book data
2,856 ratings,
4.11
average rating, 987 reviews
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published
October 1st 2006
(first published 2005)
by Harcourt Children's Books
binding
Hardcover, 352 pages
isbn
0152058265
(isbn13: 9780152058265)
description
It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with frien...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 4,244)
All ratings
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5 stars (1160)
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4 stars (1059)
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3 stars (475)
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2 stars (124)
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1 star (37)
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avg 4.11
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
Tennage girls that like reading dictionary-diarys
Now I know a one star is pretty bad but when I put my cursor over the one star it says didn't like it and I did not like this book at all. I'm not going to go into full detail because it would torture me but heres the plot: You are reading about a family that lives in Pennsylvania and the character Miranda is a teenage girl living with her mom and brother. Scientists say that a meteor is going to hit the moon, and everyone doesn't really care about being a doomsday because the scientists say ...more
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(6 people liked it)
17 comments
Read in July, 2008
What a great and frightening read. Whenever I'd sit down to read it, I couldn't help but feel like it was covered in ash outside, too. I think one of the most haunting things in this book was the discussion of who should live and who's expendable. Towards the end, it seemed so rational and calm. Very eerie. I'm interested to know why the author chose to end the way she did, without tying up all the loose-ends (there are some specifics, but I don't want to put down any spoilers). Definitely a gre...more
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(5 people liked it)
8 comments
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
If you're looking for one of the best books of 2006, then look no further than Susan Beth Pfeffer's LIFE AS WE KNEW IT. A wonderful tale of family love, loss, and survival, this is one story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.
There have been lots of changes in sixteen-year-old Miranda's life recently. Her older brother, Matt, is away at college. Her mom is still adjusting to being a divorced parent. Her young...more
If you're looking for one of the best books of 2006, then look no further than Susan Beth Pfeffer's LIFE AS WE KNEW IT. A wonderful tale of family love, loss, and survival, this is one story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.
There have been lots of changes in sixteen-year-old Miranda's life recently. Her older brother, Matt, is away at college. Her mom is still adjusting to being a divorced parent. Her young...more
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Read in October, 2006
recommends it for:
People interested in Anne Frank, disaster stories, family stories
Miranda, a 16-year-old girl in Pennsylvania, writes in her diary about her frustrations with her mom, her fixation on a handsome Olympic figure skater, her friends at school, and the upcoming astronomical event her teachers are encouraging the kids to watch: an asteroid will hit the moon, and should be visible from Earth. Miranda and her family watch that night, with others on their street, as the moon is not only hit but pushed into a new orbit. Cheers turn to screams as the moon grows disarmin...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone who enjoys sci-fi, ages 11 & up
Kids’ sci-fi, told in a way that seemed plausible to me. Loved Miranda’s first person voice in the form of her diary entries and the wonderful depiction of the characters’ ingenuity, courage, sacrifice & family ties. While a serious and suspenseful story, I appreciated the humor, especially the more than tinges of irreverence that crop up frequently. I also enjoyed the jabs at current political leaders & culture but assume these references are broad enough that future generations of reade...more
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(3 people liked it)
1 comment
Top marks for this chilling YA novel about life after a global disaster. Could NOT put this book down! Written as a diary, Miranda tells about her life as a high school sophomore, living with her two brothers, single Mom, and her attempts to maintain a relationship with her Dad and his second (and pregnant) wife. Just as the characters are established an event occurs that changes things from "life as we know it' to "life as we knew it".
An asteroid has hit the moon, alerting...more
An asteroid has hit the moon, alerting...more
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recommends it for:
Everyone!!!! Read it now!!! It will change your life!!!
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Jessica by:
Rebecca Caudill; YA Book Club Sept. 08recommends it for: Readers who loved How I Live Now; Fans of The Day After TV Special,
After a gigantic asteroid strikes the Moon, throwing off the tides and setting off a series of catastrophic weather events and countless deaths, Miranda's family struggles to survive. Gas is $12, grocery stores are empty, and electricity is questionable. Life has changed.
A science fiction page turner with it's toes firmed planted in reality. Even though it's told in the form of a sixteen year old girl's diary, the writing is absorbing, not tedious. Plenty of realistic dialog and ...more
A science fiction page turner with it's toes firmed planted in reality. Even though it's told in the form of a sixteen year old girl's diary, the writing is absorbing, not tedious. Plenty of realistic dialog and ...more
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A meteor slams into the moon, and in a split second, "life as we knew it" is forever altered. Tides sweep over the coasts, and the changed position of the moon gives rise to increased volcanic activity, which turns the sky an ash-gray and blots out the sun. With untold numbers dead and the climate irrevocably altered, a smalltown Pennsylvania family forges ahead, having had the foresight to gather food and supplies immediately after the catastrophe.
The story, told through 16-yea...more
The story, told through 16-yea...more
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Read in February, 2008
recommended to Kristin by:
students
This one has been so popular with the sixth graders I actually snagged it from the "return" box so I could finally read it! What a strange, depressing-yet-hopeful story about a family's struggle to survive after the moon is knocked out of its orbit and closer to Earth. It is definitely a page-turner, but I would also find myself kind of down after reading it.
The one thing that bothers me about this book is that Christianity is portrayed in a horrible way. The main character (...more
The one thing that bothers me about this book is that Christianity is portrayed in a horrible way. The main character (...more
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Read in May, 2008
After reading this book I now look at the rays of sunshine coming through my window in a whole new, glorious way and I try really hard to remember to thank God for each and every meal and I am hugging family members for no reason but I gotta tell you if you have a chronic illness or depend on medication to live I don't particularly recommend reading it. I just woke up at 2:00 a.m. in a panic thinking I needed to run to a Walgreens for my insulin because of this book! Basically, in this book an...more
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Read in October, 2007
There's something about post-Armageddon-survival books--they don't usually start with the Armageddon. Either it's the lead-up to and immediate impact of the event, or it starts a week or a month after the event and here's how we're doing. Life as We Knew It starts with the approaching event--an asteroid bearing down on the moon--and the extra assignments that are being piled on at school as a result. But then the moon gets knocked closer to the Earth, and we get the rush at the supermarket. ...more
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Read in August, 2007
Life as we knew it is about a girl, Miranda whose life changes when a meteor strikes the moon out of it's orbit and slowly moves closer to the earth. The earth's climate greatly changes. There are food shortages, freezing days in the summer, huge tsunamis and much more. People are dying every day because of the cold, food shortages, natural disasters and much more. Miranda has to learn to live without electricity, food or water...all the things she took for granted before all this. Her family b...more
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Read in September, 2007
The news is abuzz with the event that is to occur in which an asteroid will collide with the moon. Little did anyone expect, the force of the collision would be enough to knock the moon out of orbit and fall closer to earth.
This catastrophic event is felt all over the world - volcanoes begin erupting, tsunamis flood out coastal cities, and earthquakes become commonplace.
This book, told in the form of Miranda's diary, details her family's survival following this terribl...more
This catastrophic event is felt all over the world - volcanoes begin erupting, tsunamis flood out coastal cities, and earthquakes become commonplace.
This book, told in the form of Miranda's diary, details her family's survival following this terribl...more
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
middle school and up, if you can handle a terrifying vision of the future
Maia and Nathan recommended this book, and it just took over my whole Friday! I found it absolutely riveting.
16-year-old Miranda is a normal, self-centered teen, hoping she'll get asked to the prom, resenting her dad's new wife, when a seemingly innocent event occurs: a meteor hits the moon. But it hits harder than expected, and the moon is pushed closer to the earth, and the effects move from inconvenient (no cell phone service) to downright disastrous (tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, wint...more
16-year-old Miranda is a normal, self-centered teen, hoping she'll get asked to the prom, resenting her dad's new wife, when a seemingly innocent event occurs: a meteor hits the moon. But it hits harder than expected, and the moon is pushed closer to the earth, and the effects move from inconvenient (no cell phone service) to downright disastrous (tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, wint...more
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Read in May, 2007
This book was so good. (I read the entire thing yesterday.)
An asteroid collides with the moon, causing it to move closer to the earth. The first effects include a change in the tide, and people on the coasts are decimated. Miranda and her family are pretty safe in Pennsylvania, until gas prices rise and food becomes scarce. Later, the weather itself is affected.
I kept reading because I just had to know if the book, told through Miranda's journal entries, would end abr...more
An asteroid collides with the moon, causing it to move closer to the earth. The first effects include a change in the tide, and people on the coasts are decimated. Miranda and her family are pretty safe in Pennsylvania, until gas prices rise and food becomes scarce. Later, the weather itself is affected.
I kept reading because I just had to know if the book, told through Miranda's journal entries, would end abr...more
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1 comment
This may sound laughable, but never have I so appreciated the moon and the fact that it stays where it's supposed to. Because in this book, it's knocked out of it's orbit and pushed incredibly close to earth, throwing off a delicate balance and basically causing chaos.
Told from the perspective of Miranda, a kind of typical yet somewhat insightful teen, this book will make you appreciate what you have. Shitty economy, crappy job and all. It should also restore your faith in the h...more
Told from the perspective of Miranda, a kind of typical yet somewhat insightful teen, this book will make you appreciate what you have. Shitty economy, crappy job and all. It should also restore your faith in the h...more
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I picked this book up by accident at the library—-thought it was something else—-and am glad I did!
When an asteroid hits the moon and knocks it into an orbit that is closer to earth, the moon's gravitational forces wreak havoc on earth, causing devastating natural disasters. The protagonist, 16-year-old Miranda, lives in Pennsylvania. She is not close to the sites of the disasters, but her family feels the effects through food shortages and loss of electricity, heat, and communi...more
When an asteroid hits the moon and knocks it into an orbit that is closer to earth, the moon's gravitational forces wreak havoc on earth, causing devastating natural disasters. The protagonist, 16-year-old Miranda, lives in Pennsylvania. She is not close to the sites of the disasters, but her family feels the effects through food shortages and loss of electricity, heat, and communi...more
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(1 person liked it)
1 comment
Read in October, 2007
As far as story goes and the ability to give me nightmares this book is a five. I was talking about it non-stop while reading it, and can't seem to get a big ol' knot in my stomach every time I look up at the sky now. My one big problem with the book was the main character...which being "main" truly is a big problem. If Miranda was 12 or 13 I would have been much more into the story, but as a 16 year old she was completely unbelievable. I spent half of my time saying "a 16 year ol...more
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quotes from this book
"I wonder if I'll ever have to decide which is worse, life as we're living or no life at all."
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