating but when you throw in a natural disaster along this scale, well, it becomes riveting. Miranda's POV in the form of diary entries made it an easy read, and I really liked how her family pulled together in the face of their trials rather than splinter with suspicion, resentment, or anger. Once finished, I felt rather unmoored over the idea of living through such a disaster; what would I do to survive? It's thought-provoking, imaginative, and even a little frightening. 3.5 stars.
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
If you're looking for one of the best books of 2006, then look no further than Susan Beth Pfeffer's LIFE AS WE KNEW IT. A wonderful tale of family love, loss, and survival, this is one story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.
There have been lots of changes in sixteen-year-old Miranda's life recently. Her older brother, Matt, is away at college. Her mom is still adjusting to being a divorced parent. Her younger brother, Jonny, is obsessed with baseball. And her dad and his new wife, Lisa, are expecting a baby. Dealing with all of that has been quite stressful, but Miranda's been thinking about getting back into ice-skating, and she's spending plenty of time mooning over her current hero/crush, Olympic-hopeful Brandon Erlich, a hometown hero.
Miranda's also excited about the meteor that's headed towards the Moon. Some scientists predict a minor collision; teachers predict plenty of extra homework dealing with the subjects of both Moon and meteors. For Miranda and her family, and for millions of others around the world, it simply sounds like a cool event you'll get to watch from your front yard through a pair of binoculars.
What happens on that fateful night is something no one expected. The meteor does, in fact, collide with the Moon. However, the impact was stronger than anyone had previously thought possible, and immediately, all throughout planet Earth, the effects of that collision begin to be felt. Tides, which are controlled by the Moon, become erratic, causing deadly tidal waves. Fissures in the Earth's crust crack, causing earthquakes worldwide, even in places where no earthquakes had ever occurred before. Within twenty-four hours, it becomes apparent that thousands upon thousands of people have died, and that, with the Moon out of its normal orbit, many more deaths are sure to follow.
This may sound like a depressing story, but in fact it's a story about hope and survival. LIFE AS WE KNEW IT follows Miranda and her family through nearly a year after the meteor's collision with the Moon, and all of the events that come after it--the power outages, the food shortages, the weather changes, and the loss of human contact. As Miranda and her family come to grips with this new way of living, their bodies and spirits will be tested more than they've ever been before. But this is ultimately a story about learning to survive with what you've got, and never taking what you have for granted. A wonderful, inspiring story, LIFE AS WE KNEW IT is one you'll want to read more than once.
If you're looking for one of the best books of 2006, then look no further than Susan Beth Pfeffer's LIFE AS WE KNEW IT. A wonderful tale of family love, loss, and survival, this is one story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.
There have been lots of changes in sixteen-year-old Miranda's life recently. Her older brother, Matt, is away at college. Her mom is still adjusting to being a divorced parent. Her younger brother, Jonny, is obsessed with baseball. And her dad and his new wife, Lisa, are expecting a baby. Dealing with all of that has been quite stressful, but Miranda's been thinking about getting back into ice-skating, and she's spending plenty of time mooning over her current hero/crush, Olympic-hopeful Brandon Erlich, a hometown hero.
Miranda's also excited about the meteor that's headed towards the Moon. Some scientists predict a minor collision; teachers predict plenty of extra homework dealing with the subjects of both Moon and meteors. For Miranda and her family, and for millions of others around the world, it simply sounds like a cool event you'll get to watch from your front yard through a pair of binoculars.
What happens on that fateful night is something no one expected. The meteor does, in fact, collide with the Moon. However, the impact was stronger than anyone had previously thought possible, and immediately, all throughout planet Earth, the effects of that collision begin to be felt. Tides, which are controlled by the Moon, become erratic, causing deadly tidal waves. Fissures in the Earth's crust crack, causing earthquakes worldwide, even in places where no earthquakes had ever occurred before. Within twenty-four hours, it becomes apparent that thousands upon thousands of people have died, and that, with the Moon out of its normal orbit, many more deaths are sure to follow.
This may sound like a depressing story, but in fact it's a story about hope and survival. LIFE AS WE KNEW IT follows Miranda and her family through nearly a year after the meteor's collision with the Moon, and all of the events that come after it--the power outages, the food shortages, the weather changes, and the loss of human contact. As Miranda and her family come to grips with this new way of living, their bodies and spirits will be tested more than they've ever been before. But this is ultimately a story about learning to survive with what you've got, and never taking what you have for granted. A wonderful, inspiring story, LIFE AS WE KNEW IT is one you'll want to read more than once.
This book had an interesting twist in terms of post civilization collapse novels. The moon has been hit by an asteroid, bringing it much closer to earth. This changes the earth's climate, almost overnight. Civilization collapses. The book is in journal format, and the narrator is a 16 year old girl.
I had a few problems with this novel. First, I hated how, after civilization collapses, the family immediately went back to stereotypical male/female roles. There are better ways to deal with post civilization collapse than keeping the women inside, and having the men "protect" them. So, I hated that.
My second problem was that the mom clearly had a favorite. So, she'd ask her daughter to ration her food more and more so that, if they all died, her youngest son (age 13) would have a chance of survival. Though, I'm not sure why a 13 year old with no gun, no survival skills, etc., would have any chance of survival. So, this was just, to my mind, the mom playing favorites. And had I been the sister, I'd have hoarded my own cache of food!
Also, the book gets a little tiresome in the middle. The family is stuck in the house, all day, everyday. So, each day is about rationing food, being hungry, etc. Nothing really happens in the whole middle of the novel.
Finally, I thought the ending was SO unrealistic as to be almost laughable.
I have it 2.5 stars. I read it through to the end, which is always a bonus. I did like the narrator a lot. But, otherwise, I thought the book stuck to old stereotypes and just failed to deliver.
I had a few problems with this novel. First, I hated how, after civilization collapses, the family immediately went back to stereotypical male/female roles. There are better ways to deal with post civilization collapse than keeping the women inside, and having the men "protect" them. So, I hated that.
My second problem was that the mom clearly had a favorite. So, she'd ask her daughter to ration her food more and more so that, if they all died, her youngest son (age 13) would have a chance of survival. Though, I'm not sure why a 13 year old with no gun, no survival skills, etc., would have any chance of survival. So, this was just, to my mind, the mom playing favorites. And had I been the sister, I'd have hoarded my own cache of food!
Also, the book gets a little tiresome in the middle. The family is stuck in the house, all day, everyday. So, each day is about rationing food, being hungry, etc. Nothing really happens in the whole middle of the novel.
Finally, I thought the ending was SO unrealistic as to be almost laughable.
I have it 2.5 stars. I read it through to the end, which is always a bonus. I did like the narrator a lot. But, otherwise, I thought the book stuck to old stereotypes and just failed to deliver.
