Like most teenage boys, Bob has convinced himself he’s in love. Unlike other teenage boys, Bob happens to be the creator of the world. As the earth and its weather patterns reflect his mood, mankind better watch out, because Bob is head over heels --- or at least he thinks he is.

Crossing over to adult fiction, celebrated young adult author Meg Rosoff still focuses on young people --- viewed through the lens of an old, world-weary narrator --- in WHAT I WAS, a most unusual coming-of-age novel about friendship and humanity.

After finding his younger brother teetering on the edge of his balcony, 15-year-old David Case realizes the fragility of life and senses impending doom. Without looking back, he changes his name to Justin and assumes a new identity, struggling to survive in a world where tragedy is around every corner.

Soon after 15-year-old Daisy arrives at her relatives' remote farm in England, her aunt goes away on business. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked by an unnamed enemy. Despite the war, it's a kind of Eden at the farm, with no adults and no rules. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her four cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.