This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Source: Requested for review from NetGalley

Availability: In stores April 1, 2010

Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars

Description from Amazon.com: It’s been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. For Miranda Evans life as she knew it no longer exists. Her friends and neighbors are dead, the landscape is frozen, and food is increasingly scarce.

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.

Susan Beth Pfeffer amazed me with a wonderful third book in the series.  Both of the first two books in the series totally left the readers hanging, wondering what happens to the characters in the book once the story was done.  Well, hold on to your seats because this story follows up on both Miranda and Alex almost a year after the moon was knocked out of it’s orbit.  As much as I would have liked that somehow miraculously things have gotten a lot better in a year sadly that is untrue.  Food is still scarce and people are still dying and yet there are still a few miracles that will surprise readers.

It was interesting to see Alex outside of his city environment and how he tries to cope with continuing to keep his younger sister safe.  The speed with which romantic relationships form in this book are at first disconcerting and yet when I really thought about it it’s not unreasonable considering what all these people have been through.  The desire they may all want for a little happiness probably intensifies feelings on all sides.  This book will definitely make you appreciate the little things in life.  Where as the first two books focused on the lack of food, water and sources of warmth you come to realize in this one how we takes things like toilet paper, toothpaste and shampoo for granted.  Honestly, a world without toilet paper?  Ugh.

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