Book Review: Life as we knew it #17

Title: Life as we knew it
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Orlando : Harcourt, 2008, c2006.
Page count: 337
Genre:Science fiction
ISBN: 9780547415994 (electronic bk.)
Recommend to: age 12 and up
Lexile: 770
Awards & Honors:
Booklist Editors’ Choice – Books for Youth – Older Readers Category: 2006
Garden State Teen Book Awards (New Jersey): Fiction (Grades 6-8)
Nutmeg Children’s Book Award (Connecticut): Teen category
Truman Readers Award (Missouri)
http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com/
Synopsis:
Readers will see the world change through sixteen- year- old Miranda’s account of the events in her diary. The story starts off with Miranda working on projects about the moon in all of her classes. Everyone is excited to see the collision,this is a once in a lifetime lunar event. The moon is hit by the meteor then it’s orbit comes closer to Earth. This one small change in the solar system makes an incredible change in the daily life on Earth. Tsunamis,volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and climate change start to alter the planet. Some of the changes are gradual and other are swift. Television, phone, electricity and internet access become erratic then just disappear. Her Mother sees the potential for scarcity and stocks the house with all of the canned food they can buy. Not knowing what their future holds, her mother puts the family on strict ration for food. The events that follow make life for Miranda go from bad to worse. Follow Miranda as she learns what it takes to survive and what really matters in life.
Analysis:
I lived through Hurricane Katrina. My home went without electricity for seven days. When a disaster strikes it does change your perspective on what is really important. We all like to think we are prepared and we could handle any situation but can we really? As a former science teacher, I love how the science is pretty good and she get readers thinking about how precarious our balance is. One small change can impact our whole world.