Life As We Knew It

QUOTES:

"Do people ever realize how precious life is? I know I never did before. There was always time. There was always a future."

"Maybe because I don’t know anymore if there is a future, I’m grateful for the good things that have happened to me this year. I never knew I could love as deeply as I do. I never knew I could be so willing to sacrifice things for other people."

"I never knew how wonderful a taste of pineapple juice could be, or the warmth of a woodstove, or the sound of Horton purring, or the feel of clean clothes against freshly scrubbed skin. It wouldn't be New Year’s without a resolution. I've resolved to take a moment every day for the rest of my life to appreciate what I have."

Summary:

In this science fiction novel, the main character, Miranda,finds her world thrown into chaos when an asteroid hits the moon and shifts it out of orbit, closer to Earth. This shift causes massive tidal waves and tsunamis that destroy parts of the Earth. In the beginning, Miranda is skeptical of her mothers efforts when she goes into "survival mode." But then, volcanoes erupt around the world, things go from bad to worse. Electricity is nonexistent, crops die and insect-born diseases spread. A flu epidemic hits and Miranda is the only one unaffected in the family. Miranda writes in her journal that she’s figured out why she’s been documenting everything that has happened. She says it is so she can always remember life as it used to be, and life as it is now, hoping that there will be a time when life will be better.

Controversial Topics:

• The book discusses other belief systems. For example; Miranda wonders about all the people in the past who used the stars to tell the future, as she waits for the meteor to hit the moon. Miranda and her family talk about how the dinosaurs evolved into birds and that even if humans die, other animals and insects will probably survive. In addition to this, the books discusses God and Christianity alot. 
• The book also uses profanity and graphic violence. Objectionable words used throughout the book are "damn," hell," "sucks," and "pissed." Although Miranda and her family hear about violent things occurring as people become desperate for food, it is not graphically portrayed in the book. At one point in the book, Miranda is warned not to be in town alone because she witnesses several young men with guns shooting at windows and looting.  Another objectionable event is when Megan’s mother hangs herself after her daughter dies. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people die in the initial tidal waves and tsunamis after the moon’s orbit shifts. Many people die from starvation including Mrs. Nesbitt. The radio provides daily lists of people who have died throughout the country. All of things may be hard for a middle school reader to handle. 
• The book discusses the idea of having sex. Also, her parents try to convince Miranda to leave town with a 40 year-old man when supplies start to dwindle. In addition, a crude joke is made about Miranda's friend and how boys are "in her."