Life As We Knew It | 
 enlarge | Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Harcourt Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $6.95
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Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 15759
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 360
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.9 x 1.1
ISBN: 0152061541
EAN: 9780152061548
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
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Amazon.com Review
It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over. Veteran author Susan Beth Pfeffer, who penned the young adult classic The Year Without Michael over twenty years ago, makes a stunning comeback with this haunting book that documents one adolescent's journey from self-absorbed child to selfless young woman. Teen readers won't soon forget this intimate story of survival and its subtle message about the treasuring the things that matter most -family, friendship, and hope.--Jennifer Hubert
Product Description
Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when an asteroid 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. In her journal, Miranda records the events of each desperate day, while she and her family struggle to hold on to their most priceless resource--hope. Includes a teaser to the companion novel, The Dead and the Gone.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 76 more reviews...
 Hope against hope in a world of lunacy....... September 11, 2006
M. Hanners (New York)
34 out of 35 found this review helpful
In this new novel "Life As We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeffer, the author of the highly regarded "The Year Without Michael" and many other books, a cataclysmic astronomical event threatens the very existence of the world and all of humankind. An event like this is too immense to imagine in any detail, but the story is told from the point of view of one 16 year old girl living in Pennsylvania, and the apocalyptic event is viewed from the perspective of one person in this seemingly isolated corner of the world.
Miranda begins her diary entries with the usual teen business of school, friends and family with a little digression into figure skating fandom. The forecast collision between asteroid and moon seems like a fun event, as well as an excuse for homework assignments from her teachers, in other words, of interest but not particularly interesting. But the unexpected happens and the collision knocks the moon out of its normal orbit around earth and terrible things begin to happen. Life as Miranda knew it changes quickly and relentlessly from one of normality to a frightening spectre of violent death and terrible deprivation. As suddenly as this happens in parts of world where tsunamis, earthquakes and floods wipe out huge areas of land and people, the changes in Miranda's world occur more gradually but relentlessly. Miranda's world becomes more and more focused on the tragedy and the effects of the global climactic change, and her frame of reference as a teen in a world of school, friends, sports and the future, shrinks down to the day to day survival of herself and her family of four. Miranda struggles to maintain her identity, her physical existence and her hope in the face of frightening odds against her.
The novel is a dark microcosmic view of a small town family facing the worst that life can throw at them, but it never loses hope even in the face of hopelessness. Miranda muses at one point in the book that she might as well enjoy today no matter how bad it is, because tomorrow was going to be worse. And yet there are little joys, rays of hope, tantalizing moments of what passes for normal in the midst of an ever darkening prognosis for survival. Miranda remains true to who she is and her family shows the strength of their commitment to each other throughout this ordeal.
There are no fairy tale endings to this book, but it does end on a hopeful note and the reader is left with the conviction that better days may yet be ahead. There are moments of humor as well as despair, moments of anger as well as love and a compelling story line that makes it hard to put the book down. Miranda's fate becomes a personal issue, we want to know what happens to her and her family and we care.
This is the author's best book to date, sure to be a classroom classic and popular with teens as well as an engrossing read for adults. Don't miss this one!
A Thriller for All Ages January 26, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
"When it got closer to 9:30, things got really quiet. You could sense we were all craning our necks, looking towards the sky. Jonny was at the telescope, and he was the first one who shouted that the asteroid was coming. And then it hit. Even though we knew it was going to, we were still shocked when the asteroid actually made contact with the moon...but the moon wasn't a half moon anymore. It was tilted and wrong. It got larger and was smack in the middle of the sky, way too big, way to visible..."
Miranda and her family's life get flipped upside down when an asteroid hammers the moon out of orbit, leaving the Earth in the collision course of the moon. Life as we Knew It, which is written in the form of Miranda's diary entries, is a suspenseful novel that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Miranda, the main character in the story, brings thrills into the book and makes you think about what you would do if you were in her position. The story's events are unpredictable and catch you by surprise. One day, stormy clouds could be pummeling down snow in Miranda's quiet neighborhood, and the next day, volcanoes could be erupting countless amounts of ash into the atmosphere. You will long to read about what happens next in this extraordinary story of love, fear, and mystery.
Life as we Knew It is a well written novel, filled with twists and turns that left me hanging onto the book. The thrilling storyline pulls you in teaches the reader about the terrible situation the characters have to face. Susan Beth Pfeffer clearly shows the fear and anxiety in each of the characters hearts. The detail of her descriptions makes you travel into the story and feel the emotions of the realistic characters.
All in all, if you long for a suspenseful novel that leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat, this novel is sure to impress. Life as we Knew It is a book with a thrilling storyline and realistic characters. This book made me laugh and weep onto the pages. I will surely read this story again and again.
A haunting, powerful YA disaster novel. January 16, 2007
N. Wolfe (New York)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Miranda is a typical teenager, and her diary reflects that: changing friendships, fights with her mom, and homework. When she begins to hear reports that an astroid is on course to crash into the moon, she barely pays attention. But when the collision shifts the moon off its axis, Miranda's world is changed forever in an instant. Massive tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanos wipe out millions, and all of the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to dissapear: food, water, gasoline, and contact with the outside world. Miranda records her family's struggle to survive in her diary, and we follow as things go from bad to worse.
This is an utterly compelling, impossible-to-put-down disaster book. It feels like something that could happen to us, right now. It feels real. This is a quiet book. We don't see New York submerged, and we're not witness to the volcanos - all we see is Miranda's family, stockpiling food, rationing batteries, and clinging to each other. We see them grow and mature and adjust. This is a haunting book. It's been three days since I finished it, and I still can't get it out of my head. I literally could not put it down. Buy this book. Buy it now, and then set aside some time and start to read it. It is just that good.
"Remember Life As We Knew It" May 18, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
At that second, I think we all realized that it was Our Moon and if it was attacked, then we were attacked. As the hype built, everyone around the world got excited about a meteor colliding with the moon, but this wasn't any meteor. When the meteor smashed into the side of the moon it knocked it off its orbit, sending it closer to Earth. The moon's now greater gravitational strength caused tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcano eruptions which killed millions and sent the world into a state of panic. All electricity was lost, gas delivery came to a screeching halt, and food became scarce. Miranda, a 16 year-old in Pennsylvania, found her self in the middle of all of this, not to mention her everyday problems. With sickness spreading and the sun's light blocked out by volcanic ash, she was in for a rough summer and an every rougher winter. Many families head south where things were supposed to be better, but Miranda's family stayed. As Miranda watched friends, family, health, education, and countless other things wither away before her eyes she held onto the most important thing, hope. Life As We Knew It is the well written journal of Miranda, giving the reader a first hand look into her life. I recommend this book to everyone.
What really drew me into this book was the fact that it was written in journal entries. This allowed me to know what Miranda thought, and let me know things that she wouldn't tell anyone else. For example, she didn't really show how excited she was that Dan asked her to the prom until she started writing. She also went into a lot more detail about things, such as her trip to the hospital, in her diary than her the dialogue. The journal entries allowed me to see the full story and not just what she wanted everyone else to know.
Another thing that I loved was how the story had different elements from so many different genres. I understand why it is considered science fiction (because the meteor crashed into the moon which changed the tides, blah blah) but that's not the only genre it can be put in. It could also be considered realistic fiction because all of this is makes sense and could really happen. Another genre it could be put in is thriller because of the number of frightful scenes, such as Miranda's trip to the pot office in the last entry to see if they have any letters from her dad. This book had enough science fiction themes to be counted as science fiction, but enough elements of other genres to keep it from being a nerdy book about the moon's effect on Earth.
The thing that kept me attached to this book was how it got in my head. It's hard to understand, but for example, after reading the entry about "Crazy Shopping Day" I expected to go downstairs and see food piled all over the place. Once you get into the book it all seems so real and you think you're living it. It's one of those books you need to read with some bright lights on to make you realize you have electricity. It's the only book I've ever read that did that to me, and it's a crazy paranoid feeling. It's the only book I think I've ever started freaking out and breathing heavy in the middle of.
Life As We Knew It is a great book. From the moment everyone gets excited about the meteor to when Miranda finds out about the city's food delivery plan, you are drawn into the book and it doesn't seem to let you go. Young children probably wouldn't like it, but other than that everyone will probably fall in love with this book. It's a must read.
- R. Martin
Courtesy of Teens Read Too October 20, 2006
TeensReadToo.com (All Over the US & Canada)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
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.
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
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