Life As We Knew It

Susan Beth Pfeffer
360 pages

Told through sixteen year old Miranda's diary entries, Life As We Knew It is an engrossing story of survival and family.

I listened to this book in the car and really enjoyed it. I would get to my destination and sit there for five minutes just to hear what would happen. As soon as I finished I ordered the next book in the series, The Dead and the Gone. Post-apocalyptic YA books seem to be popping up everywhere and that is fine by me.

Miranda has a typical teenage life, she has too much homework, her friends get on her nerves and her mom is totally unfair. Miranda is so preoccupied with her own life she doesn't pay too much attention to the news about the moon, all she knows is that is is causing her more homework. Then everything changes. The moon gets knocked out of orbit and causes catastrophic events. Worldwide disasters ensue and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

As millions of people die in natural disasters,Miranda's resourceful mother prepares for the worst. Miranda, her mother, brother, and neighbor raid the grocery store for anything they might need to make it through this. Food and gas become impossible to get, people she has known her whole life suddenly pack up and leave, and people are dying all around her. As Miranda's life changes before her eyes she keeps a detailed record of everything in her journal. Through her entries we can understand the frustration and terror she is going through. We also see Miranda develop into someone stronger than she ever thought she could be.

And the verdict is: Great book, fast read, interesting plot.