YA Fantasy/Sci Fi. "Life As We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life as We Knew It. Pfeffer, Susan Beth. (2006). 4Q 5P J S
This book is the first in a series by Pfeffer titled, The Last Survivors. It is sad and sometimes funny but you feel compelled to read the story of Miranda and her family as they try to survive their day to day life and hardships after a world changing disaster.  You root for them, feel their pain, want to give them advice but more than anything you imagine yourself in the situations that Miranda and her family now find themselves in and wonder what you would do to survive.

Miranda is a typical teenage girls with typical teenage issues.  Her parents are divorced and her father and his new wife are expecting a baby and Miranda is excited to be a step sister.  She and her mother seem to argue, sometimes heatedly, over many mundane issues.  But her biggest problem is tracking the whereabouts and events surrounding the local ice staking heartthrob from her Pennsylvania town that may be eligible for the next Olympics.   Of course, there is talk about the meteor that is schedule to hit the moon in May but no one, including scientists, seem concerned about the possible affects to the Earth. 

On the evening that the meteor is predicted to hit the Earth, Miranda, her family and neighbors meet in the road with chairs and snacks to watch the event.  When the meteor finally hits it is immediately obvious that the result is not going to be good.  The moon is too close to the Earth and within weeks the climate is changing.  There are hurricanes and tsunamis, endless rain, cold weather, snow and volcanoes.  Now Miranda's problems are bigger and more life threatening than she could have ever imagined.  The question isn't can Miranda and her family survive, but how long can they survive.

This book is a great example of two developmental assets;  planning and decision making and responsibility. Miranda had to grow up fast and make plans and decisions that she never imagined would fall on her shoulders.