JANUARY 2016 - AudioFile
Narrator Julia Whelan adds gravity to a story that begins the day before an asteroid is to destroy much of the U.S. Runaways Emerson and Vince meet Carl, a man who suggests that the teens spend their final hours doing good deeds. Whelan creates voices and uses expression to manage the shifting points of view as Emerson and Vince make wishes come true all over Portland, Oregon, while Carl takes a different path, trying to get home to his wife. The story stretches credibility with its coincidences and occasional oversimplification, but Whelan counteracts those weaknesses with her excellent characterizations and serious tone, which engage listeners’ emotions and propel the plot. This book will remind listeners of Susan Beth Pfeffer’s LIFE AS WE KNEW IT series. A.F. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Advance praise for All We Have is Now:
"Thoughtful, endearing, and surprisingly fun -- a reminder of what’s really important in life." --Suzanne Young, New York Times bestselling author of The Program
"All We Have Is Now is one of those books my teenage self needed -- a thoughtfully crafted reminder that every moment is a gift and that we should be kind, especially to ourselves.” --Julie Murphy, author of Side Effects May Vary
"Heartwarming and hopeful. I’d take this book with me to the apocalypse!" --Amy Plum, internationally bestselling author of the Die for Me series
School Library Journal
05/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—What would you do if you only had 24 hours left to live? This is the dilemma confronting Emerson and Vince, two teens living on the streets of Portland, OR, awaiting an asteroid on a crash course with the United States. Unfortunately, readers will find an unlikely and all-too-convenient circle of events as the teen characters try to "pay forward" a good deed. "Stay positive no matter what," seems to be the underlying theme, but given the impending disaster, it feels a bit too sappy and unrealistic. Plot holes and questionable character decisions undermine the internal logic. The relationships between the teens and their parents are thinly developed. VERDICT For teens looking for a thoughtful and engaging end-of-the-world story, hand them Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It (HMH, 2006).—Allison Silva, England High School, AR
JANUARY 2016 - AudioFile
Narrator Julia Whelan adds gravity to a story that begins the day before an asteroid is to destroy much of the U.S. Runaways Emerson and Vince meet Carl, a man who suggests that the teens spend their final hours doing good deeds. Whelan creates voices and uses expression to manage the shifting points of view as Emerson and Vince make wishes come true all over Portland, Oregon, while Carl takes a different path, trying to get home to his wife. The story stretches credibility with its coincidences and occasional oversimplification, but Whelan counteracts those weaknesses with her excellent characterizations and serious tone, which engage listeners’ emotions and propel the plot. This book will remind listeners of Susan Beth Pfeffer’s LIFE AS WE KNEW IT series. A.F. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2015-03-17
Two homeless teens wander Portland, Oregon, as they await the impact of an asteroid that will kill them and all other inhabitants of the American northwest. Emerson, a white girl, has been hanging with Vince, an African-American boy, even since she left home. She and Vince decide to jump from a bridge rather than die in the asteroid impact, but then they meet Carl, a man who has chosen to spend his final hours helping people. He gives them his wallet, stuffed with cash. Vince and Emerson decide to continue Carl's mission and look for people they can help. They find a boy with a dream of becoming a rock star and locate an active karaoke bar. They find a woman who dreams of visiting Paris and take her to a bistro. She gives them her car, and they use it to take two children to an amusement park. Meanwhile, Emerson's family frantically searches for her, hoping to find her before the end. Vince focuses on the good that can be experienced in their last hours. Schroeder also focuses on the positive in this spin on the end-times theme. Interspersed snatches of free verse express the emotions of her characters and make her point that life is best lived in the moment. If the book's conclusion takes some liberties with coincidence, who cares? Uplifting. (Science fiction. 12-18)
