Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Reviewed by Lori
Life As We Knew It
Title: Life as we Knew It

Series: The Last Survivors Series
(Sometimes called the Moon Crash Series)

Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 10855

Description: After a meteor hits the moon, teen Miranda must quickly grow from self-absorbed to selfless as she and her family try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It!

Why I Read It: This book was given to me by a co-worker to read.  I love that the colophon (the page with the publication date, printers information etc) is designed like a moon.

Lori's Notes: Life as we Knew It is a dystopian look at the world after a series of environmental catastrophes.  The first book in the Last Survivors series we find Miranda and her family struggling to survive in the country after a meteor has crashed into the moon pushing it closer to the Earth.  This throws the seasons out of balance and the family must struggle to find food, heat and safety in a new, sometimes hostile world. Written as a series of diary entries, this novel was hard to put down, not because it was action packed but simply because the writing was so compelling and you find yourself wondering what will happen to Miranda next.  And I have to mention that I got incredibly angry at the male bureaucrats at the end of the novel!

Recommended Readers: Grade 6 and up.  Good for whole classroom use or book bin selections.

Themes: Dystopian, Environmental Catastrophes, Diaries, Coming of Age, Family, Survival, Self Sacrifice, Parallel Novels.

Cross-Genre Links:
Movie: Deep Impact (1998)
Movie: Meteor (1979)
Music: Moondance performed by Van Morrison
News Media: Meteors

Post Reading Discussion Questions and Activities: 

  • Would you know what to do if you were to survive a catastrophe?  Would you have enough food, water? and adequate shelter?
  • What would you do if there were no longer any services?  (ex. Water, Hydro, Mail, Garbage Collection, Internet)
  • How long could you last? Days, Weeks, Months, Years?
  • Compare this novel and Anne Frank's diary.  (Although one is fiction and the other non-fiction, both are diaries, written by young girls, both struggle to survive with little food and in close quarters with their families, both are wary of who they can trust, and of course, there is the question of their ultimate survival).   
  • How does Miranda change over the course of the novel?  


Other Support Materials:
Life as We Knew It Teacher's Guide

Other Books in this Series: 
Book 2: The Dead and the Gone  (Parallel Novel)
Book 3: This World We Live In
Book 4: The Shade of the Moon



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