This companion book to Life as We Knew it follows Alex and his family as they struggle to survive after the moon is pushed closer to the earth. I found this book to be just as compelling as the companion book but it seemed more raw. The characters had to deal with different things and I didn't connect as well with them as I did with the characters in Life. Still a great story about survival and what people are willing to do to live. ( )

A enthralling book, with an unexpected twist. Finding a way tgo live in New York with no outside connections, VERY EXCITING!! ( )

Page turner sequel to *Life As We Knew It.*

Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.com

Alex Morales is a 17-year-old Puerto Rican boy living with his family in New York. He has two younger sisters, Briana and Julie, and his parents, who he calls Mami and Papi. Everything is going pretty normally for Alex. He's the vice president of his school council and he's looking forward to getting into a great college.

But in one moment everything changes. Something huge hit the moon and knocked it out of place. It's now closer to Earth, causing a lot of horrible changes, including tidal waves, flooding, blackouts, and overall panic. According to many people, the Earth is coming to an end.

Alex's father was in Puerto Rico when it happened and they haven't heard from him since, and his mother was called in to the hospital where she works. Alex is afraid that since she hasn't contacted them that she died when there was a flood in the subway.

All of a sudden, Alex realizes that he is the sole caregiver to his two sisters. He has no idea when his parents will be back (if ever) and he's terrified.

People all around New York are dropping like flies. Bodies line the streets. People are going crazy trying to get their hands on food. Nothing that seemed important before is important now. All that matters is staying alive. And Alex is determined to care for his sisters and keep them alive no matter what.

But is that really possible with what has happened to the Earth?

Wow, this book was intense! It's scary in all ways possible. Reading about the bodies lining the streets of New York brought shivers to my spine. It's hard to explain in words how crazy this book is. If you like really intense books then this is definitely a story for you.

Also, be sure to read Ms. Pfeffer's previous release, LIFE AS WE KNEW IT, which deals with the same issue that's discussed in this book but with different characters. I haven't read it yet, but I'm sure it's just as good and frightening as THE DEAD & THE GONE. ( )

The Little Bookworm

The companion to Life As We Knew It is told from the point of view of 17 year old Alex. Worried about college, he and his family are unprepared for life after the moon is pushed out of its orbit by a asteroid. With his parents missing and his older brother gone, Alex must take care of his younger sisters and navigate a new and dangerous world for the three of them.

I'm going to say that this was a very impressive book. Usually sequels and especially middle books don't live up to the first book. I think The Dead and the Gone completely lived up to Life As We Knew It. There was very little rehashing of the events leading up to the moon crash and we get to the complex problem of living with hardly any resources very quickly. I found it a little hard to believe that Alex's family didn't really know about it since Miranda's school made such a big deal about it, but maybe since they were in NYC they didn't think it would affect them. I don't know. But, while Miranda had her mom, Alex doesn't have any adults living with him to make the hard decisions so he has to make them for himself and his younger sisters and he questions his choices all the time. And while Miranda's family had very little religion, Alex's family are devoted Catholics. The Catholicism is very heavy in this book and while it bothered some people, I know families who are very Catholic so it was okay with me.

*spoilers*

While I don't normally look at other reviews right before I write one, I did for this book. It seems a lot of people had a problem with the switch from first person diary form to third person narrative. This didn't bother me like it did others. Only because I know that the third book (This World We Live In) will involve the characters from both books and I'm hoping that it is written from Miranda's POV. To me that would make sense and the change of POV in TDTG won't matter since I don't like moving one person's head to another in a trilogy. The only way I will care about the shift is if the POV alternates between Alex and Miranda and then I will call bull. The OTHER big problem that people had so the stereotypical portrayal of a Puerto Rican family. Now I will admit that I can't comment one way or the other on whether this is true or not. But I will say that I remember wondering if this was really how Puerto Rican fathers acted towards their families and sons, especially. But it played out since I know that a lot of fathers expect their sons to act a certain way, no matter their nationality and that since it was Alex's impression of his father, it might not be the most accurate. Sometimes what we think people think about us is not the actual truth.

As dark as LAWKT was, it was nothing compared to TDTG. Dead bodies, rats, riots and violence permeate this book and it seems completely natural given that all this takes place in a large city. The threat of violence in LAWKT is almost non-existent since Miranda is sheltered and separated from the rest of her town, but living in NYC increases Alex and his sisters contact with others and, of course, they are teenagers living alone so it heightens the reality of their situation. One of the good things is that you get more information on what is happening worldwide and more about the cause and effect of the moon crash. And while the ending was sad and abrupt, it was also hopeful. TDTG could almost stand on its own. Meanwhile, I can't wait for the third book to come out. I have high hopes. ( )

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Companion to Life As We Knew It. I really cannot say enough about this book series. In the first we met Miranda and lived with her through her diary as she coped with the horrible conditions she was forced to deal with. In "The Dead and the Gone" we are given the story of what happened in New York Cit ( )

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Companion to Life As We Knew It which has to be one of my top ten YA books, but not neccesarily for young adults. The moon has fallen into an orbit closer to earth and the dominos fall as geophysic events cascade. LAWKI graphically describes the aftereffects of the event in a rural/suburban landscape while TDATG occurs in an urban setting where information seems less easy to obtain. For a good freak-out high, read LAWKI first. ( )

This is a companion to Pfeffer's "Life as We Knew It" which was an intense, compelling story about a teenage girl's life after a world wide natural disaster changes everything. In "the dead and the gone" the main character is a teenage boy living in New York City going through the same sorts of tragedies, but somehow this story is nowhere near as compelling and riveting as the first one. Perhaps this is because "Life" was written in the first person, while "dead" is written in third person, which makes the story less immediate.

Review by Ms. DuVall

I liked this book, but don't think it was as good as the first. The children didn't seem as bad off as the family in the first book, even though they were completely on their own. I was hoping that in this book the characters would risk traveling somewhere and was sad they decided to stay in the city. At times the characters were a little too religious for me, and at times they'd say things in Spanish and it wasn't clear what they had said. Overall it was alright, but not my favorite. ( )

When the moon's orbit is knocked closer to the Earth by an asteroid, tidal waves, earthquakes, tsunamis and major climate change occurs. 17 year old Alex is responsible for his younger sisters in the absence of their parents. Their father was is Puerto Rico when the disaster occurred and their mother was called into work at the hospital, both never return. Survival becomes increasingly difficult and dangerous.

One of the scariest books I ever read. ( )

Kearsten says: In this companion book to the fantastic _Life As We Knew It_, 17-year-old Alex must try and keep himself and his two younger sisters alive in the chaos that erupts in New York City after a meteor impact knocks the moon out of its orbit and closer to Earth. As tidal waves, earthquakes and volcanoes turn the planet against human life, Alex becomes more and more desperate in his quest to survive in the absence of his parents.

This one is different, as the challenges that face Alex in a big city are different than those facing people in small towns. Alex doesn't have quite as much difficultly finding food (though he does have trouble), and he is able to continue attending school for a good portion of the time. His behavior - very macho-man, women do the chores - is annoying, but his interactions with his sisters and the struggle he has with survival feels very real.

If you, like me, are obsessed with end-of-the-world stories, do miss this one. If you're not particularly interested in struggles for survival, read this one for its suspense and Alex's growing up. ( )

In this companion book to the fantastic Life As We Knew It, 17-year-old Alex must try and keep himself and his two younger sisters alive in the chaos that erupts in New York City after a meteor impact knocks the moon out of its orbit and closer to Earth. As tidal waves, earthquakes and volcanoes turn the planet against human life, Alex becomes more and more desperate in his quest to survive in the absence of his parents.

This one is different, as the challenges that face Alex in a big city are different than those facing people in small towns. Alex doesn't have quite as much difficultly finding food (though he does have trouble), and he is able to continue attending school for a good portion of the time. His behavior - very macho-man, women do the chores - is annoying, but his interactions with his sisters and the struggle he has with survival feels very real.

If you, like me, are obsessed with end-of-the-world stories, do miss this one. If you're not particularly interested in struggles for survival, read this one for its suspense and Alex's growing up. ( )

Written as a parallel story to Life As We Knew It, The Dead and Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer tells the story from a very different perspective. We follow a New York City teen taking care of his two sisters in New York City during and after the disaster. More graphic than the first novel, this story also addresses some interesting themes related to religion and faith.

The author's blog discusses the next book related to this same disaster. It reveals information about the plots and characters, but I've decided to wait for the book to come out. ( )

The Dead & the Gone is a compelling sequel to Life as we knew it. It's in the eyes of a boy named Alex who is left for dead when his parents never return home he must take care of both of his younger sisters. but soon enough Alex is having a shortage of food and goes "body-shopping" or taking valuable Items of the dead of the street, and bartering them off for food. Will Alex survive? ( )

Life changes for Alex Morales and his two sisters after the moon is knocked out of orbit by an asteroid. With no word from either of their parents, they are forced to fend for themselves in their New York City apartment. Food becomes their main concern, but luckily school continues on so they get a free lunch every day. As the months go by, Alex stoops to stealing items off dead people to trade for food. The divide between rich and poor becomes more prominent as they debate whether to stay in New York or leave. ( )

I'm not sure I would call this a sequel to Life as We Knew It or just say that it's the same story written from a different point of view but I was definitely excited to see there was a second book. I enjoyed Life as We Knew It so much and the dead & the gone was no different. This book was much darker and more morbid than Life but in ways it seemed a lot more filled with strength and challenges. This book is definitely a must read. ( )

This is a companion to Pfeffer's "Life as We Knew It" which was an intense, compelling story about a teenage girl's life after a world wide natural disaster changes everything. In "the dead and the gone" the main character is a teenage boy living in New York City going through the same sorts of tragedies, but somehow this story is nowhere near as compelling and riveting as the first one. Perhaps this is because "Life" was written in the first person, while "dead" is written in third person, which makes the story less immediate. ( )

The only complaint I could have about this book is that I want to know what happens after it! This is the companion novel to Life as We Knew It - a story about a meteorite crashing into the moon and pushing it closer to the earth, which results in tsunamis, tidal waves, volcanoes erupting, and other such things. Unlike the first novel, this one takes place in Manhattan and involves a boy who is almost 18 and has to take care of his two little sisters while his parents are missing. ( )

I loved Life As We Knew It so I was waiting with great anticipation for The Dead and the Gone to be published. While certainly decent and a fairly entertaining read, some of the huge plot holes bugged me which made my reading of TDATG much less satisfying than the first book. I'd still recommend it to kids ... ( )

I thought this book wasn't as good as Life as We Knew It, becase I thought everything was different in New York. I thought that New York would all be flooded and that no one would be as clueless as Alex in this situation. I also thought all the dead bodies and body-shopping added a greusome affect. I knew that Bri was dead in the elevator right when they said they had electricity and that she left to go to St. Margret's. Anyway, this book was okay. ( )

A companion to Life as We Knew It, this book looks at the same events, but in a different setting and with different characters. Instead of a teen and her mom in a rural area, we meet Alex and his sisters in New York City. Their parents are among the missing after an asteroid hits the moon, setting off devastating climate change. Alex must take charge of his family, ensuring that they get the food they need, stay warm, and continue to go to school while the schools remain open. This family's faith is what keeps them together as the situation in the city becomes increasingly bleak. What would you do if you had to make hard choices with limited resources? Find out how far Alex will go to protect his family in the darkest of times in this thought provoking book. ( )

I really enjoyed this re-telling of the same events that take place in *Life as We Knew It*. This one is set in New York City -- very different atomsphere than a rural-type setting. ( )

Before I get any further in this review, you really should check out Life As We Knew It by this same author with a similar premise. That book is worth your time, without a doubt.

With that said, let me get down to business. This book was awful. I almost stopped reading it several times. What kept me going in the end wasn't wanting to know what happened to the characters. I got the idea that I should take notes as I read it so I can look for those problems in my own writing in the future, and that's why I finished it.

I was getting so annoyed while reading that I actually read passages aloud to my husband to make sure I wasn't off my rocker. He assured me that I am not—at least in regards to my opinion of this book.

So what follows is an exercise in trying to articulate what could made a book so awful. Here's the short version: Skip this book and read something else instead.

* The characters came across with the personality and depth of cardboard cutouts. Their dialogue was stilted and wooden—not realistic for teen characters at all.
* During most scenes, I could only assume that the characters were rendered completely immobile by some silent and unnamed attacker. They didn't brush hair out of their eyes, bite their lips, furrow their brows, tilt their heads, shift their weight to one foot, cross their arms, uncross their arms, look down, look up, look to the side, or even blink for Pete's sake. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But if I went back and counted all the characters' actions during the scenes of dialogue, I bet the fingers on two hands would be more than sufficient. Personally, I really like those little actions during dialogue, and I longed for them in this book. Those little actions help you know how a character's reacting to someone else's words. They give you clues about whether they're lying or happy or sad or tired. The only way I knew what the characters were feeling was...
* The author tells the characters' emotions instead of showing them. Don't tell me that "the priest looked exhausted." Show me that his eyes have dark circles under them or he's downing one cup of coffee after another or he keeps pressing the heels of his hand into his eye sockets. It's more interesting that way. The way I show exhaustion (go from zero to bitch in less than a second) is different from how someone else shows exhaustion (my husband, for example, will fall asleep mid-sentence). And that's how you get to know a person.
* Too much time was spent on inane details. Pages 88 to 91 describe every step one character goes through to pack a duffel bag for another character. Trust me, that wasn't necessary for the plot or character development.
* I'm not religious, but the religious parts came across as even flatter than the characters.

But possibly more important than all those writing mechanics, the reason you shouldn't read this or recommend this to anyone in its target age group is that it's depressing as hell.

I started the book on Saturday and finished it today. Starting last night and continuing into today, I was feeling pretty down and depressed. It took me a while to figure out this book was the cause. Not only does the book get pretty gruesome halfway through, but it's also completely devoid of hope. Dark is fine. I don't mind dark as long as there's some light to balance it out. I am a devout Buffy fan, after all. But this book goes too far. ( )

http://bfgb.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/... ( )

Companion Novel to Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer. Release date: June 1, 2008 As is the problem in Life As We Knew It, the moon has been hit by a meteor and is knocked off of its axis. The moon is now closer to the Earth which sets off a chain reaction of natural disasters throughout the world. Alex Morales lives in New York City which is devastated right from the start. The Statue of Liberty has been wiped out and many people were washed out to sea by huge tidal waves caused because of the change in the location of the moon. Water is slowly seeping its way farther and farther into New York and closer and closer to where Alex lives with his family on 88th Street.Alex is working at a pizza place the night of the event that changes his life forever. When he gets home from his shift, he finds out that his mother has been called into work at the hospital in Queens, leaving his two sisters by themselves. Their father had already left for Puerto Rico to attend a family funeral so it is left to Alex to take care of his sisters until they return.Alex and his sisters must deal with food shortages, random electricity outages, and extreme weather changes. They attempt to keep their hopes up even though their parents never make contact, information is hard to come by, and they are forced to do gruesome things just to survive. Alex and his sisters learn how important family is and that tragedy can sometimes bring people closer together than ever before.While the dead and the gone covers the same event as Life As We Knew It, it is told in a different way. Where LAWKI is told in first person, tdatg is told in third person. The third person perspective gives the reader a broader look at the story, but was hard to get used to after reading LAWKI. All in all, the dead and the gone is a gripping tale of love, faith, and survival. It is a page-turner and will consume you when you start the book. ( )