I have been a fan of the Moon Crash Trilogy since before it was even called the Moon Crash Trilogy… Since before it was approved to become a trilogy, even! I have been following Susan Beth Pfeffer’s blog — http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com — for a couple of years now, and I have been anxiously following the development of this world we live in since she first mentioned approaching her editor with the idea for a follow-up story. I have done my best to stay away from the spoilers on the blog, and I have waited as patiently as possible, but the wait is finally over! I received my ARC on Monday, and I finished it last night… Let me just say, “Whoa!” Even though the other two books have some freaky disasters and frightening situations, this book definitely takes the cake. I will do my best to give you a decent idea of the story without giving away too much of the plot… And, if you know me, I may even lend you the ARC so you can see for yourself before the March 31, 2010, release!
It’s been almost a year since the fateful day when the moon was hit by a meteor. Modern day conveniences, like electricity and running water, still haven’t been fully restored. No one knows if they ever will. Miranda, her mother, and her brothers (Jon and Matt) are doing the best they can to survive on the meager supplies of canned foods they get from Town Hall every week. They’re fortunate that they have a wood stove to keep them from freezing to death, since the shift in climate meant that winter started in about August and still hasn’t let up — even though it would normally be spring by now. They’re especially lucky to have each other, since so many people have died from cold, sickness, and starvation already. Jon and Matt do the majority of the wood chopping, and Miranda helps her mom with upkeep tasks like cooking and cleaning. With occasional trips to forage for supplies in abandoned houses, they are getting by… but barely.
Jon and Matt decide to go on a fishing trip to bolster their food supplies, and return with a bit more than just fish. Matt met a girl (Syl) during this 3 day trip, and the two have already “exchanged vows,” thus considering themselves married. Adding this extra person to the family creates a whole lot of tension, since food supplies are already scarce, but Matt insists that he loves Syl and she is not going anywhere. It seems, however, that adding Syl to the equation is practically nothing compared to when their father (Hal) returns with his new wife (Lisa), their baby (Gabriel), and three of their traveling companions (Charlie, Alex, and Julie). With six more mouths to feed, everyone starts to worry that the food will run out in no time. Will they be able to find enough food in abandoned houses? Or will they find a way to get more food from the town? Will they have to leave Howell in search of a better-functioning city after all?
People who read the first two books will be glad to learn a lot more about what happened to characters from both Life As We Knew It and the dead & the gone… And people who haven’t read the first two books should go back and start reading them NOW! Seriously… Don’t start this book until you’ve read the first two! You’ll thank me later.
Happy Reading!
I have considered listening to this audiobook so many times, and yet I had always ended up picking something else… If only I had a clue how stupid I was being. This book was amazing, and the full cast audio recording was phenomenal! I would even go so far as to say that this is one of the top 5 audiobooks I would recommend for a first-time audiobook listener. Between the action-packed story and the talented cast of readers, I can’t imagine a listener who wouldn’t fall in love with this audiobook.
When Seth went to Applebee’s to spend his lunch break with his girlfriend, he had no idea his whole life was about to fall apart. First, his girlfriend uses the lunch as a quick and easy chance to dump him, since they both have to get back to work in 30 minutes and he can’t make too big of a scene in public. Then, Seth sees his dad coming into Applebee’s with a woman who is NOT Seth’s mother. And, to top it all off, he gets back to work late and gets fired… for the 4th time that year. Not exactly the best day ever, by any means. But Seth is determined to take control of his life and figure things out. How does he plan on accomplishing such a feat? Via an anonymous podcast called “The Love Manifesto,” of course! Despite the depressing undertones of a break-up and parental infidelity, this book manages to be laugh-out-loud funny more often than not. Plus, residents of the Capital Region will probably get an extra thrill when they recognize the names of places in Seth’s travels!
Specials
All Alli wanted was to get a new start in 7th grade. After spending a large portion of the 6th grade at home — sick and bed-ridden with a mysterious illness that turned out to be a serious ear infection which affected her balance and made her too dizzy to stand or walk — she gained a bunch of weight AND fell off the social radar.
Matt Pin is 12 years old, which is a difficult enough time for many tweens. But, he is also the son of a Vietnamese woman and an American soldier who is living with his adoptive parents [in America] in 1977. Matt’s birth mother handed him over to the soldiers who were air-lifting out children in the hope that he would have a better life, but he is both haunted by his past and bullied by his peers. Even though his adoptive parents and brother are very loving, and he has earned a place on the school baseball team, Matt has a hard time believing that he deserves to be happy when his birth mother and biological brother remain in Vietnam.
Zac Baxter has long been told about his royal African roots, the hidden treasure to which he is entitled, and the conspiracy that is keeping it all covered up. But, he has always thought that Pops (his grandfather) was making it all up. When his grandfather gets attacked and ends up dead, though, Zac starts to wonder if there might be some truth to all those stories. After all, the people who killed Pops stole the diaries that Pops always claimed to be the indisputable proof of both his royal lineage and the British government’s willful involvement in the enslavement of an African prince. Zac begins to investigate a few things, and then everything gets out of hand very quickly. Either Zac is getting truly paranoid, or there really ARE people coming after him and trying to kill him to keep this story under wraps. Before long, Zac is fighting for his life at a supposed mission in Ghana, and he has no idea in whom he can trust. A great mystery, packed with action and adventure, with a very interesting look into the history of slavery as well.
Auden was never a typical girl — or even a typical kid, for that matter. Having parents who worked in academia surely played a part in this development, but they never really pressured Auden to be so studious. She just kind of felt safer in that environment and gravitated toward being an overachiever. Instead of playing with dolls or riding bikes, she studied and joined the “geek” clubs that focused on math and science. It paid off, in a sense, by getting her into an prestigious college… but Auden knew she was missing something. The summer before college, Auden decides to spend some time with her father [and his new wife and baby]. And while she knew that life would be somewhat different than it had been at home with her mom, she had no idea how much a single summer could change her. What started as a part-time job keeping the books at her step-mom’s trendy clothing boutique eventually became a gateway to friendship with some “normal” teenagers. As soon as Auden learns to stop judging people based on how they look, she starts to catch up on a lot of the things she missed out on during her childhood — like learning to ride a bike. There’s so much more to this story that I just can’t put into words (at least, if I want to do them justice), so you just have to trust me. If you like Sarah Dessen, this is a book you need to read!
Since 
I think this book is more aimed at adult women, but it reflects back on their journeys through adolescence and the assistance they found by reading Judy Blume books, so it would probably resonate well enough with teen readers as well. There are 24 different essays, with some stories written by current YA authors like Meg Cabot, Megan McCafferty, and Lara M. Zeises. Each of the writers shares her own story of growing up and experiencing “Judy Blume moments” in her adolescence. The writers not only draw the parallels between their own lives and the lives of characters in Judy Blume’s books, but they go on to explain how sharing this connection with a literary character helped them to realize they were not alone — because it’s surely happened to other girls if there is a character in a book to whom it’s happened!
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