Well now, I reckon you all want to hear a little bit about “Life as We Knew It,” huh? It’s that book by Susan Beth Pfeffer, the one where the moon goes all out of whack, and everything goes upside down. It ain’t a happy story, mind you, but it sure makes you think. This tale’s about a young gal named Miranda, just a high school girl, and her family. They ain’t rich or nothing, just folks like you and me, trying to get by. But when a big ol’ meteor hits the moon and knocks it closer to the Earth, well, things start to get mighty complicated real quick.
You see, the moon, which we’ve always depended on, ain’t what it used to be. It gets closer to the Earth, and that messes with the tides, the weather, and all sorts of things. Now, instead of just dealing with everyday problems like homework or school dances, Miranda and her family got to figure out how to survive. Food gets scarce, power goes out, and folks get mighty scared. But through all the trouble, what really stands out is how strong people can be, even when everything’s falling apart. In a way, it’s about survival, but it’s also about how we hold onto what’s important in life.

Now, this ain’t a book with a lot of fancy words or highfalutin ideas. It’s simple, just like the way folks talk around here. It’s told through Miranda’s journal entries, and each one takes you deeper into how things change over the course of a year. You watch as the days turn into months, and as the world gets harder to live in, Miranda and her family hold on. They make do with what they got, and they try to keep their spirits up, even when things seem hopeless. It shows you what can happen when the world you knew slips right out of your hands.
Life as We Knew It really ain’t just about surviving a disaster, though. It’s about how folks, even the young ones, find strength in themselves when they ain’t got nothing else. Miranda, she ain’t no superhero or anything, but she sure shows some grit. She learns how to make do with less, how to keep going even when it’s hard. And she learns what it means to love and take care of the people around you, especially when times are tough.
But it’s not just the main character, Miranda, that shows this strength. The whole book is full of folks doing what they can to get by. You see how her mother steps up, and how her brother tries to make sense of things even though he don’t understand it all. You also see some folks who don’t make it, and it sure makes you wonder what you’d do in a world like that. Would you give up? Or would you keep fighting, just like Miranda and her family do?
Miranda’s story is a tough one, no doubt about it. The book really makes you think about how fragile everything we take for granted really is. You might wake up one day and everything you knew just gets turned upside down. But as hard as it gets, there’s always something to hold onto. People keep going, day by day, doing what they can. And even when the world don’t look the same, you can still find a way to survive.
So, if you’re looking for a book that ain’t all sugar and sunshine, but still leaves you with a little hope at the end, “Life as We Knew It” might be just what you’re looking for. It’s a reminder that, no matter how bad things get, people can still fight on, and sometimes, that’s the most important thing of all. This here story is part of a series, too, so if you like it, you can follow along with Miranda and the rest of her folks in the next books. The whole series is called “The Last Survivors.” A pretty fitting name, don’t you think?
In the end, “Life as We Knew It” ain’t just about survival. It’s about learning to live with the new normal, and making peace with the changes life throws at you. It’s a hard lesson, but it’s one we all might need someday. So, give it a read, and maybe you’ll see the world a little differently, just like Miranda did.

Tags:[Life as We Knew It, Susan Beth Pfeffer, survival, YA fiction, disaster, journal entries, the last survivors, dystopian, apocalypse, teenage girl]