Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Book Review)

Title: Life As We Knew It
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Harcourt Books

(I checked this out from the library.)

First sentence: Lisa is pregnant.

Miranda is a normal 15 year old. She journals about school, fights with her mom, her dad's new wife and her pregnancy - just normal everyday stuff. Even when a meteor is predicted to be on a collision course with the moon, it doesn't seem too exciting. It just gives the teachers a chance to give extra homework surrounding the upcoming collision.

When the meteor actually hits and the moon is knocked off it's axis, everything changes. Tsunami's, earthquakes, volcanoes become prevalent. The moon hangs lower in the sky and seems to be a warning of more changes to come. Food and gas become scarce and Miranda and her family begin to stockpile everything from food to firewood. Weather changes cause crops to die and snow to fall early. An influenza wipes out much of the population. Miranda and her family must come up with new and creative ways to meet everyday occasions.

The entire story is told as journal entries in Miranda's journal - so the perspective is that of a teenager's. It made me think of all the things that I take for granted every day - from indoor plumbing, to being able to flip on a light switch when it gets dark. I had never thought about those things that the moon affects - like tides - and how they would change if anything happened to the moon. There is hope in the book, even though everything seems pretty hopeless. Miranda and her family really band together in the face of adversity and their commitment to each other is very apparent towards the end of the book. It doesn't have the happily-ever-after ending and I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

I really enjoyed this story, though I don't seem to be able to put into words why (could have something to do with the pounding going on in the next room - my husband is busting out the tiled kitchen floor to put in a new one this week - there will be pictures later!) I have the second book, The Dead and the Gone, already checked out from the library and ready to read!