This book took a while to grow on me, and I was honestly prepared for having to just push through it. The beginning was monotonous to me, and the characters felt unreal. The family transitioning to living off of the grid seemed easy and at times I felt the author would almost really rather be living this story herself by the way everything felt so glorified.

After about one-third of the way through I began to settle in and enjoy the book. More plot developed, and although the characters still felt very two-dimensional I did grow to care about what happened to them. However it did seem odd to me that besides losing power forever nothing tragic seemed to happen to the family, just everyone else.

In the end, once I accepted the book feeling like really happy doomsday prepper propaganda, I didn't hate it. It isn't the best post-apocalyptic or survival story, but I've definitely read worse books. If you're interested in the subject matter I would suggest to try it out, a lot of people really seemed to like the book. ( )

I was completely underwhelmed with this book and normally I really enjoy the apocalyptic, end-of-our-way-of-life type of story but this book was just plain boring. The premise started off well enough, a family is living a normal life on their country farm when there is a world wide power outage as a result of some major solar storms. Bracken, the middle son, keeps a journal of the event and the family's experience.

Pretty much from the beginning, I felt the family transitioned into life without electricity way too easily. I mean, yes they're a hard working farm family but there were times when this book read like the Brady Bunch going through a permanent power failure. The mom was all happy that they could spend more family time together. Bracken and his younger brother were amazed at how much they could get done without having video games or the internet to distract them. The grandparent's whom they picked up from the next town over in a horse and buggy said not to worry about them they're old and used to simpler times.

This whole book (well at least the first half, that's as far as I got before I couldn't stand anymore) read like a giant ad about the evils of electricity and how much better and more satisfying our lives would be if, like Bracken's family, we learned how to live again like our ancestors did. Needless to say, I don't recommend reading this book. However, if you are looking for a good apocalyptic young adult novel, I would recommend either Ashfall by Mike Mullin or Enclave by Ann Aguirre, both are fast-paced, enjoyable, and at least a little more realistic than How I Became a Teenage Survivalist. ( )

This story follows a boy and his family who live on a farm in the Midwest, before, during, and after a world-wide power outage caused by a massive solar storm. The family learns to live without power, rediscovers old farming techniques, and cooperating with neighbors near and far for mutual survival. The story was mostly fast-paced and interesting, and my only real complaint was that such a cataclysmic event barely impacted the characters' lives. This is a remarkable family in that they had all the skills and knowledge required for such a massive shift in lifestyle with a minimum of adjustment. While people in cities were dying, life on the farm is idyllic - or perhaps that's the message of the book (and not a bad one at that).

At the heart of How I Became a Teenage Survivalist is the story of Bracken's adjustment to life without the modern conveniences we take for granted. After two major solar flares, Bracken's town must come up with ingenious ways to survive, such as finding new methods of getting water from a well, heating their homes, and washing clothes. What struck me the most about this tale was the positive outlook the characters had in the face of a crisis. I thoroughly enjoyed the various survival techniques described in the novel, as they made me think about how I would cope if I had to live without electricity.

How Would Your family cope if there suddenly was no electricity – not just for a few days but for months? What do you do when the conveniences we all take for granted are suddenly unusable ? Julie Casey has written a provocative book about one family's efforts to survive when the unthinkable happens. Realizing that his family is fortunate to live in the countryside instead of in a crowded city, Bracken's thoughts turn from girls to ingenious ways to helping his family survive. From fighting off a group of marauders to developing new ways to cope without electricity, Bracken and his family give new meaning to self sufficiency and becoming a true community. Casey has written a thought-provoking read that young adults are sure to enjoy. ( )