"The Last Survivors" trilogy by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Book 1 - Life As We Knew It : Sixteen-year-old Miranda, her divorced mom, and two brothers, live in a small town in rural Pennsylvania. Like the rest of the world, they are awaiting a rare opportunity to view an asteroid that scientists predict will crash into the surface of the moon, an impact expected to be easily visible on this clear spring evening. Neighbors are planning block parties to go outside and watch it. Unfortunately, the scientists did not predict what would happen afterwards. The moon is knocked slightly off its orbit and moves closer to Earth, instantly triggering coastal flooding, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, power outages, and clouds of smoke and ash that blot out the sun, thus killing plant life. Attempting to cope with it all, Miranda's BFF suddenly finds religion and forgets about her. Miranda's mom realizes what is happening and logically starts planning ahead for the bad days she knows will be there all too soon, stockpiling food and water, wood for the stove, and other anticipated supplies. She scoffs when President Bush urges Americans to remain calm and just pray before tv reception goes out completely. Miranda's mom knows the only way they are going to survive is from their own ingenuity and preparation. They try to warn Miranda's dad and his pregnant new wife to stay put, but they insist on taking a chance on traveling west to see if things are better there. Just in case some one does survive this world-wide tragedy, Miranda keeps everything documented in a journal so others will know what happened the final days of her life.

Book 2 - The Dead and the Gone : The same event as told from the point of view of 17-year-old Alex Morales. Alex is aware there's some big astrological event going on, but he figures it is something only science nerds would be interested in following. Besides, he's more concerned about whether he'll make class president next year at his all boys private Catholic prep school. Alex and his two younger sisters are in their NY city apartment when the chaos starts. His dad, the building superintendent, is in Puerto Rico for a family funeral, and his mom is across town working night shift as a nurse at the hospital. When neither parent returns home, Alex alone must take on the responsibility of caring for his sisters. Communications are soon cut off, subways are flooded, tidal waves have wiped out coastal areas, and now volcanic ash is blocking out the sun, plunging the world into constant shadows and numbing cold. What will Alex do to insure his family's survival? Anything and everything.

Book 3 - This World We Live In : It's been a year since the incident of the asteroid hitting the moon. Despite devastating climate changes and bizarre weather patterns, Miranda and her family have managed to survive. One day, her father and stepmom, their new baby, along with a trio of strangers, arrive in Howell, PA, seeking refuge at their home. One of the strangers is Alex Morales from New York City, and if you think this is going to be one of those romantic "thrown together by circumstances" relationships with violin music and doves cooing, you are mistaken. Miranda and Alex both have issues, and both are too independent and stubborn to compromise. What readers are left with is a sort of microcosm of our western world today: blended families, racial diversity, and a need to understand each other's point of view in order to get along. The tension builds until yet another atmospheric phenomenon forces them all to confront their situation and decide to band together to survive. This 3rd book is supposed to be the final book that neatly wraps up the storyline of the first two, but the ending is still vague enough there could potentially be another title published in this series.

In a nutshell, this trilogy is one of the most wonderfully disturbing and haunting series I have read in a while. While I was reading the first book, the major earthquake hit New Zealand, so it was on the news a lot. While I was reading the second book, the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. During the third book, we were in the middle of massive winter storms across North America, with blizzards knocking out power and cities at a standstill. To say I was freaked out a bit by all this coincidence is an understatement. I could NOT get these books off my mind! It was as if I was suddenly swept up into the story myself and could not extract myself from the plot. It was THAT real/surreal.

I told many of my reading buds about them. One friend I recommended them to said he wouldn't finish the first book because of the "obvious leftist slant" and "anti-Bush" attitude of one of the central characters. (Hello? It's a work of fiction. It's called character development.) And for the record, the second book is exactly the opposite with a conservative, pro-church protagonist. Another friend--who'd just had a baby--couldn't finish the second book because of the blunt descriptions of dead bodies found on the streets of the city; one gruesome scene in particular happens to involve a small child. A third friend couldn't get into them at all because she found them "depressing overall and just sad." Granted, these books may not be for everybody, but I think they are the perfect prescription for a hot summer day. The action is literally nonstop, and by the middle of the first book, you'll be laying on blankets and trying to stay as warm as the characters themselves long to be. Like watching a train wreck, the stories unfold as a series of small events that you can't take your eyes off of. Just when you think, "What else could possibly go wrong"...something does. Written for a young adult audience, this series is finding fans among adults, too. A copy of each title is available at SMS Library and each is recommended for 8th grade and above due to graphic description. Fans of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy might enjoy reading this series as well.