Off the Shelf 0607-20

How I Live Now
By Meg Rosoff
© 2004

This Printz award winner and Junior Library Guild selection focuses on Daisy, an unhappy 15-year old, who leaves her family in New York City to spend the summer in England with cousins. Almost immediately, she finds little to remember about her negligent father, obnoxious step-mother, and soon-to-be-born sibling. She is immersed in the chores and fun of rural life on a country farm – chicken-feeding, fishing holes, and goat-chasing!

Two events dictate the remaining plot line: Daisy falls in love with her cousin, Edmond, and a war breaks out. These disruptions offer a variety of adventures and mishaps, along with some sobering encounters with love, friendship, death, and survival. The story is inviting and addicting, making it one of those books you “can’t put down.” Part of that feeling for me was intertwined with the “I can’t believe this is happening” tickle.

Rosoff’s writing is surreal and quite addicting. With it’s various awards, I had higher expectations, but attribute my rating partly to one of those ‘moods.’ The bizarre story kept me reading, but it wasn’t necessarily because I wanted to read it – more like I felt I had to get to the end.

My recommendation: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Submitted by M. Coleman, Media Specialist