Susan Beth Pfeffer
Susan Beth Pfeffer (born February 17, 1948) is a retired American author best known for young adult science fiction. After writing for 35 years, she received wider notice for her series of post-apocalyptic novels, officially titled "The Life As We Knew It Series", but often called "The Last Survivors" or "Moon Crash" series, some of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestselling List. Background. Pfeffer was born in New York City, the daughter of Leo Pfeffer, a lawyer and professor, and his wife, Freda "nee" Plotkin. She began writing stories as a child. She  published her first book, "Just Morgan", in 1970, when she was a senior at New York University. After college, she moved to Middletown, New York, where she still lives, and continued to write full-time. She has published more than 75 books. Pfeffer's books cover the range of children's literature from picture books to young-adult novels. They include biographies for younger readers, and both historical, such as the "Portraits of Little Women" series, and contemporary fiction. She also wrote a book for adults about how to write for children. "About David" (1980) and "The Year Without Michael  (1987) are two of her books that have received critical notice. Pfeffer says that she enjoys writing about family dynamics. Pfeffer achieved wider notice with her 2006 book Life as We Knew It", a bestseller. This became the first of her "Moon Crash" series. Pfeffer cites the film "Meteor" as inspiration for the "Moon Crash" series. Works. Short stories. She also wrote some short stories such as "As it is with Strangers". Awards. Pfeffer's books have won the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, the Buxtehude Bull prize and been named awarded an American Library Association Best Books  for Young Adults (2007) and Teens’ Top Ten Booklist in 2007. She was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award, Quill Awards and Hal Clement Award.