Review: This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

May 5, 2010 by shanyn

Title: This World We Live In
Hardcover, 239 pages
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s
Publication Date: April 1, 2010
Source: Purchased
Buy: Amazon

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Book Summary:
It’s been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. Miranda and her two brothers spend their days scavenging for food and household items, while their mother stays at home and desperately tries to hold on to the ordinary activities of their previous life. But they all know that nothing is truly normal in this surreal new world they live in.

The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

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Review:
I read all three of the “Last Survivor” books pretty quickly in a row. Book one we’re with Miranda, book two we’re with Alex, and in book three, we’re back with Miranda.

I was very happy to go back to Miranda’s family, because I enjoyed book 1 a pretty good amount better than book 2. For some reason Miranda’s story connected with me more.

This World We Live In starts about a month after Miranda’s last entry, and we basically pick up where we left off – the Moon is still too close to the Earth, there is still not enough food, not enough electricity, etc. I immediately fell back into the desperation and anxiety state of mind I had when reading the other books – I was checking my own electricity supply, considering what food I would have to eat if something like this happened, worried about the weather outside.

About halfway through This World We Live In, both book 1 and 2 start to mesh together. Alex appears in Miranda’s life, along with other characters we had read about before. Some of the characters make some very rash decisions, but being in this situation certainly would change your frame of mind, so I didn’t hold it against them.

I think the thing that makes this series so good is that Susan Beth Pfeffer is not afraid of disaster and doom. She does not try to make you feel warm and fuzzy, and none of the books had a perfect ending. Even at the end of this book there are horrible events that affect everyone – basically she is not a cop out, and it’s something I really appreciate (even if it means my life is still affected by what I’ve read).

My favorite of the series is (still) number 1, but this series as a whole is a great addition to young adult literature.

Buy: Amazon

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• Review: The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• Review: Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• Waiting on Wednesday: Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore
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