11 - Life as We Knew It, Susan Beth Pfeffer

This book caught my eye because of the lovely illustration of the moon on the cover. Of course I was hooked when I figured out that the premise is that the moon has been struck by an asteroid and knocked closer to Earth. It is written in the form of a diary narrated by the main character, Miranda, who lives in a small town in Pennsylvania. It chronicles the hardships her family experiences as the Earth reacts to the effects of the moon's strengthened gravity.

As floods, storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, clouds of toxic ash, illness, and freezing temperatures wreak havoc on their world, Miranda and her family struggle to survive. Of course, I love stories of the apocalypse. This is an interesting take I've never read before. Pfeffer did a good job of creating empathetic, realistic characters.

I initially thought this would be a good read-aloud choice, but as I read further, I realized that it has an element of evangelism that, even though it doesn't come to anything good for the characters involved, might make some listeners uncomfortable. Also, there are a variety of mentions of personal things, like Miranda's period and her budding relationship with Dan, that don't really lend themselves to whole-group consumption. However, I might read only the passage that describes the initial impact and then have my science students write stories about the effects.

I am currently reading the sequel, The Dead and the Gone, in which Alex Morales struggles to survive and protect his sisters during the same time period in New York City. I am devouring it. Even though yesterday was hugely busy, I read almost two hundred pages. The third book, This World We Live In, brings Alex and Miranda together.