I just finished listening to the audiotape of this book by Susan Beth
Pfeffer. I was glad to have a long enough drive this past Sunday returning home from visiting my dad to get to the end, as this book really did suck me in. Evidently I am not the only person to feel this way. Here is the link to one blog about it:
http://bookshelvesofdoom.blogs.com/bookshelves_of_doom/2006/11/life_as_we_knew.html
After you suspend belief about the initial event (
asteroid hits moon, pushes it closer to Earth), you get caught up in the escalating aftermath and struggle for survival. This instant change to the relationship between Earth and moon resulted in terrible consequences that were both immediate and ongoing--tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions.... Miranda's life and that of her family spiral into a desperate struggle to survive as the days, weeks, and months go by. This book would be great for getting kids to think about:
- climate change
- how lucky we all really are to live where we do
- importance of family
- survival preparedness
and other topics. It would be a fun book club selection. I wish it were not so, but suspect that some people will object to a couple of things in the book that are very inconsequential but do reflect
Pfeffer's views on politics and religious
demagoguery. The president at the time is from Texas, and Miranda's mom refers to him as "that idiot" a couple of times. Also, there is a pastor in the book who is a bad guy and exploits one of her friends. I wonder if anybody who has read the book has comments about these minor issues? They would certainly not keep me from recommending the book highly to any young reader, or from
booktalking or adding the book to lists. Don't miss this one!
This book will remind you of Rosoff's How I Live Now. That is a similar story of a young girl whose life changes instantly due to a catastropic event (this time a terrorist attack in London) that launches a war and causes her and her extended family to have similar travails as they struggle to survive. The two books have many similarities but this one has much more in the way of romantic interest. I find it impossible to say that I like either one better than the other. Read them both! It would be fun to see if anybody out there does prefer one over the other. Both will stay with you!
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