Neal Shusterman

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Neal Shusterman
Neal shusterman 2013.jpg
Shusterman at the 2013 Texas Book Festival
Born (1962-11-12) November 12, 1962 (age 62)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of California, Irvine
Period1988–present
Genre Young adult fiction, dystopian fiction, science fiction
Notable works
Notable awards National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2015)
Margaret A. Edwards Award (2024)
Children4
Website
storyman.com [ dead link ]

Neal Shusterman (born November 12, 1962) is an American writer of young adult fiction. He won the 2015 National Book Award for Young People's Literature for his book Challenger Deep and his novel, Scythe , was a 2017 Michael L. Printz Honor book. [1] [2]

Contents

He won the Margaret Edwards Award in 2024 "honoring his significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens." [3]

Early life

Shusterman was born on November 12, 1962, and raised in Brooklyn, New York City. His family is Jewish. [4]

From a young age, Shusterman was an avid reader. At the age of 16, Shusterman and his family moved to Mexico City. [5] He finished high school there at the American School Foundation and is quoted as saying that "Having an international experience changed my life, giving me a fresh perspective on the world, and a sense of confidence I might not have otherwise." [6] He attended the University of California, Irvine, where he double-majored in psychology and theater, and was also on the varsity swim team. [7] [8] [9]

Career

After college, Shusterman worked as an assistant at the Irvin Arthur Associates, a talent agency in Los Angeles, where Lloyd Segan became his agent. Within a year, Shusterman had his first book deal and a screenwriting job. He lives in Florida. [10]

Shusterman has received numerous honors for his books, including the 2005 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and 2008 California Young Reader Medal for The Schwa Was Here, as well as the 2015 National Book Award for Challenger Deep . [11] He served as a judge for the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship in 2012. [12] Unwind has won more than 30 awards and is in development with Constantin Film as a television series. [13]

In 2016, it was announced that his novel Scythe is in development with Universal as a feature film. [14] Challenger Deep was acquired by Disney+ in 2019, and Will McCormack has been selected to write the script. [15]

He has been nominated four times (twice in 2019; 2020; 2023) in different categories of the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis and won the Youth Jury Prize in 2019. In March 2023, the German translation of the book Roxy, written with his son Jarrod Shusterman, was nominated by the youth jury. [16]

Shusterman has also written for TV, including the Disney Channel Original Movie Pixel Perfect , and episodes of Goosebumps, Animorphs, and R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series. [17]

Fellow author Orson Scott Card invited Shusterman to write novels parallel to Ender's Game about other characters from the series, but schedules did not permit it, and Card wrote Ender's Shadow and the subsequent series himself. [18]

Awards

Bibliography

Fiction series

The N.O.A.H. Files trilogy (with Eric Elfman)

  • I Am the Walrus (2023) [24]
  • Shock the Monkey (2024) [25]

The Accelerati trilogy (with Eric Elfman)

  • Tesla's Attic (2014) ISBN   9781423148036 [26] [27] [28]
  • Edison's Alley (2015) ISBN   9781423148067 [29] [30]
  • Hawking's Hallway (2016) ISBN   9781423155218 [31]

Antsy Bonano

Arc of a Scythe

Dark Fusion

The Shadow Club Duology

The Skinjacker trilogy

The Star Shards Chronicles

  • Scorpion Shards (1995) [54]
  • Thief of Souls (1999) [55]
  • Shattered Sky (2002) [56] [57]

The Unwind dystology

The X-Files

  • The X-Files Young Adult Series
  • 3) Bad Sign (1997) [writing as Easton Royce] [67] novelization of The X-Files episode Syzygy
  • 10) Dark Matter (1999) [writing as Easton Royce] novelization of The X-Files episode Soft Light
  • The X-Files Young Readers Series
  • 8) Voltage (1996) [writing as Easton Royce] novelization of The X-Files episode D.P.O.
  • 9) E.B.E. (1996) co-authored with Les Martin [writing as Easton Royce] novelization of The X-Files episode E.B.E.

Space: Above and Beyond

  • 1) The Aliens Approach (1996) [writing as Easton Royce] novelization of the pilot episode of the Space: Above and Beyond TV series
  • 3) Mutiny (1996) [writing as Easton Royce] novelization of the Space: Above and Beyond episode, Mutiny

Other novels

Picture books

Short stories

Short story collections

Games

Nonfiction

Poems

Screenwriting credits

Television

Film

Related Research Articles

The Ender's Game series is a series of science fiction books written by American author Orson Scott Card. The series started with the novelette Ender's Game, which was later expanded into the novel of the same title. It currently consists of sixteen novels, thirteen short stories, 47 comic issues, an audioplay, and a film. The first two novels in the series, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, each won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.

Eric Elfman is an American author with a specializing in science fiction, fantasy, UFOs, and paranormal events. He has written over 14 books for young adults and middle-grade readers, including the Accelerati Trilogy, which was co-written with Neal Shusterman, Almanac of Alien Encounters, Almanac of the Gross, Disgusting, and Totally Repulsive, and Very Scary Almanac.

Robison Wells is an American novelist and blogger.

<i>The Schwa Was Here</i> 2004 book by Neal Shusterman

The Schwa Was Here is a young adult novel by Neal Shusterman, published by Dutton Penguin in 2004. It is about an eighth-grader's friendship with another student named Calvin Schwa, who goes almost completely unnoticed by the people around him.

<i>Unwind</i> (novel) 2007 novel by Neal Shusterman

Unwind is a dystopian novel by Neal Shusterman. It takes place in the United States in the near future. After the Second Civil War was fought over abortion, a compromise was reached, allowing parents to sign an order for their children between the ages of 13 and 18 to be "unwound" — taken to "harvest camps" and dissected into their body parts for later use. The reasoning is that since 99.44% of the body is used, unwinds do not technically die because their individual body parts live on.

Kristin F. Cast is an American author of young adult books and graphic novels, best known for the House of Night series and Sisters of Salem series, written with her mother, P. C. Cast.

<i>Everlost</i> 2006 fantasy novel by Neal Shusterman

Everlost is a fantasy book published in 2006 by the young adult author Neal Shusterman. The story is the first in the Skinjacker trilogy that takes place in Everlost, the place between life and death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everwild</span> Book by Neal Shusterman

Everwild is a 2009 fantasy novel by American young adult author Neal Shusterman. The book is the second book in the Skinjacker Trilogy, which takes place in Everlost, a limbo-like place between life and death.

Joshua "Josh" Viola is a science fiction/fantasy/horror writer, artist and film producer best known for Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise, True Believers, Denver Moon, The Bane of Yoto and his companies Hex Publishers and Bit Bot Media. He is a 2021 Splatterpunk Award nominee and a 2022 Colorado Book Awards winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer A. Nielsen</span> American author

Jennifer Anne Nielsen is an American author known primarily for young adult fiction. Her works include the Ascendance Series, Behind Enemy Lines, The Mark of the Thief, A Night Divided, and the Underworld Chronicles.

Courtney Summers is a Canadian writer of young adult fiction. Her most famous known works are Cracked Up to Be (2008), This Is Not a Test (2012), All the Rage (2015), and Sadie (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwame Alexander</span> American writer of poetry and childrens fiction (born 1968)

Kwame Alexander is an American writer of poetry and children's fiction.

Amie Kaufman is an Australian author. She has authored New York Times bestselling and internationally bestselling science fiction and fantasy for young adults. She is known for the Starbound Trilogy and Unearthed, which she co-authored with Meagan Spooner; for her series The Illuminae Files, co-authored with Jay Kristoff; and for her solo series, Elementals. Her books have been published in over 35 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Reynolds</span> American young adult novelist (born 1983)

Jason Reynolds is an American author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle grade audiences. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in neighboring Oxon Hill, Maryland, Reynolds found inspiration in rap and had an early focus on poetry, publishing several poetry collections before his first novel in 2014, When I Was the Greatest, which won the John Steptoe Award for New Talent.

<i>Scythe</i> (novel) 2016 novel by Neal Shusterman

Scythe is a 2016 young adult novel by Neal Shusterman and is the first in the Arc of a Scythe series. It is set in the far future, where death, disease, and unhappiness have been virtually eliminated thanks to advances in technology, and a benevolent artificial intelligence known as the Thunderhead peacefully governs a united Earth. The notable exception to the Thunderhead's rule is the Scythedom, a group of humans whose sole purpose is to replicate mortal death in order to keep the population growth in check.

Anna-Marie McLemore is a Mexican-American author of young adult fiction magical realism, best known for their Stonewall Honor-winning novel When the Moon Was Ours, Wild Beauty, and The Weight of Feathers.

<i>Thunderhead</i> (Shusterman novel) 2018 novel by Neal Shusterman

Thunderhead is a 2018 young-adult novel by Neal Shusterman and is the second in the Arc of a Scythe series, following Scythe.

<i>The Toll</i> (novel) 2019 novel by Neal Shusterman

The Toll is a 2019 young adult novel by Neal Shusterman. It is the final book in the Arc of a Scythe series, following Scythe and Thunderhead. The novel was first published by Simon & Schuster on November 5, 2019. It received generally positive reviews.

References

  1. "National Book Awards 2015". National Book Foundation. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  2. "Printz Award 2017 | Young Adult Library Services Association". www.ala.org. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  3. "Neal Shusterman wins 2024 Edwards Award for 'The Arc of the Scythe: Scythe, Thunderhead and The Toll,' 'Bruiser,' 'Challenger Deep,' 'Everlost,' 'Full Tilt,' 'The Schwa Was Here' and 'Unwind' | ALA". www.ala.org. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  4. Jensen, Kelly (May 26, 2020). "Neal Shusterman's Inclusive YA and Talking to the Author About Representation". BOOK RIOT. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
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  8. "Exploring the abyss". UCI News. March 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
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  11. 1 2 3 Book, Horn. "Past Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Winners". The Horn Book. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  12. "Announcing the 2012 PEN Literary Award Recipients". PEN American Center . October 15, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  13. "UNWIND Movie News!". Neal Shusterman. July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2024.[ dead link ]
  14. Galuppo, Mia (May 6, 2016). "Universal to Adapt Upcoming Neal Shusterman YA Series, Starting With 'Scythe' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  15. Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 25, 2019). "Disney+ Acquires Neal Shusterman Novel 'Challenger Deep' With 'Toy Story 4's Will McCormack Adapting". Deadline. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  16. "Deutscher Jugendliteratur Preis 2023 Nominierungen" (PDF). Arbeitskreis für Jugendliteratur. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  17. "Neal Shusterman | Writer, Producer". IMDb. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  18. Card himself describes the origins of the idea for Ender's Shadow and Shusterman's early involvement in the foreword of some editions of Ender's Shadow, including ISBN   9780765342409)
  19. "Winners". CYRM. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  20. "2015 National Book Award Winner, Young People's Literature". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  21. M.ed, Lee Wind (July 29, 2016). "The Official SCBWI Conference Blog: The 2016 Golden Kite Award-Winner For Fiction: Neal Shusterman for Challenge Deep". The Official SCBWI Conference Blog. Retrieved July 2, 2024.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  22. "Printz Award 2017 | Young Adult Library Services Association". www.ala.org. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  23. "Past Winners: Young Hoosier Book Awards" (PDF).
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  25. "Goodreads: Shock the Monkey". Goodreads . Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  26. "The Accelerati Trilogy, Book One: Tesla's Attic". Disney Publishing Worldwide. January 23, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  27. Shusterman, Neal. "Tesla's Attic – Book Description". storyman.com. Self published . Retrieved June 23, 2015.[ dead link ]
  28. "TESLA'S ATTIC". Kirkus Reviews . December 7, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  29. "The Accelerati Trilogy, Book Two: Edison's Alley". Disney Publishing Worldwide. December 4, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  30. Shusterman, Neal. "Edison's Alley – Book Description". storyman.com. Self published . Retrieved June 23, 2015.[ dead link ]
  31. Shusterman, Neal (June 3, 2015). "June 2015 News Tidbits". storyman.com. Self published . Retrieved June 23, 2015.[ dead link ]
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  42. "Red Rider's Hood – Neal Shusterman" . Retrieved June 25, 2016.[ dead link ]
  43. "DARK FUSION by Neal Shusterman – Kirkus Reviews" . Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  44. "Duckling Ugly – Neal Shusterman" . Retrieved June 25, 2016.[ dead link ]
  45. "DUCKLING UGLY by Neal Shusterman – Kirkus Reviews" . Retrieved June 25, 2016.
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  56. "Shattered Sky – Neal Shusterman" . Retrieved June 25, 2016.[ dead link ]
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  62. "UnSouled – Neal Shusterman" . Retrieved June 25, 2016.[ dead link ]
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  66. "Digital Catalog – UnBound" . Retrieved June 25, 2016.
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  69. "WHAT DADDY DID by Neal Shusterman – Kirkus Reviews" . Retrieved June 25, 2016.
  70. "THE EYES OF KID MIDAS by Neal Shusterman – Kirkus Reviews" . Retrieved June 25, 2016.
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  80. Archipelago, World. "Resurrection Bay – Neal Shusterman – E-book" . Retrieved June 25, 2016.