This World We Live In

This World We Live In
by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Last Survivors, book three

When one year ago, the moon was struck by a meteor, knocking it closer into the Earth's orbit, catastrophe after catastrophe plagues the earth, leaving only a sprinkling of survivors struggling to have human life continue on Earth.

Miranda's family, in rural Pennsylvania, managed through cunning, tenacity, and finally luck to survive as a unit. Alex lost half his family immediately in the disaster and struggled to save his sisters, finally being forced to flee New York City with his sister, Julie, to look for "greener" pastures.

In This World We Live In, their stories collide...Miranda and her family are beginning to worry about when their food supply with cease to exist. Her brothers go out on a fishing expedition and Matt comes home with fish...and a bride. Days later, Miranda's father also arrives on their doorstep with a troupe in tow. Not only has he brought his wife and their new baby, but also a new best friend and two new "children," Alex and Julie. With ten people in one household, can Miranda's new extended family make it work? Will they all survive?

This was the final book of the trilogy and though I am sad it's done, it was a satisfying end. Susan Beth Pfeffer is gifted in being able to deliver a heartbreaking and realistic disaster story, balanced by love and hope for the future. All elements of this story rang true. I cried...and I smiled through my tears. I sighed at the compelling ending. I will definitely read this trilogy from start to finish again and probably again in the future. If you haven't read Life as We Knew It or The Dead and the Gone definitely start with those, but don't stop until you've read all three...it's worth it!

Karma Club

Check out this great trailer for Jessica Brody's book, The Karma Club, out tomorrow, April 27th!!



You can also enter a contest on Jessica Brody's website, for a chance to win one of four Flip Video Cameras! Very cool.

Check it out and boost your karma!!

Will Grayson Will Grayson

Will Grayson Will Grayson
by John Green and David Levithan

It's not that far from Evanston to Naperville, but Chicago suburbanites Will Grayson and Will Grayson might as well live on different planets. When fate delivers them both to the same surprising crossroads, the Will Graysons find their lives overlapping and hurtling in new and unexpected directions. With a push from friends new and old - including the massive, and massively fabulous, Tiny Cooper, offensive lineman and musical theater auteur extraordinaire - Will and Will begin building toward respective romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history's most awesome high school musical.

To be totally and completely honest, I have never read anything before by John Green. I have read both Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, though. I also saw David Levithan speak at Book Expo America last year and he is dynamic, funny, and interesting! I mention these facts only because I was so blown away by this book and I wasn't really expecting it, and I think that's because I hadn't read anything solely by these authors previously...combining them, apparently, is pure magic!

To start with, besides the fact that the premise is unexpected and funny, the characters are so authentic and fully formed in this book, it astounds me. Each Will was completely different and in many ways complimented the other. Their friends, or lack thereof, was fitting and made their life stories compelling. I loved how they became dependent on the existence of each other...but, I'm trying not to give spoilers! Sorry!

On to Tiny Cooper...I think he is my new favorite book character. Not only is he fabulous, he is funny, honest, open, lovable, awe-inspiring, and gut-wrenchingly true to himself. I cannot state how much I loved Tiny and the way he affected others around him.

Okay, okay...enough gushing...anyway, if you haven't picked this book up yet... GO NOW! You will not regret it.

PS - I listened to this as an audiobook and it is fantastic. The narrators, MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl, are amazing. You never doubt who is speaking and they can both sing, as well! Funny and touching.

Full disclosure: Audiobook version reviewed for SLJ.