How I Live Now

* Bibliographic information
Rosoff, M. How I live Now. Wendy Lamb Books, 2004. ISBN: 9780385746779

- Michael L. Printz Award
- Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Older Readers Category: 2004
- YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2005


* Plot Summary
Teenage Daisy has an eating disorder and her father and stepmother feel she is out of control. They send her to live with her aunt and cousins on a farm in England. She immediately loves it there and starts to form an unhealthy bond with her cousin Edmund. When terrorists strike, their aunt is out of England; the country is thrown into disarray. Her and her young cousin, Piper are separated from the boy cousins, including Edmund. Piper and Daisy fended for themselves; survived on what they had at the farmhouse and grew food. The occupation of England lasted nine months but they were rescued before that; brought back to the United States. Daisy never stopped thinking of Edmund and wondering if he was okay. It too six years for her to finally see him again.


* Critical Evaluation
An amazing story that looks at what could happen if another terrorist attack occurred like September 11th, 2001, but in this instance, the terrorists invaded afterwards too. Daisy started out a troubled teen but she ended up being a responsible cousin for Piper; she took great care of her in the absence of an adult. Rosoff supplies a great story in the midst of a possible World War III. The characters are forced to grow up and become adults, or starve. It is an interesting story because England is such a modern country but when the terrorists attack it turns into a third world country where people have to live off the land to survive.


* Reader’s Annotation
Daisy has just been sent off to England because her parents think she is a troublemaker. Daisy falls in love with her cousins and their home only to be jolted from her new life by a terrorist attack that turns their whole world upside down.


* Information about the author
Rosoff was born in Massachusetts. She has moved back and forth between England and the United Sates over the years. She married a British man; they have a daughter together. How I Live Now was her first novel to be published. Since then she has published more young adult novels, adult fiction and children’s books.


* Genre
Teen Fiction; Issues, War


* Curriculum Ties, if any
N/A
Too many parents would challenge it a school setting. It would be an excellent story for English though; the story and characters are riveting.


* Booktalking Ideas
1) Discuss Daisy’s transformation from the beginning to the end of the book.
2) Talk about the role that food plays in Daisy’s life.
3) How do you feel about the relationship between Daisy and Edmund? Do you think it was unnecessary, or unhealthy?


* Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 9 and Up / 14 and Up


* Challenge Issues and Defense
Challenge Issues: Violence, Sex, War, Incest, and Death.

Defense Ideas:
1) Ask the patron about the book and issue in question and find out how much they know about the book.
2) Help the patron become more familiar with the book and its content.
3) Show the patron positive reviews for this book, such as ones found on amazon.com; School Library Journal and Booklist, http://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Now-Meg-Rosoff/dp/0553376055/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260340143&sr=1-1.
4) If available, introduce the patron to people who have read it in the library or tell the patron what you thought of the book if you have read it.
5) Show the patron the collection development policy for that particular library. For example, the one for the San Diego County library, http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.41_material-selection.pdf
6) If they still want to file a grievance about the book begin the necessary paperwork by giving them the forms they need to fill out. In the San Diego County system, the grievance will then go to The Challenged Materials Team. If the committee cannot resolve the issue, it then goes to the County Library Director for a final decision. http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.34_intellectual_freedom.pdf


* Why did you include this book in your titles you selected?
I selected this book because I saw that it had won a variety of awards and thought it would be worth reading so I grabbed a copy. The storyline of England being invaded and communications being down seems farfetched but at the same time, what if? It is a scary scenario but an important one to discuss nonetheless. Rosoff wrote the book because she was thinking of September 11th and the aftermath. This is a great story that it is brilliantly written.