Susan Beth Pfeffer

Susan Beth Pfeffer (February 17, 1948 – June 23, 2025) was an American author best known for her young adult and science fiction books. She wrote for 35 years before becoming widely recognized for her series of post-apocalyptic novels. This series is officially called "The Life as We Knew It Series," but many people know it as "The Last Survivors" or "Moon Crash" series. Some of her books in this series appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Life and career

Susan Beth Pfeffer was born on February 17, 1948, in Manhattan, New York City. She grew up in Queens and later moved to the suburbs of Nassau County, New York. She started writing stories when she was just a child.

Pfeffer published her first book, Just Morgan, in 1970 while she was in college at New York University. After college, she lived in Middletown, New York and wrote full-time. Over her career, she published more than 75 books for children and young adults. Her books covered many topics, from picture books to stories about families and history.

Her book Life as We Knew It, published in 2006, became very popular and was the first in her Moon Crash series. She was inspired by the movie Meteor for this series. Pfeffer passed away from illness at her home in Monroe, New York on June 23, 2025, at the age of 77.

Works

Susan Beth Pfeffer wrote many books for young readers over her career. Some of her earlier works include titles like Just Morgan from 1970 and Kid Power from 1977. She also wrote picture books such as Awful Evelina and Twin Surprises.

She became especially well-known for her series of post-apocalyptic novels called "The Life as We Knew It Series". This series, sometimes called "The Last Survivors" or "Moon Crash" series, includes books like Life as We Knew It from 2006 and The Dead and the Gone from 2008. Some of these books were popular enough to appear on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Awards

Susan Beth Pfeffer’s books have won several awards, including the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award and the Buxtehude Bull prize. Her work was also chosen for the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults list in 2007 and the Teens’ Top Ten Booklist the same year. She was also a finalist for the Andre Norton Award, the Quill Awards, and the Hal Clement Award.