Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a surge in popularity of young adult post-apocalyptic fiction. I've read no less than three young adult novels that focus on such life changing events this year and have yet another on my library request list. I'll confess, ever since junior high when I read Gloria Milkowitz's After the Bomb: Week One (I never did track down the first book in the series) I've had a secret addiction to catastrophe-themed novels. The "what if's" both thrill and terrify me. They keep me awake at night. They haunt my nightmares. I love them.

My hand's down favourite "End Of The World" book that I read this year was Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Told in first person narrative through the diary entries Miranda it looks as what happens after an asteroid hits the moon and moves it closer to Earth. Imagine a total breakdown of society and nuclear winter scenario. It had me wanting to stock up on bottled water, hoard canned goods and blankets and every time I go to a hardware store I look at the crank-powered flashlights and radios and think that I need to buy some before the end of the world event strikes. Yep, it got under my skin, freaked me out and it was awesome. Experiments in Reading is totally with me on the hoarding of canned goods.

Although Life As We Knew It is a fairly typical post-apocalyptic survival tale, it is exceptionally well done. And though it made me extremely paranoid (I have a strong urge to start hoarding canned food right now, and am very grateful for everything that I do have) it is well-balanced and not too depressing. It is entirely appropriate for younger and older readers alike.

Pfeffer published a second book revolving around the same scenario, but where Life As We Knew It took place in rural Pennsylvania, The Dead And The Gone follows the events in New York City. Pfeffer changed more than just cities though, The Dead And The Gone is told through Alex, a teenaged boy. She also switches from first-person to third-person narrative. While I didn't like this companion novel as much as the original, some other readers thought that it was even better. Heather at Book Addiction thinks that it "is darker, scarier, and feels more real."

Even though it is a lot more haunting and troubling, I think it follows more closely what would actually happen if something like this did occur in real life. Something I really liked about this book that wasn’t present in the first one is Pfeffer’s discussion of class. The Morales family lived in an apartment building that the father maintained, but because Alex had received some sort of scholarship (I think), he went to a private Catholic high school, so the majority of his friends had plenty of money. Therefore, many of the people he knew had no problem getting out of New York (it was stated quite explicitly that money and connections can get you anywhere), while Alex and his sisters were forced to stay behind.

At Becky's Book Reviews, Becky recommends listening to it on audio.

Listening to the audio book made certain scenes even stronger, more vivid. The emotional scenes packed more of a punch. I think this is because in an audio book you can't speed up. You can't rush through a text. You can't get caught up in the drama of racing through to the end. You're stuck in the moment. And if the moment is painful, emotional, and traumatic--if you've read it you probably can guess which scenes I'm talking about--then it's even more so, the situation is magnified.

One book that I did listen to on audio this year was How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. The world changing event in this novel was an international war. Daisy is shipped off to live with her cousins in England and happily goes because anything had to be better than living in New York City with her stepmother. When she arrives she finds her aunt has been pulled away on government business and it's just her and her cousins. She also finds herself falling in love with one of them. It's part love story, part survival story. Chain of Letters says that Daisy's character provides "a unique vision of coming-of-age in a war-torn world - one filled with innocence, sorrow, and compassion." The Compulsive Reader says, "How I Live Now, while heart breaking, through its strange style, conveys a sense hope and unconditional faith, and is a powerful reminder of the strength of love."

The newest book on the post-apocalyptic fiction block is first book in a new teen series, Gone by Michael Grant. Sam Temple is in history class when his teacher suddenly disappears. Poof! Gone! As are the rest of the adults in his community. Everyone is turning to Sam, who has some recently developed superpowers, for guidance and leadership. At the same time students at a local private school are trying to rule the area. JenHydro at Book Envy says that it's "kind-of a newer, hipper, more scientific, and more full of adventure Lord of the Flies."

I never really thought of myself as a science fiction fan but these books are making me completely rethink that. I'm going to have to explore more of the young adult science fiction that's out there....right after I stock up on water, canned goods and batteries.

Contributing Editor Sassymonkey blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.