Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Disbelief becomes fear when a meteor strikes the moon, knocking it closer to the earth. And with that, life as we knew it is no more. With the moon in a new orbit the oceans begin to surge up in massive tidal waves and long dormant volcanoes around the world begin to erupt.

16 year old Miranda is a typical teen of the time, and she’s taken all of it for granted until now. School has been let out early for the summer as there’s no electricity to run the lights or food to serve at lunch, so Miranda and her two brothers stick close to home, trying to help their mother prepare for the worst. As the summer drags on with little contact from the outside world the worst that her mother prepared for comes to pass. Volcanic winter; and it comes early with a killing frost in August. The early winter begins to take its toll on the family as they must begin sealing off the house, holing up in the tiny sunroom with dwindling supplies, limited water and only a wood burning stove to provide warmth as the temperatures plummet.

Told through Miranda’s journal entries from May, just prior to the disaster, to the following March, you’re guaranteed to be sucked deep into this story. Miranda’s growth from bratty teen to responsible adult to felt in every entry as things around her begin to change; some for the better and some for the worse.

This title is a 2010 Teen Nutmeg Nominee.