Life As We Knew It
By Susan Beth Pfeffer
Heck yes! This was recommended to me by a university professor who was reading this one. A year later it was in my possession and I was sucked into this apocalyptic world.
Told in diary form by Miranda, a typical teenager, the story begins with day to day thoughts of your average teen. One day it changes when a meteor hits the moon, sending it off it's original orbit causing earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes to erupt. All the things that Miranda once had have been gradually disappearing, friends, school, electricity, the Internet, and food, forcing her family to make hard decisions.
What kept me reading was the question “What else can happen next?” because the events that happen just lead to one thing after the other and the family is forced to adapt. Miranda is a brilliant character that is so relatable in her journey of confusion, denial, and finally acceptance. I believe this book is excellently told and really makes you think the “what if” question we all dread to approach.
Overall, yes! Recommended over and over to anyone who will listen.
5/5 STARS
Use in the classroom:
I would use this in a literacy circle for grades 7-9. Possible discussions on “what if there were no internet” or “electricity”. In our consumer-oriented world, what would many of our students have to say about going without their internet access? I would love to find that out. The very recent tragedy of the Japanese tsunami can be discussed or the current famine in some parts of Africa. I highly recommend this for classroom use.
The Dead and Gone
By Susan Beth Pfeffer
Companion book to Life As We Knew It, The Dead and Gone follows Alex in New York as he goes through the same events that Miranda (in Pennsylvania) went through. I picked this book up because I so loved the first.
Alex is with his younger sisters, Bri and Julie, when the asteroid hits. At the time, their mother was working and their father was visiting relatives in Peurto Rico; both are missing. No matter how they hope and pray, their parents do not return and Alex is thrust into an adult role of taking care of his siblings. As in the previous book, horrible events lead into more and the reader feels the unknown nature of the world.
How this book differs is the presence of religion, keeping the family together in times of turmoil. It also offers more of a network of people in Alex's day to day life. Where Miranda seemed completely isolated with her mom and brother, Alex has several people he can turn to.
Overall, I did not like this book as much as the first one, but I would still recommend it.
3.5/5 STARS
Use in the classroom:
I would recommend this book to the literacy group that just read Life As We Knew It. I do not think I would use this as the literacy group novel though, but it brings up many of the same discussion topics as the first.
**Apparently, there's a third book!? This World We Live In follows Miranda a year later. I am adding this to my very long reading list.
This trailer for the books is very cool. Found it via Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m304J0BLOSQR2X/ref=ent_fb_link
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