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Feb 13, 2012

Valerie rated it:

This book is was very overwhelming for me. I felt like it could really happen. After I read half the book I honestly wanted to go to the grocery store and get as much food as I possibly could. It showed me how fragile our lives really are, and I was reminded again what really is important in life. Miranda grows so much, at first I think she sounds a bit spoiled but she grows out of it. And you see what people are truly capable of. As the story progresses things get worse and worse. That is what More...

3 comments like (44 people liked it)

Apr 13, 2010

karen rated it:

i don't know who i am trying to kid. i keep reading these survival stories, thinking to myself, "i will know what to do if this happens - i will have tips and tricks and i will be the last one standing." that's pretty much bullshit. while its true i probably could survive, i wouldn't want to. i'm a fat lazy american - i don't want to have to scavenge. i don't want to have to hunt and skin deer or build a shelter or defend myself from others looking to eat my delicious arms. i don't wan More...

47 comments like (75 people liked it)

Oct 12, 2010

Annalisa rated it:

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9 comments like (13 people liked it)

Apr 09, 2008

Harry rated it:

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...

25 comments like (26 people liked it)

Jul 28, 2008

Carter rated it:

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...

9 comments like (17 people liked it)

May 06, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

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...

0 comments like (15 people liked it)

Jul 06, 2011

Melissa rated it:

I really enjoyed this book. This was one of those books that as soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to like it. I had seen this book years ago actually in the bookstore, but never got it. I don't remember why.

Anyway, I thought the book was really well done and I like that something simple, but factual was used to get the story going. Some dystopian novels aren't too realistic or not enough research is done. In this case, as I said something simple, but factual was used. The moon contr More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 05, 2011

Leanne rated it:

You know that panicky feeling you get when your about to give a low rating to a certain book, and then spontaneously you scroll down to view your friends reviews, and you realize that everyone gave glowing, 3/4/5 star ratings with positive things to say about it?

But no. I cannot.

I'm sorry, but end-of-the-world books are NOT suppose to be boring. I find this to be boring. Very, very, BORING. I know, I get that this book is suppose to be a more internal, isolated view o More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Sep 17, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

This is a fantastic dystopian novel by Pfeffer which I really enjoyed reading. When I first began reading the book, I didn't feel particularly enamoured by the protagonist, Miranda, or her writing. However, after reading on for only a little while, I found myself absolutely absorbed into the story. One of the great things about this book is that it's realistic and I could actually imagine it happening - it's quite unnerving in that aspect. It's not hard to put yourself in Miranda's position and More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 04, 2011

prettybooks rated it:

I warn you, this is going to make me sound a little odd, if not insane: I read this book in bed, on the way to work, whenever I had free time. I’d be walking along the road thinking about how it’s probably good that someone shared their lunch with me today because we need to save food. And it’s really grey today. Damn those volcanic ash clouds blocking the sun. I imagined all the food we’d stock up on. What would be like to bring back cars full of tinned and jarred food? I need to remember to st More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 09, 2010

Megan rated it:

I am so not as prepared for the end of the world as I thought I was!

Years and years ago, I had a massive platonic crush on a girl named Micheala. She was awesome…. She had bright orange dreadlocks and rode an orange, sparkly motorcycle (and knew how to fix it!) She grew her own veggies, canned them, made pottery, knew how to knit, how to make paper, how to make her own cat food, she was making a loom so she could make her own cloth for clothes... not that she actually did all of thi More...

5 comments like (11 people liked it)

Aug 04, 2011

Amanda rated it:

When an asteroid knocks the moon out of orbit, the world goes crazy. The tides change. Volcanoes erupt that had never been active before. Electricity is no longer dependable. All commerce ceases. One family’s struggle to remain alive through this catastrophe is chronicled in 15-year-old Miranda’s journal.

I’m in two minds about this book, so I’ll start with the negative and move on to the good things afterwards. First let me tell you that I’m not sure I was in the right mood to read thi More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 19, 2007

Joel rated it:

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...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Colleen rated it:

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...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 20, 2007

Lisa rated it:

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 readers mig More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Apr 23, 2009

Robin rated it:

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...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Dec 18, 2009

Sophia rated it:

**A meteor hits the moon closer to earth. Tidal waves, earthquakes, volcanoes erupt, and frost (cold weather) all over the world. People are dying and suffering, sicknesses are spreading, there’s a limited amount of food. Learn how one family struggles to survive through this hardship. This remarkable read is fast-paced, cleverly crafted as a diary, and is written by a relatable sixteen year old.

As an accelerated read, these events begin right from page nineteen. All you have to do More...

4 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 02, 2011

Cici rated it:

I've come to realize why I am addicted to these types of books, for years I've had nightmares about the world ending or some kind of disaster where I'm trying to save my kids and sometimes other people. I do know that I have these nightmares when I am stressed out and overwhelmed and that's what the dream is symbolizing(something in my life is out of control) and me trying to save people symbolizes that I'm trying to get it under control. I used to be huge into dreams and their meanings. But, st More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 24, 2012

Tangueray rated it:

The thought has come to almost all our minds. Most don't believe in it but others do. No matter what it still pops up in conversations, the news, the internet, etc. Some of us have already come up with plans to evacuate and go to safer grounds. Do we have the exact answer to if the world is really going to end? Have you ever thought that a cause of the world ending could be the moon?

In the successful Novel life As We Knew It, by Susan Pfeffer, a young girl name Miranda wouldn't suspec More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 14, 2011

Regina rated it:

Perhaps the most frightening thing about this story, as with M.T. Anderson's Feed, is that it could possibly be more accurate than even the author is aware. Chilling.

After the first twenty pages, you will never look at the moon the same again. Author Susan Beth Pfeffer, bravely takes on the topic of environmental apocalypse with a freshness and somehow comfortable humor that is all but infectious upon reading. Set in modern times, seventeen-year-old Miranda is more concerned wit More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 30, 2011

David rated it:

Imagine Armageddon directed by Catherine Hardwicke instead of Michael Bay. Life As We Knew It is an end-of-the-world scenario told through the eyes of a teenage girl, who writes down everything that happens in amazingly long and detailed diary entries, which become increasingly implausible as she writes multi-page narratives about how she just dragged her entire sick family out of a smoke-filled sunroom while on the verge of starving to death herself.

This is not a bad book -- it's go More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 23, 2011

Parajunkee.com rated it:

Touching. Full of hope, yet incredibly heart-breaking. Hits close to home. This could happen to anyone. Makes you realize how much we take for granted. Puts things in perspective. Sobbing at work. I want to race through this series.

Life as We Knew It

Never an easy read, Post-Apoaolytpic dramas are something you should mentally prepare for. I could have never prepared myself for Pfeffer's LIFE AS WE KNEW IT. Pfeffer's first Survivor's Novel was a heart-wrenching look into o More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 22, 2010

FlibBityFLooB rated it:

I usually really enjoy a dystopian post-apoclyptic novel more than most, but this one left me cold on several fronts.

The basic gist of the story is an asteroid hits the moon and causes immense changes to the teenage heroine's lifestyle.

Issue 1: not enough mayhem ensues with the events in the story. I would easily expect more looting and depravity in this type of scenario. Everything seemed too put together. For example, the coastal regions are decimated ... yet inte More...

6 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 21, 2010

Tatiana rated it:

"Life as We Knew It" is a teen book version of disaster movies such as "Armageddon," "2012," and "The Day After Tomorrow" told from a 16-year old girl's POV. Basically, you have a natural cataclysm that affects the entire planet and you follow a girl and her family through their day-to-day struggles to survive the aftermath.

The book is compelling in many ways. You find yourself imagining what you would do in Miranda’ situation. Like many have More...

15 comments like (8 people liked it)

May 25, 2009

John rated it:

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10 comments like (7 people liked it)

Sep 20, 2008

Violet rated it:

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0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 24, 2008

Nicolette rated it:

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1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Sep 10, 2008

Jess rated it:

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...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 16, 2008

BCL rated it:

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...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 02, 2008

Kristin rated it:

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...

10 comments like (11 people liked it)