How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

How I live Now
By Meg Rosoff

    Daisy isn't fitting in at home. She hates her new step mother (Davina the Diabolical), refuses to eat at home and to make matters worse is expecting a new half sibling.

    At the end of his patience/wits, Daisy's father sends her to live with her Aunt in England, hoping that some time away will help. Meeting her cousins and Aunt for the first time, Daisy gets a fresh start in the country. Her cousin’s home is like a Utopia for her.

    Just after arriving though, war hits and the country is thrown into chaos. The children are separated from Aunt Penn. All goes well, until the war starts encroaching on their perfect corner of the world.

    This book so far is probably in my opinion the best example of self discovery in this blog. It is a remarkable story of growing up, finding your hidden strength and discovering ones self. Daisy's change through the book is very marked in that she really is a different person by the end. On the bad side, the person she was at the beginning is almost enough to make some put the book down.

  

    If you need to be engaged straight away by characters who are lovable, have a constantly moving/action filled plot, fully rounded out/detailed plot or have grammar hang-ups then this one could be a miss for you. The action does not kick in till half way through and it all happens in a bit of a rush, with a somewhat abrupt ending to the action too. Much left unexplained and vague which leaves you at a bit of a loss as well.

Note: Also available in a Popular Penguin edition.

Puffin Books US Cover

Rosoff, Meg. How I live now, Camberwell, Vic. : Penguin Books, 2005.