Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

How I Heard About It:  During my last visit to the local library, I was looking for some audio books to end my school year with.  I came across this title.  The cover and title of the book caught my attention and it was a YA novel which I was looking for in order to have a change of pace from the adult novels I had been listening to on audio.  

What It Is About:  Miranda is a sophomore in high school living her "typical" teenage life.  Everyone is excited to witness a meteor shower that has been highly publicized.  As all the residents of Miranda's town gather outside, they are astonished to see an asteroid crash into the Moon and knock it closer to Earth.  This event has major implications for the people of Earth.  The coasts are being flooded, there are earthquakes occurring, and the days and nights are thrown off their 24-hour system.  Miranda, her two brothers, and their mother retreat to their home where they begin to live each day in a brand-new way.  They have to conserve on both water and food, the weather is way off, and they never know when they will have electricity or not.  Miranda's father has remarried and his wife is expecting a baby, but they lose touch during this "scary" days they are living through.  Miranda keeps a journal of her life during this year of her life when she isn't sure she and her family will survive.  

What I Thought Of It:  As I mentioned earlier, I listened to this story via audio book.  I didn't particularly enjoy the narrator of the story.  She had kind of a childish voice and I found irritated by it while listening.  The story did not grab me and I found my mind wondering while trying to listen.  There were times when I was going to just stop listening, but since it was the end of the school year, I didn't have time to begin a new book so I plunged on.  The story reminded me a bit of the novel The Age of Miracles that I read awhile back.  I enjoyed that story more.  This story was just Miranda recording her day to day life during this strange Earth event.  I grew bored of it and thought that not much happened.  Well, things may have happened, but I had a wandering mind and probably didn't take in all that happened in the story.  

Who Should Read It:  This story would probably be enjoyed most by a middle-school and/or high-school female reader.  I think they would be able to relate to Miranda and her situation.  As a 48 year-old male, it didn't do too much for me.  I did check reviews on Amazon and GoodReads and many readers really enjoyed the story.  

Rating:  2 STARS out of 5 Stars