Susan Beth Pfeffer, who published more than 70 books for children and young adults, has died at 77, the New York Times reports.
Pfeffer, a Manhattan native, was educated at New York University; she published her first novel, Just Morgan, shortly after graduating. Dozens more would follow, including Better Than All Right, About David, Rewind to Yesterday, The Ring of Truth, Make Believe, Nobody’s Daughter, and Justice for Emily.
She had a hit in 2006 with Life as We Knew It, about a Pennsylvania family struggling to survive after an asteroid hits Earth. The novel was the first in a series that continued with The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In, and The Shade of the Moon.
She talked about the series in a 2008 interview with Publishers Weekly, saying, “When I write a book, I write to entertain myself. If readers like it and get something from it, that’s a bonus. Over and over, people have said that Life as We Knew It helps them to appreciate what they have. For adults it has more to do with family. For kids, it seems to have something to do about realizing how hard it would be to do without certain things.”
Author Sarah Weinman paid tribute to Pfeffer on the social network Bluesky, writing, “Susan Beth Pfeffer wrote so many of my favorite YA books, just a giant in the field.”
And a Bluesky user with the screen name EDH posted, “Really sorry to hear about Susan Beth Pfeffer. Her books are an enduring legacy.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
