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Life as We Knew It    by Susan Beth Pfeffer Amazon.com order for
Life as We Knew It
by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Order:  USA  Can
Harcourt, 2006 (2006)
Hardcover, CD

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* * *   Reviewed by Lyn Seippel

A night of sky watching turns to terror as a meteor hits the moon and moves it closer to earth. The most immediate response to the change in moon location is that tusunamis take out New York, Florida and all the coastal cities. These are followed by earthquakes and finally volcanic eruptions.

Miranda, a thirteen-year-old living with her mother and brothers in a small Pennsylvania town, keeps a journal much like thirteen-year-old Anne Frank did when the Nazis descended on Holland. Miranda's journal becomes a record of that time in her life and the suffering of her family and friends.

Miranda's mother has them stock up on food and as many medical supplies as they can find. Her brother Matt makes it home from college but gas - though still available at that time - is rationed. The president holes up on his ranch in Texas and tells people things will be back to normal soon. Friends leave to find a place where things are better. Miranda's older brother spends every waking hour cutting down trees to be used in the woodstove when winter comes.

Susan Beth Pfeffer's book is a nail-biting survival thriller of a damaged earth and its effects on the people still living after the disaster. It is full of family love and hope for the future. Pfeffer has written many books for teenagers, including A Year Without Michael and Twice Taken. She has another winner in Life as We Knew It.

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