Books with author Shusterman

A teen attempts to forgive the unforgiveable in this “stunning novel” (VOYA) based on a tragic true story from the author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.Preston Scott was only twelve years old when his father killed his mother. He never saw it coming. Despite his parents’ constant fighting, Preston always thought they were perfect together. He never dreamed his father would be capable of murder. Then again, who could ever predict something like this? Fast forward: Preston is now fourteen. His father has just been released from jail and is moving near his grandparents’ house, where Preston and his younger brother Tyler have been living. His grandparents forgave his dad long ago for killing their daughter, and although Preston tries to feel the same kind of forgiveness, it’s not easy: he’ll never see his mother again, and yet, he still loves his father. How is that possible? Will Preston ever be able to reconcile his dueling feelings for his father, and move past this tragedy? Chasing Forgiveness was originally published in 1991 as What Daddy Did.

The uproarius companion to "The Schwa was Here" and "Antsy Does Time"In honor of Old Man Crawley’s eightieth birthday, the Bonano family has been invited to celebrate with a weeklong cruise to the Caribbean aboard the world’s largest, grandest ship. But whether on land or at sea, Antsy can’t manage to stay out of trouble: He quickly finds himself the accomplice of stowaway and thief Tilde, whose self-made mission it is to smuggle onto the ship and across the U.S. border illegal immigrants from her native Mexico. When Antsy steps in to take the fall for Tilde, he becomes the focus of a major international incident and the poster child for questionable decisions.Equal parts clever and riotous, Ship Out of Luck brings back the beloved cast of characters from Neal Shusterman’s acclaimed The Schwa Was Here and Antsy Does Time.

A teen attempts to forgive the unforgiveable in this “stunning novel” (VOYA) based on a tragic true story from the author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.Preston Scott was only twelve years old when his father killed his mother. He never saw it coming. Despite his parents’ constant fighting, Preston always thought they were perfect together. He never dreamed his father would be capable of murder. Then again, who could ever predict something like this? Fast forward: Preston is now fourteen. His father has just been released from jail and is moving near his grandparents’ house, where Preston and his younger brother Tyler have been living. His grandparents forgave his dad long ago for killing their daughter, and although Preston tries to feel the same kind of forgiveness, it’s not easy: he’ll never see his mother again, and yet, he still loves his father. How is that possible? Will Preston ever be able to reconcile his dueling feelings for his father, and move past this tragedy? Chasing Forgiveness was originally published in 1991 as What Daddy Did.

The New York Times bestselling author of Challenger Deep, Neal Shusterman, delivers a suspenseful, eloquent, and thrilling novel that you won't be able to stop thinking about after you've put it down. Tennyson is not surprised, really, when his family begins to fall apart, or when his twin sister, Brontë, starts dating the misunderstood bully, Brewster (or The Bruiser, as the entire high school calls him). Tennyson is determined to get to the bottom of The Bruiser's reputation, even if it means gearing up for a fight. Brontë, on the other hand, thinks there's something special underneath that tough exterior. And she's right…but neither she nor Tennyson is prepared for the truth of what lies below the surface. Told through Tennyson, Brontë, and Bruiser's points of view, this dark, twisting novel explores friendship, family, and the sacrifices we make for the people we love.A Texas Lone Star Reading List selectionA Book Page Top Ten Book of the YearA Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the YearA Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice

Six teens struggle to discover the source of their strange and horrific abilities in this first book of The Star Shards Chronicles.Dillon has the terrifying power to create massive amounts of destruction with the slightest tweak of his will. Deanna is so consumed by fear, it has become like a black hole, drawing to her the very things that terrify her. Then, when the glare of a supernova sixteen light-years away illuminates the night sky, they have a vision: There are six of them out there, all teenagers, and all suffering from supernatural afflictions that disfigure their bodies and souls. Only by finding one another will the six ever be strong enough to defeat these mysterious forces that, bit by bit, are devouring their souls from the inside out. Acclaimed author Neal Shusterman “combines personal quest, horror, and science fiction into an absorbing exploration of good and evil, guilt, forgiveness and personal responsibility” (VOYA) in this thrilling start to a riveting trilogy. Originally published by Tor Fantasy in 1995.

Jason is having a bad day. The kind of day when you just don't feel like yourself. Only for Jason, it's not just a feeling. He really isn't himself.Not any more.Who is he? That's the problem. Jason isn't sure. And it's not just him. Everyone in town is acting weird. His friends. His parents. Everyone. Billington is usually such a normal town. As Jason is about to discover, nothing will ever be normal again.

Cara is so ugly, mirrors would rather break than show her reflection. Not even her own parents can deny her ugliness, and nothing can make up for the cruelty of her schoolmates. Tormented and tortured by the shallow people of Flock’s Rest, Cara’s life is miserable. Then Cara receives a shimmering note from some exotic place suggesting that there’s more to her than meets the eye. Cara wonders if her destiny has something to do with her recurring dreams of a beautiful green valley where the people are so accepting, her ugliness doesn’t matter. Soon, Cara discovers that her valley of dreams is real. It’s a place where the ugliest of ducklings can become swans. A swan, however, can have a serious taste for revenge . . . deadly revenge.

In this second entry in Neal Shusterman’s Dark Fusion series, he twists the familiar fairy tale "Red Riding Hood" into a brooding story about a city plagued by gangs. Red, a boy famous for cruising around in a bloodcolored Mustang, takes on the Wolves after they rob his grandmother. He decides to beat them by joining them, to learn their weaknesses. After a while, however, he finds himself drawn to the pack. At the next full moon, will Red take up their murderous ways, or will he take them down? Ingenious twists and turns come fast and furious in this urban thriller.

It began innocently enough: six children conceived at the exact moment that the star Mentaras-H went supernova.The explosion transformed their souls into living star fragments. It also conferred upon each of them a unique but mysterious power -a power that until they learned its secret masqueraded as a warping disfigurement. For some, it was physical. For others, it was emotional. But for ALL six it meant one thing: their lives would never be the same.In time they unlocked the secret of their power. Their gifts brought them incredible riches and attention. Once despised for their deformities, they would come to be worshiped-and feared-as gods. But with unlimited power would come the temptation to abuse it and-in a desperate struggle for supremacy-the risk of turning against one another like hungry wolves. But only now will the true cost of their gifts be revealed. A new and terrifying force has been loosed in the universe. It infects an alien planet like a rampaging virus. When the inhabitants of the doomed planet are forced to flee, they must conquer and colonize a new planet.Their choice: Earth. Only one power exists that could conceivably prevent the extermination of the human race: the Star Shards. But only if the six put aside their titanic egos and join forces. Welcome to Judgment Day.