Life as We Knew It

Life as We Knew It

Pfeffer, S., B. (2006). Life as we knew it. New York, NY: Harcourt Children's Books.

Age Range: This book is suitable for readers twelve and beyond. It can capture the interest of any reader, even adults.

Summary: This book is written in a first person point view from the main character Miranda. She documents her and her family's journey of survival after a world-wide catastrophe in a journal. Miranda is an average teenage girl who begins the book with only boys and sports on her mind, but after the moon is knocked off its axis by an asteroid, food and warmth are all anyone cares about. One of the most important parts of this book is how the setting impacts the characters and the plot. Struggling to survive readers see normal people that they could relate to change into animals and criminals. Things that would have been illegal before the big event are now widely accepted, because of the current situation. There are also several flashbacks to what life was like before the big event. For example, the main character remembers being a child and only worrying about boys, the movies, and ice skating instead of worrying about a can of beans. Miranda also realizes that she has had the opportunities to enjoy life, but her younger brother will never get the same opportunities. Readers can easily relate to this book, because they understand all of the wonderful opportunities they have to be children, and it's scary for them to think of being forced to grow up too soon. It is also so realistic. Knowing that the events in the story could become a reality is what keeps readers going.

Reflection: This book is amazing. It is the first novel that my seventh graders read in my class. I chose it because it can easily draw in the most reluctant readers. It has connections to science, history, family, relationships, and especially survival. What is really important in the book is how characters change throughout the text. Neighborliness is out of the door when stockpiling and wood stoves are the only means of survival. Its journal format makes it an easy read for any reader. There is only one drawback to the book, which is that extreme means of survival only kick in at the beginning and end. The second and third books in this series are strictly devoted to living, instead of the big event. After reading this book or any in the series your whole mindset on preparation changes. I truly felt myself wondering if I should by more canned goods and bottles of water after reading this!



Big Questions: How do the characters change from the beginning until the end? How is staying together a method of staying alive? How does the big event impact the entire world? What will life be like after the big event? How would prepare? What would you do if you were in this situation?

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.1 Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot)