Miranda's diary
Begin with Life As We Knew It, then read The Dead and the Gone before the two families' stories converge.
Book Series · 4 Books
Last Survivors Books
In order from Life As We Knew It to The Shade of the Moon.
Four connected YA survival novels about families enduring worldwide catastrophe after a meteor knocks the moon closer to Earth.
Reviewed by the Bookroo Editors Updated
Reading order
How to Read the Last Survivors Books
Read Life As We Knew It, The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In, and The Shade of the Moon in publication order. The first two books show the same disaster through different families in Pennsylvania and New York City.
The separate perspectives come together in book 3, so neither of the first two should be skipped. Book 4 moves the story forward with a different central character and completes the published sequence.
Sources: Penguin Random House's official Last Survivors series, HarperCollins' four-book collection record.
For parents
What Parents Should Know
These are bleak, realistic disaster stories rather than action-adventure fantasies. They repeatedly depict hunger, cold, disease, natural disasters, dead bodies, the deaths of family members and children, grief, fear, and desperate moral choices. Hope and family loyalty remain important, but sensitive readers may find the sustained suffering and scarcity especially upsetting.
Where to start
Where Should a New Reader Start?
Where the story begins
First Book in the Series
Sale price
$1139
Book #1 · Chapter Book · Ages 12–18 · 2006
Life As We Knew It
A meteor shifts the moon, plunging Earth into chaos. Can Miranda's family survive?
337 pages· 95,201 words· Est. 9 hour read
Paperback
Summary: When a meteor shifts the moon closer to Earth, chaos ensues. High schooler Miranda and her family face tsunamis, earthquakes, and darkness. In their sunroom refuge, they battle for survival, clinging to hope. Can they endure the world's collapse?
In reading order
Last Survivors Series
4 books · Published 2006–2013
#1
Sale price
$1139
Life As We Knew It
Chapter Book · Ages 12–18 · 2006
A meteor shifts the moon, plunging Earth into chaos. Can Miranda's family survive?
#2
Sale price
$1498
The Dead and the Gone
Chapter Book · Ages 12–+ · 2008
Survive apocalyptic chaos in New York as Alex fights for his family's future.
#3
Sale price
$958
This World We Live In
Chapter Book · Ages 12–+ · 2010
Survival in a frozen world tests love and loyalty.
#4
Sale price
$1049
The Shade of the Moon
Chapter Book · Ages 12–+ · 2013
In a shattered world, Jon's choices could endanger his family. Can he risk doing what's right?
Good to know
Common Questions
How many books are in the Last Survivors series?
There are 4 books in the Last Survivors series. It began with Life As We Knew It in 2006, and the newest book, The Shade of the Moon, was published in 2013.
What order should you read the Last Survivors books in?
Start with Life As We Knew It and follow the series order — the books above are numbered #1 through #4.
What ages are the Last Survivors books best for?
The series is best for ages 12–18, based on the age ranges of the individual books.
Which Last Survivors book is the longest?
Life As We Knew It (Book #1) is the longest book in the series at 95,201 words (337 pages).
Which Last Survivors book is the shortest?
This World We Live In (Book #3) is the shortest at 62,431 words (239 pages).
The people
The Creative Behind the Books
The people who bring Last Survivors to life.
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