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Life as we knew it

By Susan Beth Pfeffer

(29)

| Others | 9780439944335

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Book Description

Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle
to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, ...

Critics

Life as We Knew It By Susan Beth Pfeffer

"I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's would still be open," 16-year-old Miranda says when her life suddenly takes a turn for the worse. The problems begin when a larger-than-expected asteroid hits the moon and sends it o ... (read full critics)

bookpage published on Fri, 17 Sep 2010

LIFE AS WE KNEW IT

Everything was normal until the moon was knocked out of orbit. Asteroids hit the moon all the time, but the one scheduled to hit at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18 is one of the largest ones yet. To Miranda, the impending asteroid can only mean one th ... (read full critics)

teenreads published on Thu, 16 Sep 2010

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8 Reviews

Really scared to find out something bad will happen during the reading, but the sorrowful plot is still bearable, fortunately.

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Hera said on May 30, 2012 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

No matter how much of this type of book I’ve read in the past another one comes along and it instantly becomes a favorite, replacing the previous one. This one take a little more of a realistic turn (sans aliens and zombies) and goes for what would happen if the moon is knocked closer to earth. Majo ... (continue)

No matter how much of this type of book I’ve read in the past another one comes along and it instantly becomes a favorite, replacing the previous one. This one take a little more of a realistic turn (sans aliens and zombies) and goes for what would happen if the moon is knocked closer to earth. Major natural disasters occur, and the weather changes drastically.
I admired Miranda’s mom. A lot. She was strong and held her family together, preparing everything in advance when things get worse later. It was as if she had everything under control - something extremely difficult to do especially when the majority of the public are probably panicking and running amok. I also liked Matt who also was strong and acted like the backbone of Miranda’s family too.
It did take me a while to like Miranda. There were times when she acted like a spoiled self centered selfish brat, but then there were other times where she would sacrifice anything to help her family. You do tend to forget that she’s just a sixteen year old girl because of her behavior. She acts like an adult at times, but then reverts to her age the next. It’s the same with Johnny too, and he’s younger than Miranda. It’s in crisis situations like these where you see children literally grow up when they should be having fun at their age.
The story is told in a diary format, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Miranda doesn’t fill her entries with flowery writing, at times it can get a little whiny and her priorities get a little mixed but her descriptions of what’s going on and how the world is during this crisis is cut and clear. It may not be as graphic as some other post apocalyptic books are, but since this is meant for younger readers, the amount of details is just right.
It’s a great post apocalyptic book for younger readers, and I think it’s also a great ‘starter’ book for those that just want a taste of these kinds of books. It’s not over the top graphic detail, but just enough to know that the world Miranda lives in, is filled with a lot of difficulties and hardship. Yet it outlines the importance of family togetherness to survive through the ordeal. This was a great read, and I do recommend this book for readers of any age.

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Sensitivemuse said on Feb 15, 2012 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Scary read!

Not in the sense of Freddy Krueger or the boogey-man, but in "could this really happen?" And in the wake of Hurricane Katrina & our economic melt-down, it doesn't seem so far-fetched. This is a finely-crafted YA novel which sets forth the scenario that an enormous asteroid knocks the moon out of its ... (continue)

Not in the sense of Freddy Krueger or the boogey-man, but in "could this really happen?" And in the wake of Hurricane Katrina & our economic melt-down, it doesn't seem so far-fetched. This is a finely-crafted YA novel which sets forth the scenario that an enormous asteroid knocks the moon out of its orbit, resulting in natural disasters and social anarchy. Yikes!

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Marion the librarian said on Mar 2, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

The moon is hit by a huge asteroid and life as we knew it ends. -- Read by Emily Bauer

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Missmath144 said on Sep 1, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Life As We Knew It

This was a gripping, interesting, but rather benign dystopian novel. There is the initial apocalyptic event, presented in a very realistic manner, and the resultant threat of impending death, danger, and possible violence, but all the truly bad stuff is kept at arms length. However, the whole pack ... (continue)

This was a gripping, interesting, but rather benign dystopian novel. There is the initial apocalyptic event, presented in a very realistic manner, and the resultant threat of impending death, danger, and possible violence, but all the truly bad stuff is kept at arms length. However, the whole package works extremely well for the middle school audience.

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Readingrat said on Aug 16, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

Fantastic book! It is a young adult novel but like many YA books I think adults would love it. It is a post-apocalyptic story, very well thought out and frighteningly believable.

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Icedream said on May 22, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback