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Neal Shusterman

Goodreads Author

Born

in Brooklyn, New York, The United States

Website

http://www.storyman.com/

Genre

Young Adult, Children's

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

1093 posts
Neal Shusterman's Blog

Break To You seems to have captivated readers right from the start! I love reading your reviews…

Break To You seems to have captivated readers right from the start! I love reading your reviews glowing with praise, highlighting its enthralling storyline, compelling characters, and gripping plot twists.

Ready to experience the same spellbinding journey that has enchanted readers? Grab your copy of Break To You through the links below and get ready to be captivated. Don’t forget to share your in

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Neal Shusterman’s books

Average rating: 4.23 · 1,274,635 ratings · 161,566 reviews · 86 distinct works • Similar authors

	Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1) 4.33 avg rating — 329,359 ratings — published 2016 — 100 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 — 232,602 ratings — published 2007 — 98 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) 4.40 avg rating — 186,925 ratings — published 2018 — 78 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) 4.18 avg rating — 133,876 ratings — published 2019 — 19 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) 4.24 avg rating — 60,976 ratings — published 2012 — 63 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) 4.02 avg rating — 47,228 ratings — published 2018 — 50 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 — 35,872 ratings — published 2013 — 51 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 — 34,934 ratings — published 2006 — 57 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 — 31,200 ratings — published 2015 — 49 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 — 28,179 ratings — published 2014 — 34 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)

4.31 avg rating — 667,004 ratings

Unwind Dystology (4 books)
by

Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author)

4.21 avg rating — 373,373 ratings

Skinjacker (3 books)
by

Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author)

4.10 avg rating — 62,339 ratings

Antsy Bonano (3 books)
by

Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author)

3.93 avg rating — 12,390 ratings

The Accelerati Trilogy (3 books)
by

Neal Shusterman (Goodreads Author),

Eric Elfman (Goodreads Author)

4.07 avg rating — 5,282 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

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Oct 02, 2014 08:38PM

Neal Shusterman is currently reading

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

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Oct 02, 2014 08:22PM

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Neal’s Recent Updates

Neal Shusterman wrote a new blog post Break To You seems to have captivated readers right from the start! I love reading your reviews… Break To You seems to have captivated readers right from the start! I love reading your reviews glowing with praise, highlighting its enthralling stor Read more of this blog post »
Jul 08, 2024 12:09AM · like

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

976 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

908 likes

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

tags: ambition, failure, irony, optimism

856 likes

See all Neal Shusterman's quotes »

Polls

What Series Would You Like to Read in 2015? (Only one vote, so vote for the one you want most and the top voted will be scheduled out for next year)

The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

11 votes, 18.6%

Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

11 votes, 18.6%

Gone series by Michael Grant

7 votes, 11.9%

Unwind series by Neal Shusterman

7 votes, 11.9%

Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness

7 votes, 11.9%

Virulent series by Shelbi Wescott

7 votes, 11.9%

Matched series by Ally Condie

7 votes, 11.9%

Hunting Freedom series by Alice Reeds

2 votes, 3.4%

59 total votes

comments and details

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Challenge: 50 Books: Tina's List	60	1072	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	1331	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	778	Aug 27, 2009 04:38AM
The Book Challenge: Jennifer's 2009 Book Challenge	19	483	Sep 01, 2009 03:42PM

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Neal’s Friend Comments

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Comments (showing 1-15) post a comment »

date

newest »

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!

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message 9: by Ashley

Sep 20, 2013 07:02PM

Thank you for accepting my friend request.

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message 8: by Mariama 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?

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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!

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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.

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message 4: by Amy

Jan 16, 2012 08:32PM