Background
Pfeffer was born in New York City, the daughter of Leo Pfeffer, a lawyer and professor, and his wife, Freda nee Plotkin.
Pfeffer was born in New York City, the daughter of Leo Pfeffer, a lawyer and professor, and his wife, Freda nee Plotkin.
After writing for 35 years, she received wider notice for her series of post-apocalyptic novels often called "The Last Survivors" or "Moon Crash" series, some of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestselling List. She began writing stories as a child. She published her first book, Just Morgan, in 1970, when she was a senior at New York University.
After college, she moved to Middletown, New York, where she still lives, and continued to write full-time.
She has published more than 75 books Pfeffer"s books cover the range of children"s literature from picture books to young-adult novels.
They include biographies, like the Portraits of Little Women series for younger readers, and both historical and contemporary fiction. She also wrote a book for adults about how to write for children.
About David (1980) and The Year Without Michael (1987) are two of her books that have received critical notice.
Pfeffer says that she enjoys writing about family dynamics. This became the first of her Moon Crash series. Pfeffer cites the film Meteor as inspiration for the Moon Crash series.