1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rosoff, Meg. How I live now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2004. ISBN 978055337605
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Fifteen-year-old Daisy leaves New York City to live with her deceased mother’s sister and cousins in the countryside of England. Daisy’s new laid back country life takes her on a new big sister protective role when war breaks out and the family is separated. Taken far from her new home, Daisy leads her nine-year-old cousin on an adventure to make it back to their country home through a war torn country.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Michael L. Printz 2005 Award winning book, How I Live Now, deals with many realistic themes of life within a country at war. Told through a first person narrative Daisy shares many heart wrenching emotions dealing with incestuous romance, anorexia, adolescence, love, courage and violence. Meg Rosoff writes with such intensity that you get caught up in the struggles of the characters, wanting to find quick solutions to their problems. The mood of the characters often switches from serious to humorous and the events range from playful and mysterious to dangerous and exciting with a lot of action packed in. Use of capital letters, hyperboles, and metaphors gives Daisy a sarcastic and compelling voice. Rosoff packs a lot of highly disturbing events dealing with relationships and war into a fast thought provoking novel that keeps you captivated until the end. Ages 15-18
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 14)) This is a very relatable contemporary story, told in honest, raw first-person and filled with humor, love, pathos, and carnage. War, as it will, changes these young people irrevocably, not necessarily for the worse. They and readers know that no one will ever be the same.
Timnah Card (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 1)) Throughout, the paradisiacal setting of the English countryside and the wretched, sometimes horrifyingly violent lives of the embattled people who live there are presented with such luxurious, terrible realism that readers will remain absorbed to the very end by this unforgettable and original story.
Awards, Honors, Prizes, Best Books:
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, 2004 Winner United Kingdom
Michael L. Printz Award, 2005 Winner United States
Horn Book Fanfare, 2004 ; Horn Book; United States
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books , 2004 ; Cahners; United States
5. CONNECTIONS
• Class discussions about teens and their roles during war can be explored.
• Other topics to explore and discuss – sibling separation, anorexia, teen sex, eating disorders, loss of a parent, survival techniques
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