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Life As We Knew It
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Read Life As We Knew It
The Last Survivors: Book 1

Life As We Knew It (2006) (edit title/settings)

by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic... read more

Summary edit see section history

The story starts out in Spring with sixteen year old Miranda Evans stating that her stepmother Lisa is pregnant in her diary. A few entries after that, Miranda and everybody else hear about the asteroid going to hit the moon and the teachers take advantage of that and make it an excuse for... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The story starts out in Spring with sixteen year old Miranda Evans stating that her stepmother Lisa is pregnant in her diary. A few entries after that, Miranda and everybody else hear about the asteroid going to hit the moon and the teachers take advantage of that and make it an excuse for extra homework.

On the night of the hit, however, Miranda and her family-her mother and brother Jonny—witness the meteor knock the moon out of orbit and catastrophically alter their way of life. Miranda worries when her mother can’t reach her father or grandmother over the phone. Later, she hears over the news and from her mother that many cities—countries, even—have been submerged by the newly massive tsunamis.

The next day at school, a monster storm forces the students to sit in the dark hallways until Miranda’s mother comes for her with Jonny and their long-time neighbor and friend, Mrs. Nesbitt. together they get food and survival supplies to stock up, (canned food, pet products, water, fruit, veggies...etc.)while fighting off other people who are doing the same thing, including people who lie to get supplies.

The next day there is no school. School resumes briefly after Miranda’s brother, Matt, comes back from college. However, the days are shorter, and the lunches doled out meager and pitiful. Miranda spends her time swimming in the pond to ward off the intense heat with her new boyfriend, Dan. Her father comes over to her house with pregnant Lisa and gives the family food before departing for Lisa’s family. Also, Miranda’s friend Megan (an avid church-goer) advises Miranda to accept Jesus. Miranda dismisses Megan as crazy and eventually goes home.

In the middle of summer, Miranda learns of volcanoes going off randomly, polluting the Earth and blocking the Sun with volcanic ash and smoke, therefore, paving the way for extremely cold winters and permanent gray skies. In the autumn, Miranda and her family go to a school conference and are given the chance to attend school. Miranda and her brothers decline, instead taking textbooks so they can study at home. Miranda decides to also steal some pencils and journals for her diary.

After that, Miranda’s mother trips and sprains her ankle. It takes much time and effort, but Miranda and Matt manage to get their mother’s boyfriend, Dr. Peter Elliot, away from the hospital where he works so she can have her foot/ankle looked after.

As extreme freeze is starting, Mrs. Nesbitt dies and had said before her death that she wanted Miranda and her mother to have her items(Such as food, water, blankets, etc.) and gives them each a special gift from her. As Miranda is getting food she hears a noise, in which she thinks is looters, but its only the dripping sink. Upon inspection Miranda finds that Mrs. Nesbitt had been dehydrating and starving herself so that Miranda's family may live as long as possible. She then brings jugs, pans, pots and other containers and fills them with water.

Winter soon comes, and it is extremely cold. Many days the temperature was below freezing. Miranda and her family have to sleep under many blankets, wear layers of clothing, and never venture outside except to go get the mail from the post office, which is still actually open.

Just when everything was going okay, her mother and brothers catch a deadly flu.Soon though, the family gets better but food is running low. Both Miranda and her mother have given up completely on food so Jonny can have it, believing he has a better chance of surviving.Miranda goes to gather the mail one day, intending not to come back because she doubts she'll have enough energy. The post office is closed. Succumbing to the cold and defeat, she is ready to give up and die, but sees a yellow flier and uses the last of her strength to grab it. She discovers that free food is being given out at town hall, which isn’t far away.

Characters edit see section history

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “'And that's how we know we're alive this Memorial Day.'”
    Miranda
  • “'The pantry actually kind of reassured me.'”
    Miranda
  • “'I feel like she'd punched me.'”
    Miranda
  • “"Do you know how to drive a car?" Matt asked."The gas makes it go. The brake makes it stop." "That will do."”
    Matt and Miranda
  • “"We may not have a future, but you can't deny we have a past"”
    Mom
  • “Sometimes I've thought I'm keeping it for that day when people no longer exist but butterflies can read.”
    Miranda
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • Do people ever realize how precious life is? I know I never did before. There was always time. There was always a future.
    Highlighted by 36 Kindle customers
  • I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald's would still be open.
    Highlighted by 33 Kindle customers
  • This life, this everyday existence, is the one gift we're given. To throw it away, to want to be dead, to me that's the sin.'
    Highlighted by 30 Kindle customers
  • The only way you can be the best at something is to be the best you can be.
    Highlighted by 30 Kindle customers
  • Life sucks. I wish I had some fudge.
    Highlighted by 26 Kindle customers
  • 'Great,' I said. 'The world's coming to an end, and we're fixing it with Band-Aids.'
    Highlighted by 25 Kindle customers
  • I've resolved to take a moment every day for the rest of my life to appreciate what I have.
    Highlighted by 22 Kindle customers
  • Life is full of unexpected opportunities. When a window closes a door opens.
    Highlighted by 15 Kindle customers
  • For that tiny instant, I was every 16-year-old in history, not knowing what the skies foretold about my future.
    Highlighted by 14 Kindle customers
  • Why feel sorry for myself today when tomorrow's bound to be worse? It's a hell of a philosophy, but it's all I've got.
    Highlighted by 14 Kindle customers
Show all 16 quotes from this book

First Sentence edit see section history

Lisa is pregnant.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Spring
1 - 5
Summer
6 - 10
Fall
11 - 17
Winter
18 - 21

*Written as diary entries*

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

  • Love of Family: They wouldn't have made it if they didn't all work together.
  • The Moon: The moon is a significant piece in this book because the moon coming closer to the earth causes all kinds of natural disasters to occur
  • Surviving Natural Elements: Miranda and her family have to work hard in order to survive.
  • Love: Love helps keep them alive.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 4 in The Last Survivors. (standard series)

Followed by The Dead and the Gone.

This is book 6 of 15 in 2008-2009 Iowa Teen Award. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Susan Beth Pfeffer (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books and Scholastic Inc.
Country: United States
Publication Date: 2006
ISBN: 9-780545-044011
Page Count: 337

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

If you're a parent, read the spoilers on this section. Not too much of a spoiler, but still. Miranda has a slutty friend who might (might) not be a virgin.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • The Dead and the Gone
  • The Hunger Games
  • Catching Fire
  • The Giver
  • Among the Hidden
  • Uglies
  • Z for Zachariah
  • The Carbon Diaries 2015
  • The Big Empty
  • Restoring Harmony
  • The Compound
  • Gone
  • Unwind

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Dead and the Gone
  • This World We Live In

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