Susan Beth Pfeffer's Last Survivors Trilogy

Susan Beth Pfeffer begins her action-packed “Last Survivors Trilogy” with an exhilarating, young adult sci-fi novel called Life as we Knew it. Once I read the first page of Life as we Knew it, I knew I was going to be hooked on this book, and I am. Susan Beth Pfeffer writes about a young girl named Miranda, who’s world changes when an asteroid knocks the moon out of orbit, causing multiple disasters that she and her family struggle to survive. Susan Beth Pfeffer uses lots of action, nail-biting moments, and adventure to create a breathtaking, emotional story. For these reasons, this book definitely deserves four out of four stars. Miranda’s normal, teenage life changes forever when the moon gets knocked out of orbit. Asteroids always hit the moon, but this one was one of the largest asteroids yet. Little did she know that this asteroid was going to cause worldwide disasters and knock the moon out of orbit. Because of these multiple catastrophes being caused across the world, everybody freaks out. There is no longer any electricity, heat, or shops. It is also very difficult to find food and water because everyone is stocking up on it (not knowing when the world will be normal again). However, this doesn’t stop Miranda and her family from facing these problems and surviving this horrible disaster.
Miranda still tries to act like everything is normal, and she believes that if they all work together, they still stand a chance. Susan Beth Pfeffer has a very enjoyable style of writing. She writes from a first person point of view to express Miranda’s thought and emotions, which makes the story very entertaining. Not only does she write from a first person point of view, but she also writes many short sentences to give the readers a better understanding of how Miranda felt at times. “I have no privacy. But I feel so alone… I wanted this to end. I wanted everything to be back to normal” (p. 250). Writing this style was a smart choice for this kind of book. The readers are really able to feel Miranda’s emotions. The author made sure that Miranda always shared her thoughts and emotions in a way that her reader could understand exactly how Miranda felt. I was glad Susan Beth Pfeffer chose to write the style this way. The book wouldn’t have been the same without this style. Susan Beth Pfeffer uses typical teenager language for Ruby to make her a more authentic character.
For example, Miranda sometimes made sarcastic remarks like any teenager would. “Almost all the kids were quiet, except for one girl who kept screaming she didn’t want to die. Like any of us did” (p. 31). Ruby’s sarcastic remarks made her more realistic. “I felt like the world was coming to an end, and I was going to miss all the action, because I was going to sitting on the stupid hallway floors when it did” (p. 29). Miranda would sometimes complain about simple things and be sarcastic like a normal teenager. It’s how the author brings her character to life in a clever
way. Life as we Knew it was a spectacular book for many reasons. All of the characters that Susan Beth Pfeffer created were very authentic. She also never failed to create an amusing story by adding in lots of nail-biting scenes. However, as much as I loved this book, I didn’t like the fact that Miranda acted normal in the middle of the terrible crisis her world was having. Even though Miranda’s world was coming to an end, she still acted like everything was normal and she didn’t really care. If Miranda would’ve been a little more freaked out from the situation it would’ve made her character more realistic. Also, because of all catastrophes happening in the book such as tsunamis, earthquakes, etc. I wouldn’t recommend this book for people that are terrified of those type of disasters. This is a good book for teens and older, unless you are younger and love reading books that have many natural disasters. Overall, I would say that this is a very entertaining book for teens and older. Throughout this novel, Miranda and her family always believed that by working together they could survive the horrible disasters their world was having. They all tried their hardest and helped each other to survive. Luckily, by doing this, they were able to. They all persevered, even at the hardest times. Susan Beth Pfeffer’s purpose for this story was to show that by working together, we can conquer all. Susan Beth Pfeffer produces a breath taking series, adding in moments that will leave you fighting back tears or biting your nails. Whether you love addicting, action-packed, or heart-wrenching novels, you will be on the edge of your chair with this book.