How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

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Award Winner

Have you heard of the Printz Award? It is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. This book gets my vote! The setting opens in New York City, where the main character, Elizabeth (also known as Daisy) lives. She can't wait to get away from her pregnant stepmother and travel across the pond to London, England to meet her deceased mother's sister and four children. Daisy quickly becomes attached to her Aunt Penn and her cousins. Then tragedy stikes. A terrorist war breaks out in London. Bombs explode periodically in London, transportation comes to a halt, and terrorists figure out how to cut off electricity and communication throughout the world. Aunt Penn is stuck in London and can't get home to her family. So the cousins learn to survive on their own. Sound unrealistic? I thought so at first, but this writer had me believing everything that happened. This is a book you won't want to put down until the last page. You will cheer for Daisy and Piper, as they survive the unimaginable. You will understand Edmund's despair when he witnesses a massacre and again when Daisy's dad arranges for her return to New York. Don't you despair - as hope will prevail at the end of the story. Find out what happened. Don't miss this great read!