The World We Live In By Susan Beth Pfeffer

The World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer is the third book after Life As We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone. Just as in the previous two, the story takes place after a meteor has hit the moon, knocking it closer to the Earth. This causes a change in the moon's gravitational pull, which causes natural disasters of all types on Earth. There is a constant haze hanging in the air and little sunlight. Miranda's family (her mother and two brothers) has made it through the winter. Miranda's mother gives her two brothers permission to go to a nearby river to catch fish for several days - it is the first time any of them has been away from the isolation of their home in months. When they return, they bring along Syl, Matt's new wife! Their mother is not pleased, but allows Matt and Syl to remain as husband and wife. When they begin to settle into a new routine with their new family member, a knock sounds at the front door. It's Miranda's father, step-mother, their new baby, Alex and Julie (from The Dead and the Gone), and a new friend, Charlie. Knowing they do not have enough food stored up to allow them to stay long, they hatch a plan. Miranda's father will pretend to be their dead neighbor's son and family so that they can begin receiving food rations from city hall. Their plan works, and soon the new extended family moves into Mrs. Nesbitt's neighboring and abandoned farmhouse. Everything seems to be running smoothly, but not for long... to find out what happens to these families as they try to survive in this strange new world, read The World We Live In by Sysan Beth Pfeffer.

This was a really good story. I liked the way the two families from the first two books come together. It's fun to reconnect with characters from other novels. I also liked the way the author didn't "solve" the problem of the Earth/moon. It doesn't end with a neat and tidy "happily ever after". The ending was sad and unexpected.

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer is the companion novel to Life as We Knew It. Both are about the catastrophic natural disasters that plague the earth after a meteor hits the moon and knocks it out of its natural orbit. While Life as We Knew It focuses on a family in a more rural setting, The Dead and the Gone focuses on how these disasters affect the people of New York, specifically, the Morales family - Alex (17), Briana (15), and Julie (13). The moon's new position causes major flooding due to high tides and tsunamis. The subway system floods, killing thousands of people who were trapped. Alex's father was in a small coastal city in Puerto Rico and is presumed dead. Their mother was probably on the subway on her way home from working at the hospital. Alex finds himself in charge of his younger sisters as the city deteriorates. Soon, food becomes scarce and Alex finds himself doing things to ensure his and his sisters' survival that he never believed himself capable.

This book was as good as Life as We Knew It. I would recommend reading Life as We Knew It first, however, just because it is easier to follow what is happening with all fo the natural disasters in the Dead and the Gone - the author doesn't describe them quite as clearly in this one. Both novels end on a cliff-hanger, leaving the reader to imagine what he or she thinks will happen in the future. I strongly recommend both!