Life As We Knew It - Chapter 21

Life As We Knew It reaches its conclusion in Chapter 21.

1. Describe Miranda's decision to go to the post office. What is her expectations of this trip for her and her family?
   
   
2. Does Miranda seem at peace with the idea of dying? Why?
   



3. What did Miranda initially see upon arriving in town?
   



4. What was on the yellow sheet of paper posted at the post office?
   



5. What does Miranda realize in terms of why she has been keeping a journal? (p. 337).
   



6. How does the future look for Miranda and her family on her 17th birthday? Why?

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 20

Life goes on in Miranda's household. Matt makes limited progress, but Jonny is feeling better. The food situation grows dire.

1. While infrequent, the return of what utility gives the family hope?
   


2. Why is Mom ok with wasting the batteries on using the radio each night?
   


3. What news is reported on the radio? Though the news is bad, what does Miranda feel about it? (p. 321).
   


4. What is the state of the family's pantry? (p. 325).
   


5. Describe the health of Miranda and the family at the end of Chapter 20.

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 19

In this chapter, Miranda nurses her family through the flu, learns terrible news about Peter and the damage caused by influenza and adverts a fire caused by the wood stove. Matt is left weakened by his illness.

1. What is the condition of the family at the beginning of Chapter 19?
   


2. What has happened to Peter? Most of the hospital staff?
   


3. Why does Miranda continue to write in her journal despite all the adversity she and the family are experiencing? (p. 299).
   


4. What incident happens at the house to make Miranda believe her family will survive no matter what? (p. 305)



5. On p. 311, mom stops herself mid-conversation to call Miranda a "very special woman." Why is this significant?
   


6. Describe Matt's condition at the end of the chapter? Why is he this way? What does Miranda feel this means for the family?

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 18

In this Chapter, Miranda and the family experience their first Holiday Season post-Asteroid Impact and come to realize how lucky they all are. They exchange meaningful gifts and make practical New Years Resolutions. The Mortensens, neighbors down the road, are introduced and the idea of illness spreading is foreshadowed.

1. Why does Miranda call the family’s first Christmas after the catastrophe "Absolutely the best Christmas ever"? (p. 280)
   


2. On New Year’s Eve, Miranda wonders if people ever realize how precious life is. (p. 287) What events have happened in Miranda’s life to remind her that life is precious?
   


3. Why is Matt so adamant about the family learning how to cross country ski?
   


4. Why did Mr. Mortensen show up at the family's door?

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 17

A blizzard strikes Miranda's town, dumping about four feet of snow in a short period of time. With gasoline in limited supply, its unlikely the roads are going to be plowed anytime soon.

1. As the blizzard begins, where is Matt? Why doesn't mom allow Miranda or Jon to head towards town to look for Matt?
   
   
2. Why is Jonny the only family member allowed to eat two meals per day? When Jonny discovers he is the only one who eats two meals, how does he feel about this?
   
   
3. The snow provides one benefit to the family -- What is it?
   
   
4. On p. 276, Miranda states "Right now I'm reading about the American Revolution. The soldiers had a tough time of it at Valley Forge. My heart bleeds for them." What is Miranda implying in this journal entry?
   

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 16

Mrs. Nesbitt has died and Miranda's family has taken all they could from the house before other neighbors could loot the house. Life continues for the family with the additional supplies and Matt, Jonny and Miranda attempt to complete some schoolwork.

1. After Mrs. Nesbitt dies, Miranda goes through her kitchen cabinets and says doing so makes her “feel like a cannibal?” (p. 240) Why does she feel this way?
   
   
2. What utility does Mrs. Nesbitt still have that the family does not?
   
   
3. On p. 247, Miranda said "And we toasted the best friend we'll ever have." Whom is she talking about and why?
   
   
4. How has home schooling been going for Matt, Miranda and Jonny?
   
   
5. Why doesn't Miranda want to study French?
   
   
6. What has happened to Mrs. Nesbitt's house in the days since her death?
   

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 15

Miranda's world gets "smaller" in this chapter. The family's well dries up due to lack of rain and due to little need for the kitchen with no water, the entire family is now only using the sun room of the house. Also, Miranda's mother is hurt again causing Miranda to make all the visits to Mrs. Nesbitt's house where her death is foreshadowed.

1. What has Matt done to the sun room windows? Why?
   
   
2. Where did Matt get the plywood? How does Miranda feel about this?
   
   
3. Describe Miranda's conversation with Mrs. Nesbitt. What is your reaction to this exchange? (p. 231-234).
   
   
4. What does Miranda mean by "But my world keeps getting smaller and smaller." (p. 236).
   
   
5. Why is Miranda so vehemently opposed to moving her mattress from the kitchen to the sun room with everybody else.
   

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 14

This was a short, but pretty meaty chapter. Volcanic ash has turned cool fall weather into sub-zero conditions. Miranda's family has moved downstairs and are trying to conserve what food they have. Most notable in this chapter is we learn that Megan and her mother have both died and Megan learns what a hypocrite Megan's pastor is.

1. What utility has been shut off? How has it effected Miranda's family?


2. What volunteer job has Matt taken in town? How does Miranda's mother feel about this?


3. What has happened to Megan? How do you think Megan died?


4. How did Megan's mother, Mrs. Wayne, die? How did Reverend Marshall treat her body in comparison to Megan?


5. Why does Miranda call Reverend Marshall "despicable?" (p. 222) Do you agree with her? Why or why not?
   
6. Who was Miranda skating with?


7. Having a space to call your own is important. How has losing her room for the winter effected Miranda? How would it effect you if you were in Miranda's shoes?

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 13

In this chapter, Miranda's mother is injured and Miranda learns the difficulty of getting medical treatment in this changing world.

1. What has happended to mom? What is the prognosis?


2. How difficult was it for Miranda to get a hold of Peter to get help for mom? How hard would it be for someone without connections to get medical treatment in Miranda's town or elsewhere?


3. What is meant by the following lines: "It's funny how much I'm enjoying things these days. I think we all are. We're so used to worrying we hardly even notice it." (p. 211).

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 12

If you were Miranda, I'd bet you wouldn't look at chocolate chips the same way again after this chapter. The weather is really changing; 20 degrees the first week of September!

1. Do you think the reaction Miranda’s mother has when she sees Miranda eating the bag of chocolate chips is appropriate, or did she overreact? (p. 193–95) How does her mother’s reaction affect Miranda emotionally? (p. 195)
   
2. The family finally gets letters from Dad. What does he report? (p. 196-198).
   
3. What do you suppose is meant by the following line: "Sometimes it's safer to cry about people you don't know than to think about people you really love." (p. 199).

Life as We Knew Iy - Chapter 11

Chapter 11 is relatively brief and deals with Miranda having to make a final decision about her schooling for the next year.

1. What decision does Miranda end up making about school?
   


2. What are three factors that impacted that decision?
   


3. Why does Miranda feel taking the school supplies is even "better than Christmas" (p.188-189)?

Life as We Knew It - Chapter 10

This chapter features difficult decisions that need to be made about the upcoming school year as the book reaches late August. Miranda and Jonny must choose between attending either the elementary school or high school for instruction or choosing to be home schooled. On a bike run into the town, Miranda is confronted with the negative side of human nature as a gang of young men are looting the town's boarded up shops.

1. What challenges face the school district in the upcoming school year?
   


2. What is the school board's plan for keeping the school(s) open?
   


3. How are the people of Howell, PA like "prisoners?"

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 9

In this chapter, Miranda thinks a lot about her relationship with her family, Jonny's lost childhood due to the disaster and has a deep discussion about faith with Megan.

1. At the beginning of the chapter, how has the strain of the events following the asteroid attack begun to wear on Miranda's family relationship?
   


2. As a reader, what concerns do you have about Megan?
   


3. What does Miranda realize about her mom when she visits Megan for the last time? (pp. 164–65)
   


4. What does Miranda realize when she said "Its hard to believe I was ever that young. I guess Jonny will never be" (p. 166).

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 8

This chapter continued to deal with change and loss, particularly people leaving Miranda's life, at least in the short term. Dad and Lisa are moving, Dan is being sent off with his father to strike out on his own and Sammi is running off with her forty year old boyfriend.

There is an interesting contrast in this chapter. Mom is doing everything she can to keep Matt, Jonny and Miranda healthy and the family together while her friends are departing for the good of those who stay behind in Pennsylvania. Others leave with the hope things are better in the south.

1. Why does Sammi leave town with forty-year-old George? How does Miranda feel about this?



2. What is Dan's father's plan for Dan? Why do you think he is doing this?



3. How has the changing weather effected animals at the farm Jonny had to work at?



4. Jonny is the first to verbally express the idea "Are we all going to die?" How does everyone at the dinner party respond to this?



5. If you were Miranda, what options about the future might you be considering at this point?

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 7

In chapter 7, Miranda visits Megan, Jonny goes to baseball camp, and the family deals with new problems caused by the moons changing gravitational impact on the earth.

1. Describe Miranda and Megan's conversation. What are each others' perspective on religion? Do you think they can continue being friends?



2. What new natural disaster threat faces the world? Why? How will it/is it impacting Miranda's family in Pennsylvania?



3. Miranda's mother describes how the family is living post-asteroid impact as "playacting." What does she mean by that? Why?

Life As We Knew It - Chapter 6

Chapter six begins the "Summer" Season of Life as We Knew It. Miranda and her family continued to make the best out of a changing world while Miranda also tries to live the life of a normal teanager.

1. How would you describe the relationship between Miranda and Dan?
   


2. Why is Miranda's mother so angry about Miranda leaving the food line to get Dan (pp. 100-101). What suprises you the most about her reaction?
   


3. Why is it so important to Miranda's mother that Jonny go to baseball camp?
   


4. Is the tension between Miranda and her mother typical for teenagers and their parents about dating? Why or why not?