New Releases by Susan Beth Pfeffer

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.

Willa seems to have a perfect life as a member of a loving blended family until the estranged father she barely remembers murders his wife and children, then heads toward Willa and her mother.

Best-selling author, Susan Beth Pfeffer, delivers a riveting companion to Life As We Knew It in this enthralling tale that follows seventeen-year-old Alex Morales as he fights to survive in the aftermath of apocalyptic events in New York City. Alex Morales is an average high schooler focused on his after-school job, helping his dad out with building superintendent responsibilities, and getting good grades so he can make it into an Ivy League college. But when the moon alters its gravitational pull and catastrophic events ensue, everything changes. Now, he has to care for his younger sisters, decide whether it’s ethical to rob the dead, and keep the hope alive that their lost parents will return. Bone-chilling and harrowing, Susan Beth Pfeffer investigates what it takes to survive when the odds are stacked against you in this captivating story about sacrifice and humanity.

The highly anticipated follow-up to Life As We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone

In 1923, Alicia Martinez is thrilled to be cast in an epic film being produced in Hollywood by her best friend¿s father, but then mysterious events occur that threaten the completion of the movie as well as her safety. Includes black and white photographs and an author profile.

Relates ten-year-old Beth''s exciting trip to pre-Civil War New York City with Marmee and Father.

In these four ghostly tales, the March sisters must beware of the spirits of the dead.

The four March sisters each star in their own Christmas story. Will Meg, Jo, Beth, or Amy receive the heirloom brooch they each covet?

Relates ten-year-old Beth''s exciting trip to pre-Civil War New York City with Marmee and Father.

In a heavily illustrated, scrapbook format, readers will learn about the real-life people behind the beloved book characters they''ve come to know. From Christopher Robin and Peter Rabbit to Peter Pan''s Lost Boys and Alice in Wonderland, award-winning author Susan Beth Pfeffer explores the real lives of the real people who inspired the creation of literature''s greatest characters. There are even a few surprises about Mother Goose!

Amy encourages the attentions of Robert, a well-to-do classmate, but when he surprises her with an expensive gift, she must face her true feelings.

Each of the March sisters tries to spend her tenth birthday in her own special way, and learns that growing up sometimes means putting others first.

Beth March receives a mysterious, but welcome, gift of new sheet music for the piano.

Amy recieves an expensive gift from a boy.

Exuberant Jo March never sits still. Whether she''s racing against boys or scribbling and acting in her latest play, Jo is always active and creative. So when Aunt March asks her to befriend Pauline Wheeler, Jo can''t believe that the girl spends every day cooped up in her bedroom. True, Pauline is blind and utterly dependent on her governess, but her fear of life exhausts Jo''s patience. The two girls simply have nothing in common--until they''re caught in a snow squall that changes their lives.

When she refuses to let her friend''s death be called an accident, eleven-year-old Emily, an orphan, encounters the ingrained prejudices of the "best" families in town

Amy March wants to be a great artist. She''s got the talent; now all she needs is a way to afford art lessons. Her solution: befriend her rich and snobby classmate, Jenny Snow, who''ll then invite Amy to sit in on her private art instructions. But Jenny can''t be bothered with Amy''s friendly overtures--until Diana Hughes, a new and extremely wealthy girl, chooses Amy as her friend. Now, Amy thinks Jenny will like her too. But the price of art lessons may be higher than Amy ever imagined....

Each of the girls has a choice to make about the beautiful brooch. Meg''s Christmas Dream: Meg would gladly exchange it for a gift for her father.... Jo''s Christmas Dream: Jo behaves like a total scrooge and must learn the true spirit of Christmas. Beth''s Christmas Dream: Beth discovers what her sisters'' and parents'' lives would have been like without her. Amy''s Christmas Dream: Always happy to receive presents, Amy surprises everyone when she bestows a gift to a poor little girl. This quartet of Christmas stories captures the joyful spirit of the holiday season.

Taryn realizes that the whispering she hears between her parents is really fighting, and she is worried that they may get a divorce. Her worry carries over to school, where she is accused of playing a nasty prank on one of her teachers. Her two closest friends have a perfect alibi, so they too wonder--did she do it? To prove her innocence, Taryn must investigate. She finds herself lying to cover up her parents'' problems, while trying to uncover what actually happened. Can Taryn clear her name as well as make things better at home?

Because she desperately wants to have her picture taken, ten-year-old Amy finds a way to accumulate the necessary five dollars but then decides to spend it in another way.

When ten-year-old Meg receives an invitation to a friend''s picnic but Jo does not, Meg must decide whether to decline in loyalty to her sister or to follow her heart and attend.

It seems incredible that a call-in TV show featuring pictures of missing children could change her life so drastically, but when a 16-year-old recognizes her father in the photo on the screen, she discovers that the family who''s been searching for their daughter is looking for her. But who is she? Brooke or Amy? She''s been living with her father and now learns he''s taken her illegally. Who do you love when everyone says they love you? How can anyone know which parent loves you most? Susan Beth Pfeffer delivers yet another hard-hitting novel that delves into the issues that confront real teens today. "Lively narration, peppered with wry, insightful wit, and the story''s balanced resolution make it enjoyable reading...."--School Library Journal "Pfeffer perfectly conveys Brooke''s hurt and resentment.... Readers will share Brooke''s anxiety as she tries to adapt to a new family while remaining loyal to her father, and they''ll understand her anger when she finally realizes the cost of her father''s actions."--Booklist "The emotions are raw...but the story combines the draw of sensational headlines with an understanding of teenage struggles."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children''s Books "The author maintains so brisk a pace and so appealingly plumbs her heroine''s emotional life that the reader will want to believe in the story."--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Katie really wants to be the star of her third-grade class, but the noisy, mean atmosphere of her class makes it hard to decide how to use the three wishes given to her by an old magic lamp.

Since her older brother always wins at ping pong, checkers, and everything else, Amy decides to learn riddles in hope of finding some way she can beat him.

In 1913 when she is sent to the Austen Home for Orphaned Girls, eleven-year-old Emily copes with her difficult circumstances with the help of the town librarian and the hope of finding her younger sister.

Sara Kate is disappointed that her super powers aren''t more heroic, until she uses her x-ray vision to make the school bully leave her alone.

Told with understanding and humor and an evocation of real despair that will strike a chord of recognition in grade-school readers.--@BCCB^

When twelve-year-old Darcy''s cousin April moves into the upstairs apartment and they become inseparable, Darcy has trouble with her former best friends and her schoolwork.

Twelve-year-old April has trouble making friends at her new middle school, until her father''s friendship with a missing rock star catapults her into the news and suddenly makes her popular.

After eleven-year-old Kelly discovers how to set her family''s new VCR so that it sends her back in time, she and her twin brother Scott argue over how the secret should be used.