Life As We Knew It, book review

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life As We Knew It is a cold hard look at what could happen in our future. It’s the story of one family’s struggle for survival after a meteorite hits the moon and knocks it out of it’s orbit and much closer to the Earth. Life as we Knew It is a study in cause and effect: because of the moon’s effect on the Earth, our world is turned upside down in a matter of days. The gravitational pull has changed since the moon is closer and causes massive tidal waves, earthquakes, and volcanoes which in turn causes millions to die immediately, and more to die later from famine, sickness, and starvation.

At first the main character, Miranda, seemed whiney to me, but I could also understand her feelings. The author used journal entries written by Miranda to tell the story through Miranda's eyes. The journal entries did a good job at showing the emotion of what it would feel like if something so apocalyptic happened. Ms. Pfeffer did a good job of showing the growth and strength of Miranda as the story progresses. It shows the types of sacrifices someone might make in that situation, but also the hardships of making those sacrifices. This was a very grim book, but it ended with hope. This one is a 3.5 star book because it made me cry so much, but the story is a good one to read and contemplate.