Synopses & Reviews
Susan Beth Pfeffers
Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event—an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.
With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.
Review
"Action-packed and completely unpredictable, this latest will be widely anticipated by the series' many fans."
—Kirkus
"Pfeffer's well-written take on what life might be as it returns to 'normal' is sometimes brutal and always depressingly real."
—Booklist
Review
This intense psychological drama, showing the brightest and darkest sides of humanity, offers remarkable acts of courage and disturbing images of domestic violence. Willa's frankly portrayed grief, confusion, and uncertainties will have a strong impact on readers."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The sheer drama of the plot will draw readers, and they’ll stay for an insightful exploration of the way families go both right and wrong."--Bulletin
Review
* "As riveting as Life as We Knew It and even grittier. . . . The powerful images and wrenching tragedies will haunt readers."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Everything Pfeffer writes about seems wrenchingly plausible."—Booklist, starred review
"Incredibly engaging."—Kirkus Reviews
Review
Praise for LIFE AS WE KNEW IT An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A 2011 ALA Popular Paperbacks Title
A CCBC Choice
A Junior Library Guild Premier Selection
A Listening Library Selection
An Amazon.com Best Book of the Year
* "Absorbing from first page to last." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Riveting and deeply frightening." —Bulletin
"You will read it in one sitting, fighting back tears as you bite your nails." —Teenreads.com
Praise for THE DEAD AND THE GONE
* "As riveting as Life as We Knew It and even grittier. . . . The powerful images and wrenching tragedies will haunt readers." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Everything Pfeffer writes about seems wrenchingly plausible." —Booklist, starred review
"Incredibly engaging." —Kirkus Reviews
Praise for THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN
* "The protagonists of Pfeffer's novels The Dead and the Gone and Life As We Knew It join forces in this third installment of a harrowing saga set in the not so distant future. . . . Throughout, readers will be moved by displays of compassion, strength, and faith as characters endure grim realities and face an uncertain future." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Palpable despair is dappled with tiny flares of hope in this third entry in Pfeffer’s enthralling series. . . . Fans of the first two will thrill to this latest and the loose ending will leave them hoping for more." —Kirkus Reviews
Praise for THE SHADE OF THE MOON
"Action-packed and completely unpredictable, this latest will be widely anticipated by the series' many fans." —Kirkus Reviews
"Pfeffer's well-written take on what life might be as it returns to 'normal' is sometimes brutal and always depressingly real." —Booklist
Synopsis
In this eagerly awaited addition to the dystopian series begun with New York Times best-seller Life As We Knew It, Jon Evans is one of the lucky ones—until he realizes that escaping his safe haven may be the only way to truly survive.
Synopsis
The eagerly awaited addition to the series begun with the
New York Times best-seller
Life As We Knew It, in which a meteor knocks the moon off its orbit and the world changes forever.
It's been more than two years since Jon Evans and his family left Pennsylvania, hoping to find a safe place to live, yet Jon remains haunted by the deaths of those he loved. His prowess on a soccer field has guaranteed him a home in a well-protected enclave. But Jon is painfully aware that a missed goal, a careless word, even falling in love, can put his life and the lives of his mother, his sister Miranda, and her husband, Alex, in jeopardy. Can Jon risk doing what is right in a world gone so terribly wrong?
Synopsis
After Willa's estranged father goes on a killing spree in Texas, she and her mother are horrified to learn he's headed their way. Under police protection, Willa begins to tease out secrets from the past before going to Texas herself to learn more about the family she never knew--all while keeping her own dangerous secret. A tale of love and deception from the New York Times bestselling author of Life As We Knew It.
Synopsis
Blood can both wound and heal . . .
Willa is lucky: She has a loving blended family that gets along. Not all families are so fortunate. But when a bloody crime takes place hundreds of miles away, it has an explosive effect on Willa’s peaceful life. The estranged father she hardly remembers has murdered his new wife and children, and is headed east toward Willa and her mother. Under police protection, Willa discovers that her mother has harbored secrets that are threatening to boil over. Has everything Willa believed about herself been a lie? But as Willa sets out to untangle the mysteries of her past, she also keeps her own secret—one that has the potential to tear apart all she holds dear.
Synopsis
A riveting companion to Life As We Knew It
Synopsis
When a meteor hits the moon, teenage Miranda and her friends and family struggle to survive the unimaginable. Four gripping books that follow their ordeal are collected in this boxed set.
Includes:
LIFE AS WE KNEW IT
THE DEAD AND THE GONE
THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN
THE SHADE OF THE MOON
About the Author
Susan Beth Pfeffer is the author of many books for teens, including the New York Times bestseller Life As We Knew It, which was nominated for more than 20 state awards, The Dead & the Gone, and This World We Live In. Pfeffer's other books include the bestselling novel The Year Without Michael and the popular Portraits of Little Women series and Kid Power, which won the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award and the Sequoyah Book Award.