Rosoff,
Meg. How I Live Now. Westminster,
MD: Wendy Lamb, 2004. Print. ISBN: 0553376055
Summary: Meet Daisy, a fifteen year-old, who has been relocated by her stepmother
and father from Manhattan to her aunt’s in London where she meets her four
cousins. Aunt Penn embarks on the fight for peace, leaving them all on their
own at home. Daisy and her cousins have tons of fun doing whatever they want to
do without the watchful eyes of an adult until the reality of war comes their
way.
Analysis: Meg Rosoff reels
you in to the voice and thoughts of Daisy, a young girl struggling with her own
life. Daisy has lost her mother and hates her stepmother. She is relocated to a
different country, one that is currently at war. This story will grab young
readers as it shows what it would be like today if war came to your front door.
The reader journeys
with Daisy as she builds close bonds with her new found relatives. This is a
story of one coming to terms with their own losses, struggling to stay positive
while once again those close to Daisy are taken away. Daisy is left to take
care of her youngest cousin, Piper. Through her journey, Daisy learns a lot
about herself, her strength within. She never loses hope to once again be
reunited with her cousin and her first love, Edmond.
Heartrendingly sad at
times, this is a story of love and survival. Survival within one’s own self and
survival in a time of peril due to the war and destruction that surrounds you. A
quick easy read, one that will bring you to tears but leave you with the wisdom
the journey teaches Daisy. A story of growth.
Activity: Students will create a prediction chart. During
their reading of the novel they will be required to form 3 predictions total. One
in the beginning of the novel (After first 5 Chapters); Second prediction in
the middle of the story (Chapters 16 -24); and then the third around the big
bold black dot. Each prediction must state the evidence from the novel that led
the student to each prediction. Students will share their predictions as they
are made with other students. This will form discussions over the novel and the
author’s direction.
Related Resources: Two novels that are related to
the theme love, war, and survival:
Between
Shades of Gray is a historical fiction novel that would be a great
companion novel to How I Live Now as
they both are about love, loss, and survival during a time of war. Both told
from a young female perspective.
Sepetys, Ruta. Between
Shades of Gray. New York: Philomel, 2011. Print.
Miss Peregrine's Home for
Peculiar Children is a fantasy novel where children with peculiarities come
together during a time of war. Love, friendship, loss and survival are all
themes you will find here.
Riggs, Ransom. Miss
Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk, 2011.
Print.
Scholarly Reviews:
School Library Journal 09/01/2004; Booklist
09/01/2004; Kirkus Reviews 07/14/2004;
Publishers Weekly 07/05/2004
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