Rossoff, Meg. how i live now. New York: Random House Children's Books, 2004. Print.
Annotation:
Over the course of a year, living overseas during a war, Daisy learns the lessons of love and survival, as she is faced with grown-up realities.
Justification for Nomination:
how I live now is a coming of age story of Daisy, a 15-year-old, American girl sent to England to live on a farm with her Aunt Penn and cousins: 14-year-old twins, Edmond and Isaac, 12-year-old, Osbert, and 9-year-old, Piper. The story is told by Daisy, from her point of view. The story begins slowly, but is deliberate and progressively builds towards something major. While Aunt Penn is out of the country on business, a war breaks out, leaving the children to fend for themselves. Being children, there is not a sense of fear or urgency that would normally be associated with the outbreak of war. They spend their days swimming, playing, walking to town, and sleeping. Edmond and Daisy fall in love with one another and begin a romantic relationship. Eventually, the children are found out by an adult and they are separated – Daisy and Piper are sent to live with a family, while the boys stay on the farm with a group of army men. For the duration of the story, Daisy is ultimately fighting to protect Piper and keep her safe, all the while plotting to get back to Edmond somehow.
An aspect of the book I found really interesting was the blurring of when exactly the story takes place. References to the Internet, emails, cell phones, and texting are prevalent, but then the jarring references to shell shock, the outbreak of smallpox, food rationing, and intermittent communication, makes the reader associate those things with both of the World Wars. The 100% certainty of when the book is taking place is mysterious and alluring.
It should be noted that the book does contain very real, adult issues that some readers (or parents of the readers) may find inappropriate for young adults; specifically, incest and graphic violence. First, Daisy and Edmond fall in love and engage in a romantic relationship. It is not clear if the characters partake in a sexual relationship, but it is clear the cousins are romantically involved with one another. Second, there are scenes of great violence and horrific imagery. I completed the book last week and as I write this review, days later, two disturbing scenes are immediately brought to mind. Those scenes possibly could be too much for a young adult to handle.
Despite these adult topics, I nominate how I live now because of its intensity and unique plotline. Perhaps it may be inappropriate for the younger YA age range, but I think it is a book which a high school student can handle. Daisy is a spunky, resilient girl you root for to come out at the other end of the tunnel.
Genre Category: 2005 Michael L. Printz Award Winner (Coming of Age)
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