Life As We Knew It

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Rating: ****` (4.5 stars)
Age group: 10+
Type: dystopia

Miranda Evans is living a perfectly normal life with her two brothers and divorced mother. Recently, meteorologists have predicted that a meteorite will hit the moon and be visible from Earth. It's supposed to be beautiful and everybody in her neighborhood is looking forward to it. However, on the day of the collision, the meteorite actually pushes the moon closer to Earth. This causes havoc on Earth, raising the tides, blocking out the sun, and causing volcanoes to erupt and storms to happen often. Pretty much everyone thinks the world is going to end. Miranda's family must struggle to survive, stockpiling food and keeping warm, because the moon has changed weather too. People around them are dying, even close friends. The gas company can't supply them anymore, and stores are shut down. They're only surviving because of their woodstove that doesn't need gas.  But they still have many troubles... can they make it through everything?
This book is really gripping. It is told in a diary format and Miranda's voice is very believable and realistic.  The family troubles that don't have to do with the weather are also believable. Something else that is realistic is the portrayal of life after the moon moved, even though it hasn't happened. It's a dystopia but it's not a crazy and strange dystopia. It seems like it could actually happen. Life As We Knew It is a great survival story. It is very thought out. It ends at a sort of drop-off, but there are also some sequels which are called The Dead & The Gone and This World We Live In.