FICTION

All We Have Is Now

by Lisa SCHROEDER
272p. Scholastic/Point. Jul. 2015. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780545802536; ebk. $17.99. ISBN 9780545803366.
COPY ISBN
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).
Reviewed by Allison Silva, England High School, AR
With just over twenty-four hours until an asteroid hits, homeless teens Emerson and Vince seize the moment by wandering Portland, Oregon, looking for people with regrets to solve and dreams to fulfill. In a narrative alternating poetry with prose, the "pay it forward" message is oversimplified and strained but certainly uplifting, and Emerson's attempt to repair her family relationships resonates.
 , May 01, 2015

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