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Neal Shusterman

Book Reviews

UnWholly

Red Rider's Hood

Neal Shusterman's book UnWholly is about kids who are constantly repressed by the government. In this story, the government starts a war with another nation, and in response the children take a stand against their own government. The government then creates "unwinding" to prevent children from fighting back. Unwinding is a process where kids are taken apart and then put in reserve for people with money who might need the body parts later for medical purposes. What I liked about UnWholly is that it has a war theme and a very serious tone. I also liked that this book switched points of view. Sometimes the story is written from the children's perspective, and other times it is written from the point of view from people working against the children. I recommend this book to readers who can handle gruesome descriptions, who like action and do not care that kids are being "unwound."

The book Red Rider's Hood is about a boy who built a red mustang that was stolen. To get the mustang back the boy went deeper into gangs than he ever wanted to go. What I liked about this book is that it was suspenseful and kept me on my toes. For example, in one part of the story the boy is thrown into a cellar, and he sees his grandmother smoking "wolfsbane" (a plant that keeps away werewolves!) I also liked this book because it had to do with topics I loved when I was younger. The kind of reader I would recommend this book to is someone who can handle gruesome death and likes action.

A Ship Out of Luck

The Schwa was Here

Author's Writing

Author's Life/Influences

The book A Ship Out of Luck is a comedy about a boy named Antsy who is invited on a cruise. While he is on this cruise he discovers what lengths he will go to for someone he does not know. I liked this book because it was hilarious, and once I picked it up I could not put it down. I also like that this book had some insane moments to it. For example, Antsy creates a fake birth certificate for his best friend saying that he is Antsy's brother. The kind of reader I would recommend this book to is someone who enjoys finding humor in a serious topic. I would also recommend this book to a reader who likes comedy.

Neal Shusterman's book The Schwa Was Here is about a boy named Calvin aka "Schwa" who is invisible because the viewer's mind forgets about him. Schwa spends his time trying to make a name for himself. The story is ironic because an invisible person is trying to get noticed. What I liked about this book is that it was always exciting. For example, an old man calls the police because Schwa breaks into his house so that he can get noticed. I also liked that this story had drama in it, and it made you think about your life experiences. The kind of reader who would like this book would be a person that is looking for a book that will make him/her laugh.

Neal Shusterman's style is like going on a treasure hunt with clues at each stop. He sends the reader on a journey and gives clues about the ending along the way. For example, in UnWholly one of the characters shows up in the beginning of the book, and you know he will play an important role because Shusterman spends so much time describing the character in a negative way. You suspect the character might do something bad, but you are not quite sure. In the end, that character turns out to be a villain. Shusterman uses clues in his writing in an exciting way.

Shusterman tends to write fantasy books, but he also has books of different genres. In every genre, Shusterman likes to make his readers think deeply about a question, but he does not like giving the answer. For example, in Everlost Shusterman creates a world in between life and death. He makes you question what happens when you die, but he never answers it for you. His writing style makes readers think.

Shusterman describes his voice as dark but light. Like a painting by Ivan Earl. What he means is that he writes serious stories but uses humor. An example is in Everwild when the character is underneath a train that is sinking into the earth. The character is able to persuade his worst enemy to lift a train off of him because his enemy has amnesia. In that stressful moment, the reader chuckles at the irony. Shusterman finds a way to make serious topics enjoyable.

Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Mexico City when he was 16. This move influenced him to write stories that involve characters moving around the world. He was also influenced by a painting in college that he described as being light but dark. He loved this opposing relationship and he ended up writing books that also explore light and dark. When Shusterman was a camp counselor he told stories to the teenage campers. These stories had choices in them that impacted the character's lives. A lot of these stories he used to write his books. He was influenced by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because he likes that it was so creative, and he wanted to write books like it. He majored in drama and psychology in college, which made him write books that make the reader think. Overall, Neal Shusterman is a very creative author who was influenced by his education and travels.

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