In 1988, Neal Shusterman began is writing career with his debut, The Shadow Club. It’s a story many kids can relate to. The protagonists are kids who are generally overlooked. They’re second-best, always overshadowed by the first-place winners. For the first time they get together and talk about how they feel. And when they decide to play a prank on the winners, things get out of control fast.
That novel gained a starred review from Booklist and launched a career spanning over three decades and counting. Since then he has published dozens of novels, graphic novels, picture books, and short story collections. He has written games, non-fiction books, and even worked in film and television, including Pixel Perfect and Goosebumps.
Spanning from science fiction to fantasy, Shusterman often tackles complex topics in near-future or speculative worlds that deal with technology, mental illness, and other social issues. But no matter how dire the world his characters find themselves in, the one thing they always have is hope. It’s because of this that his impact on young adults has been significant, earning him honors for multiple awards, including winning several awards. In 2024, he won the Margaret Edwards Award as a nod to his meaningful contributions to teen literature. If you’ve been curious what his novels are about, we’ve got you covered.
Here are some of the best novels by Neal Shusterman.
Tesla's Attic
After their home burns down, Nick moves into a crumbling Victorian house with his father and brother that they’ve inherited. It’s a strange house with an attic filled with junk that they quickly sell in a garage sale. Only, some of that stuff wasn’t junk. It was the last inventions of genius Nikola Tesla. And there was a reason it was in the attic. If Nick wants to help Tesla’s last creation come to fruition, he has to get everything he sold back. But there are powerful forces who want to stop them. And if Nick doesn’t succeed, he risks altering destiny forever.
Scythe
After humanity has eradicated disease and conquered death, someone has to keep the population under control. The world needs scythes. They are the only ones who can end life, and despite no one wanting the role, they are commanded to kill when necessary. Citra and Rowan and both chosen as apprentices and forced to learn how to end a life. And if they fail in their lessons, the life lost will be their own.
Unwind
Reproductive rights began the Second Civil War. In the aftermath, life is protected from conception to age thirteen. But from thirteen to eighteen, parents can choose to “unwind” their children, a process that donates the organs so that life technically carries on. Connor is proving to be a difficult teen. One his parents can’t control. But when they send him to be unwound, he meets Risa and Lev, two unwanted children destined for the same fate. Individually, they would be doomed. Together, they just might escape.
Dry
The drought has raged through California for so long, it’s known as the Tap-Out. The longer it drags, the more rules are put in place. But nothing can keep the taps going forever. When they dry up, quiet neighborhoods erupt into warzones. Alyssa’s parents left in search of water. Only, they never come back. Alone, surrounded by friends and neighbors willing to turn on each other for a drop of precious water, Alyssa has to protect both herself and her brother. It starts with an impossible choice. But it doesn’t end there.
Everlost
When Nick and Allie die in a car crash, their souls don’t make it all the way to the afterlife. Instead, they are stuck in Everlost, a limbo that is halfway between life and death. It’s a magical but dangerous place, where anyone who stays in place too long risks sinking into the Earth. Nick quickly finds himself content to stay stuck, but Allie has other plans. Desperate to leave, she illegally learns to haunt, waking a monster that threatens all the souls trapped in Everlost.
All Better Now
It starts with a fever. But instead of dying, those afflicted wake freed from the burden of negativity. Contentment on a worldwide scale should be a good thing. But for the people in power who rely on discontent and the corporations who profit from it, happiness is a threat. Soon, vaccines are invented and propaganda repeated until the truth is blurred beyond all recognition. And at the center of it all, two teens find themselves in the middle of the biggest power play of all-time. Can the truth truly set the world free?
The Schwa was Here
There’s a kid called the Schwa. People say a lot of things about him. Things like if you stare at him long enough, you can see through him. Most people don’t actually notice him. But Antsy Bonano did. He was the first to realize the Schwa could become invisible. It was his plan that made them sort of famous. And it was when that fame took over that Antsy stopped being the kind of friend he should have been. Worst of all, the Schwa effect might mean that if he doesn’t tell his story fast enough, he just might forget everything.
Featured image: Marek Piwnicki / Unsplash
