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Neal Shusterman

Goodreads Author

Born

in Brooklyn, New York, The United States

Website

http://www.storyman.com/

Member Since

March 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/nealshusterman

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Award-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. After spending his junior and senior years of high school at the American School of Mexico City, Neal went on to UC Irvine, where he made his mark on the UCI swim team, and wrote a successful humor column. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script.

In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Lib Award-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. After spending his junior and senior years of high school at the American School of Mexico City, Neal went on to UC Irvine, where he made his mark on the UCI swim team, and wrote a successful humor column. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script.

In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.

As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.

Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.

Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”

Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.

Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.

Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."

And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.

Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration! ...more

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Neal Shusterman's Blog

Love it or hate it -Thunder Head will make you feel every...

Love it or hate it -Thunder Head will make you feel everything with every page. Get your hands on a copy and experience the rollercoaster of emotions.

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Neal Shusterman’s books

Average rating: 4.22 · 1,049,266 ratings · 133,124 reviews · 83 distinct works • Similar authors

	Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1) 4.33 avg rating — 249,730 ratings — published 2016 — 88 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Unwind (Unwind, #1) 4.17 avg rating — 217,304 ratings — published 2007 — 102 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe, #2) 4.41 avg rating — 140,556 ratings — published 2018 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, #3) 4.21 avg rating — 97,874 ratings — published 2019 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	UnWholly (Unwind, #2) 4.25 avg rating — 55,920 ratings — published 2012 — 64 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dry by Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author), Jarrod Shusterman (Goodreads Author) 4.03 avg rating — 39,044 ratings — published 2018 — 46 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	UnSouled (Unwind, #3) 4.23 avg rating — 32,010 ratings — published 2013 — 46 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Everlost (Skinjacker, #1) 3.96 avg rating — 33,064 ratings — published 2006 — 53 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author), Brendan Shusterman (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.14 avg rating — 27,220 ratings — published 2015 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	UnDivided (Unwind, #4) 4.46 avg rating — 24,807 ratings — published 2014 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Neal Shusterman…

Series by Neal Shusterman

Arc of a Scythe (3 books)
by

Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author)

4.33 avg rating — 494,461 ratings

Unwind Dystology (4 books)
by

Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author)

4.20 avg rating — 343,975 ratings

Skinjacker (3 books)
by

Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author)

4.09 avg rating — 58,882 ratings

Antsy Bonano (3 books)
by

Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author)

3.93 avg rating — 12,092 ratings

The Accelerati Trilogy (3 books)
by

Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author),

Eric Elfman (Goodreads Author)

4.06 avg rating — 4,857 ratings

More series by Neal Shusterman…

As dedicated readers already know, some of the best and most innovative stories on the shelves come from the constantly evolving realm of young...

Neal is Currently Reading

Neal Shusterman is currently reading

Winger (Winger, #1)

by Andrew Smith

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Oct 02, 2014 08:38PM

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McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories

by Michael Chabon

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Oct 02, 2014 08:23PM

Neal Shusterman is currently reading

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

by Michael Chabon

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Oct 02, 2014 08:22PM

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Neal’s Recent Updates

Neal Shusterman wrote a new blog post Love it or hate it -Thunder Head will make you feel every... Love it or hate it -Thunder Head will make you feel everything with every page. Get your hands on a copy and experience the rollercoaster of emotions. Read more of this blog post »
7 hours, 29 min ago · like
Neal Shusterman made a comment on Susan’s review of Roxy " Susan - I just checked back in on this thread, and saw that you have read the book, and still feel the same way. I’m sorry that you do. You have every ...more "
Jan 07, 2022 06:12AM · see review
Neal Shusterman answered a question about Roxy: Is there any romance in this book? Well... kind of. The relationship between Isaac and Roxy (oxy) is basically showing drug addiction as a toxic romance.
Nov 21, 2021 11:07AM · 5 likes · like
Neal Shusterman made a comment on Before Roxy’s release on 11/9, let’s go back to 2 of my o... " Thanks, Kymberlee! "
Oct 20, 2021 07:12AM · see blog post
Neal Shusterman rated a book it was amazing The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Fantastic book! I have always been fascinated by the Colombian Exhibition, and weaving in the story of the fair, into a gripping serial killer case was fascinating!
Jun 16, 2021 02:54PM · 153 likes · like · see review
Neal Shusterman and 2 other people liked ricco_reads’s status update ricco_reads wants to read Queen of Ruin (Grace and Fury, #2)
Apr 04, 2021 01:11AM · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Neal Shusterman and 1 other person liked Kyla’s status update Kyla Kay wants to read The Guest List
Apr 04, 2021 12:27AM · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Guest List by Lucy Foley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Neal Shusterman and 3 other people liked Joe’s status update Joe Macfarlane wants to read Gone Tomorrow (Jack Reacher, #13)
Apr 03, 2021 11:42PM · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Neal's books…

Quotes by Neal Shusterman (?)

“Stupid dreams. Even the good ones are bad, because they remind you how poorly reality measures up.”
― Neal Shusterman, Unwind

980 likes

“In a perfect world everything would be either black or white, right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference. But this isn't a perfect world. The problem is people who think it is.”
― Neal Shusterman, Unwind

tags: oversimplification

897 likes

“I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless.”
― Neal Shusterman, Unwind

tags: ambition, failure, irony, optimism

841 likes

See all Neal Shusterman's quotes »

Polls

Which genre would you like to read for the January Book of the Month?

Mystery- 3 of 3 books

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

The Girl In The Ice (Detective Erika Foster, #1) by Robert Bryndza

The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza

The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

79 votes 51.0%

Science Fiction - 3 of 3 Books

Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1) by Neal Shusterman

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Happiness For Humans by P.Z. Reizin

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson

47 votes 30.3%

Contemporary - 3/3 books

Call Me by Your Name: A Novel by André Aciman

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Harold Fry, #1) by Rachel Joyce

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

The Astonishing Thing by Sandi Ward

15 votes 9.7%

Fiction- 3 of 3 Books

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

2001 A Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey, #1) by Arthur C. Clarke

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

14 votes 9.0%

155 total votes

9 comments

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Challenge: 50 Books: Tina's List	60	1045	Dec 30, 2008 06:15PM
Study Buddies: July's Book	15	93	Jul 08, 2009 12:55PM
Young Adult Book ...: Putting Together a Library for Incarcerated Teens	25	1314	Jul 30, 2009 05:54PM
Study Buddies: July 2009 - Discuss Unwind	13	68	Jul 31, 2009 06:18AM
Wild Things: YA G...: Hello from Canada	7	39	Aug 27, 2009 04:11AM
The Next Best Boo...: I need your help! Help me make a "NEW AND IMPROVED" Required Reading List!!!	76	775	Aug 27, 2009 04:38AM
The Book Challenge: Jennifer's 2009 Book Challenge	19	481	Sep 01, 2009 03:42PM

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Neal’s Friend Comments

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Comments (showing 1-15) post a comment »

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message 15: by Sarah

Jul 28, 2015 06:52AM

Thank you so much for accepting!!! I loved "Challenger Deep" and the Unwind series so much. :)

reply | flag

message 14: by Scarlett

Jan 08, 2015 11:40PM

Thanks for accepting. I'm so happy I cried blood.

reply | flag

message 13: by Megan

Jan 08, 2015 07:07PM

I'm so happy to be friends with you so I can express how much I love the whole Unwind dystology! They're all flawless and I've read them like 3 times and love them more each time. I read the Skinjacker series a couple years back, so I'm going have to revisit those. I also was given Bruiser by my friend since she knows my love for your books and I'm so excited! Your writing is superb and your mind works in amazing ways.

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message 12: by Emily

Jan 08, 2015 03:04PM

I hope this doesn't sound too corny, but thank you for writing the Unwind series. You know a series is good when a student comes in to library and asks for a good book and the first words out of her mouth is "Have you read the Unwind series?". (Happened numerous times with my middle school and now my high school libraries) It's our high school librarian's favorite series! I couldn't tell you the amount of jealous looks I received when I walked through the halls with Undivided, when it wasn't yet available for students to check out (I'm a student library aid). Or the struggle I had to go through to finally get a hold of Unsouled. There was SO many holds on that book. I guess I just wanted to say that the Unwind series was a big part of my life? (I've been reading the series since 8th grade and now I'm a senior) and I would also like to thank you for accepting my friend request.

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message 11: by Ashley

Sep 21, 2013 09:32AM

Thanks for accepting my friend request. You are in my top three favorite authors, and it really means a lot!
I seriously cannot wait to read UnSouled when it comes out! Congratulations on all of your amazing books, and keep writing!

reply | flag

message 10: by Riya

Sep 20, 2013 08:54PM

Thanks so much for accepting my friend request!!! Unwind was just amazing, and I just got Unwholly- I'm honestly dying to read it. Such an amazing series!

reply | flag

message 9: by Ashley

Sep 20, 2013 07:02PM

Thank you for accepting my friend request.

reply | flag

message 8: by Lei (last edited Feb 25, 2013 01:57PM)

Feb 25, 2013 01:55PM

Thanks for accepting my friend request!! You are one of my top five favorite authors and I have read every single book of yours that I can get my hands on! You are an amazing author and your writing always makes me crave for more!

My favorite book that you have written is Unwind, though the Skinjacker trilogy is a close second. I love your concepts with these two books; you are extremely original:) I also really like your Dark Fusion series, especially Red Rider's Hood. Any chance of any more of those books coming out anytime soon? I just love the idea of twisting fairy tales that way! Amazing! Another favorite of mine is Bruiser. That book just made me think so much about the meaning of love and sacrifice.

Anyway, I extremely enjoy your books!!! I wish I could become such a masterful storyteller just like you:)

Mariama:)

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message 7: by ☆∞Love

Apr 30, 2012 07:28PM

Unwind was brilliant! When is Unwholly due out?

reply | flag

message 6: by Kat (idangerous)

Apr 10, 2012 04:26AM

Thank you for accepting my request! I'm currently reading Red Rider's Hood after reading Bruiser and so far Red is really good!

reply | flag

message 5: by Mgdrox99

Apr 09, 2012 02:02PM

Unwind was an amazing book. I just finished the first Skinjacker book and I checked out Everwild and Everfound. Your an amazing author. I love your books and so does everyone at my school.

reply | flag

message 4: by Amy

Jan 16, 2012 08:32PM