Truman Reader's Award Nominee

Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pferrer
Rating: 4 Stars

Okay, so I took a break from adult literature and went on a quest to find some age-appropriate, yet more challenging books for my daughter. I mean all the middle-schoolers love the Candy Apple Books, but let's be serious. They don't make you think beyond if your crush is going to remember you on Valentine's Day or how to make the boy next door really like you. I guess those books have their place (I read similar books when I was that age - remember Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High?), but they really do make me yearn to find better, more thought provoking material.

I was able to find some wonderful reads through a new award program This new book award is sponsored by the Missouri Association of School Librarians and is called the Truman Readers Award. The purpose of this award is to encourage " students in the early teen years to express their unique voice through: exploring new literary genres, communicating with their peers about young adult literature, and honoring authors writing for young teens."

One of the books nominated for this award is, Life As We Knew It. The theme of the book is cataclysmic when a meteor crashes into the moon and causes devastating change in the earth's climate. The main character is Miranda, a fifteen-year-old everyday teen who recounts the daily events from before the meteor hits to months after in her many journals.

She lives with her mom and two brothers and day by day the precious freedoms and pleasures that most teens think nothing of are slowly stripped away and she is constantly faced with the threat of starvation.

This book is certainly not a feel good book, but it really makes this age group think about the differences between needs and wants. There is minor language in the book (a few damns, a couple of hells, but nothing too bad) and there is some sexual content. The sexual content is not at all explicit and in the entire book there are probably only three or four references. While I typically shy aware from sexual content for my pre-teen, there is a good message halfway through that could be a good starting point for having that inevitable and necessary discussion.

If your pre-teen participates in the Accelerated Reading Program through their school, this book is on the list. It has a reading level of 4.7 and is worth 14 points. Not bad - that could equal one quarter's worth of points.

As always, no matter what the theme of the book, if you are unsure about how your child would react to the content it is never a bad idea to pre-read a book.

All right, well I will be back soon with some more reviews. See ya!