CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION AND FANTASY - HOW I LIVE NOW

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rosoff, Meg. HOW I LIVE NOW. New York: Wendy Lamb Books. ISBN 0385746776

2. PLOT SUMMARY
This is a fascinating novel about 15 year old Daisy who goes to live with her cousins in England simply to get away from all of her troubles and woes (mainly anorexia and a stepmother that she doesn’t care for). She quickly finds herself completely absorbed with her new family, especially her cousin Edmond. Her new found happy times do not last long, as her new loved ones are all too soon torn away from her by the perils of war. Daisy goes through a ton of changes both emotionally and physically all in the name of survival.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Daisy, a 15 year old Manhattanite who goes to live with her cousins in England, gives the reader a very private insight into her world as she sees it. The reader witnessed her struggles and triumphs as she grew up throughout the novel. Daisy lived through parental rejection, self centeredness, forbidden love, deprivation, loyalty, devotion, and the harsh realities and consequences of war. At first, things couldn’t be better with life with the cousins, but soon their little paradise came crashing down around them as war set in and life as they knew it was severely altered and they were all separated. Daisy found herself taking on a parental role and taking care of Piper, her younger cousin.
Phrases such as “Mum” and “And then I looked so far into her eyes that I could practically see out the back of her head” give the reader a sense of the unique culture and setting of the story. Rosoff puts her own style into the story of a 15 year old by her lack of punctuation and ramblings which can often indicate how confusing the teen years can be.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
BOOKLIST starred review: “More central to the potency of Rosoff's debut, though, is the ominous prognostication of what a third world war might look like, and the opportunity it provides for teens to imagine themselves, like Daisy, exhibiting courage and resilience in roles traditionally occupied by earlier generations.”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “Though the novel has disturbing elements, Rosoff handles the harshness of war and the taboo of incest with honest introspection.”
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY starred review: “Like the heroine, readers will emerge from the rubble much shaken, a little wiser and with perhaps a greater sense of humanity.”
MICHAEL PRINTZ AWARD
GUARDIAN CHILDREN’S FICTION AWARD
BRANFORD BOASE AWARD

5. CONNECTIONS
*Students are able to get a sense of what living through a war has on a person emotionally as well as physically. They can keep their own personal journal of their emotions while the book is being and read and discussed.
* Other thought provoking books for young people by Meg Rosoff:
Rosoff, Meg. WHAT I WAS. ISBN 9780670018444
Rosoff, Meg. THE BRIDE’S FAREWELL. ISBN 9780670020997