96 pages • 3 hours read
Susan Beth PfefferLife As We Knew It
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 6-7Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part Two: Summer
Chapter 6 Summary
On June 11, Miranda finally hears from her father, who has been trying to reach the family without success. Both he and Lisa are doing fine, and there are no complications with her pregnancy. Though the kids are supposed to spend the summer with their father in Springfield, Matt has decided to stay with his mother in Howell to help out around the house. Instead, Miranda and Jonny will go to Springfield alone after Jonny’s baseball camp. Matt will drive up to Springfield with everyone though. Peter visits again and advises the family to start using bug spray, as rumors about an increase in various mosquito-borne illnesses, such as West Nile virus and malaria, are circulating.
On June 15, Miranda goes swimming at Miller’s Pond, where she sees her friend Dan. The two talk and she learns that his grandparents have died. Dan blames the government for the catastrophes, saying that they could have at least warned people to evacuate, just in case. Dan then asks Miranda if she will go to prom with him if things get back to normal. When she says yes, he kisses her. They kiss again, and Dan walks her home. When she arrives home, Miranda’s mother is furious at her for sneaking out of the house without telling anyone where she was going. Miranda throws a tantrum, saying that she is old enough to go out alone. Her mother says that she is not angry about her going to Miller’s Pond, even with the risk of disease. Instead, she is angry because nothing is safe now, and finding Miranda gone with no idea of where she has gone was terrifying.
On June 17, Miranda’s mother receives a letter from Jonny’s baseball camp saying that the camp will open on schedule, news that puts her in good spirits. The kids will practice and eat well, but they will also need to help out on an adjoining farm. With the confirmation that the camp will go ahead, the family can rest easy knowing that for at least two weeks—maybe longer—Jonny will be fed properly, and that there will be one less person to feed in their own house.
Miranda continues to swim at Miller’s Pond, though the mosquitoes are getting worse. She enjoys seeing Dan, but is annoyed that a few other kids have started visiting the pond as well, which means that she and Dan have less alone time. Peter has dinner with Miranda’s family, and tells them that more cases of West Nile are being reported, and that people are so hungry they are dying from food poisoning because they are eating food they are allergic to. Miranda has another dream in which she is hungry but, when she tries to eat something, Becky tells her that she has to die first to get into Heaven.
On June 22, Miranda is finally able to have some time alone with Dan at Miller’s Pond. When she returns home, she is excited to find that her mother is making bread. Miranda’s father calls and she is happy to talk with him about her trip to Springfield. The smell of bread and talking to her father make her content, and she feels as if thing are back to normal. To make things even better, the electricity comes on that evening and the family is able to watch some old shows on the television and do laundry.
On June 24, Miranda has another big fight with her mother. She spends the morning swimming at Miller’s Pond with Dan. Then the two of them meet Miranda’s mother and go with her into town to get gas and take Mrs. Nesbitt to the library. As Miranda’s mother waits in the long line to get gas, Dan, Miranda and Mrs. Nesbitt go to the library. When they leave, they see a long line of people queuing in the elementary school parking lot and realize food is being distributed. Miranda leaves Mrs. Nesbitt waiting in line and goes to get Dan. Though everyone is able to get food, Miranda’s mom is angry because Miranda thought about Dan before her family. As her mother explains, family comes first. Though Miranda did not think it was a big deal, it could have been the case that there was no food left when she returned. Her mother wants her to stop acting so carelessly and to try to think more about her family’s survival. Her mother then asks if Miranda and Dan are lovers, and says she cannot deal with Miranda getting pregnant at a time like this. Miranda yells at her mother for not trusting her, and is sent to her room.
Matt coaxes Miranda out of her room, and tells her to make up with their mother. He reminds her that their mother is trying to keep them all safe, and that she is hanging on by the skin of her teeth. He also suggests that she see more of her friends, such as Megan and Sammi, rather than just Dan. Though Miranda does not want to make up with her mother, she does invite Jonny to Miller’s Pond to swim with her, and is elated to see how happy he is swimming and talking about baseball with Dan. On their way home, Jonny asks if they will be alright, and Miranda realizes just how great Matt is at talking about difficult situations. At home, she makes up with her mother and helps her make bread.
Chapter 7 Summary
Jonny goes to baseball camp on July 2, and on her way home Miranda’s mother finds gas that is an “affordable” price. Though the temperature is nearly 100 degrees, Matt decides it is time to chop down a tree and sends Miranda to get kindling. She then cleans the house, but when Matt comes in, he tells her she should go visit her friends, something Miranda has been avoiding. She finally agrees to go, and heads to Sammi’s house first, but finds no one home. Miranda visits Megan’s house next, where she is welcomed by a happy Mrs. Wayne. Seeing Megan’s mother reminds Miranda of the old Megan, and Mrs. Wayne asks her if she can “talk some sense into her” (112).
When she sees Megan in her room, Miranda tells her about everything that is happening in her life, and notes that Megan seems genuinely interested. Megan says that she wishes Miranda could be as happy as she is, and suggests that if she opens herself up to God, she can be. Megan also says that Miranda is feeling just like she was right after their friend Becky died. Back then, Megan was angry at God. It was Reverend Marshall who helped her to see the light. Megan says that though she is not refusing to eat, as that would be suicide and suicide is a sin, she is following God’s will for her, even if that means death. As she kneels and begins praying, Miranda leaves.
On July 3, Miranda’s mother announces that they should all cut back to two meals a day. Though this is voluntary, it would help to conserve their food supply. All Miranda can think of, however, is Jonny off at baseball camp eating three square meals a day. On July 7, Matt and his mother get into an argument because he stays out chopping wood during a thunderstorm. On July 10, Miranda wakes up and immediately senses that something is different. She goes downstairs to see her mother and Matt talking, and they tell her that there is bad news. As it turns out, dormant volcanoes are erupting in places where volcanic activity was previously unheard of, sending volcanic ash into the air that blocks out the sun. With no sunlight, there can be no crops. Major climactic changes are expected, as well as droughts. The family agrees to cut back on their meals, and to try and conserve as much water as possible in preparation for what’s to come.
Chapter 6-Chapter 7 Analysis
Though Miranda’s family have stocked up on food and provisions, they must start to deal with circumstances that are beyond their control, including disease. Peter mentions the increase in cases of West Nile virus and malaria, and advises them on how to avoid contamination. These chapters show that the family wants to adapt to their new surroundings, and yet at times, make decisions that put their safety in jeopardy.
One example of this is Miranda’s decision to swim at Miller’s Pond with Dan, despite the warning about mosquito-borne illnesses. Should Miranda be forced to stay indoors? Would forcing her to do so compromise the type of future available to her? The family must ensure their survival in this perilous time without losing their humanity and enjoyment of life. Miranda struggles with this and gets in trouble a few times for putting friends over family. Though she has been raised to think of others, Miranda’s mother is appalled to learn that Miranda left a food line to go and get Dan, a boy she likes. Miranda’s mother wants her to see that, in times like this, family must come first. Moreover, any rash action can have a negative effect on the family unit. In the case of the food line, the family could have ended up without any food because of Miranda’s carelessness. In this way, the author shows how Miranda must reconcile her teenaged concerns—her romantic feelings for Dan—with the need for survival, which requires her to put her family, first and foremost.
Miranda’s world becomes smaller as she is affected by the decisions made by people around her. Megan shows how some people are reacting to events in the world: shutting themselves up, praying and waiting to die. Miranda does not want to die like this, and struggles with her finding a sense of purpose in the wake of this catastrophe.
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