Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books and they’re all calling out to be read, but where should you start? This is a guide to help you choose which one of Shusterman’s latest YA novels to pick up first.

For the dystopian lover: Scythe

I will never stop recommending Scythe. The story is so unique and captivating from the very first page. This is also a fantastic series for someone looking to get back into reading.

In a world where disease, war and crime have been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (gleaned) by professional scythes. Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythes’ apprentices. Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe’s apprentice and as Citra and Rowan come up against a terrifyingly corrupt Scythedom, it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to glean the loser.

Make sure to check out Thunderhead and The Toll, the other two books in the series, or buy all three in the box set.

For the ‘what if?’ lover: Dry

Dry is a collaboration between Neal and his son, Jarrod. The most powerful thing about this story is that it could actually happen. Stop watering your lawns, everyone!

The drought - or the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it - has been going on for a while now. Everyone’s lives have become an endless list of don'ts: don’t water the lawn, don’t fill up your pool, don’t take long showers. Until the taps run dry.

Suddenly, Alyssa’s quiet suburban street spirals into a war zone of desperation; neighbours and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don’t return and her life - and the life of her brother - is threatened, Alyssa has to make impossible choices if she’s going to survive.

For the contemporary lover: Challenger Deep

Challenger Deep is a story about mental health. But it doesn’t glamourise or romanticise it. Be ready for all the emotions.

Caden Bosch is on a ship that’s headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.

Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behaviour. Caden Bosch is designated the ship’s artist in residence to document the journey with images. Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head. Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny. Caden Bosch is torn.

For the mythology lover: Roxy

Roxy is the second collaboration by Neal and Jarrod. This is a powerful and creative book about the dangers of drugs, from the point of view of the drugs themselves. This is a must read, but have your tissues ready.

Above our world is a toxic wonderland where the party has raged for centuries. Humans know the partygoers simply as narcotics, opioids, drugs. But here they are malevolent gods, toying with the fates of mortals. Roxy and Addison have made a wager to see who can be lethal the quickest.

Isaac and Ivy Ramey are their targets. This is the start of a race to the bottom that will determine life and death. One Ramey will land on their feet. The other will be lost to the Party. The only question is… Which one?

For the sports and multiverse lover: Game Changer

Game Changer is so much more than a story about football. It explores racism, homophobia and sexism in a multiverse world. Get ready to question your reality.

As a star player on his high school American football team, Ash is used to taking some hard hits. But that one run in his last game must have knocked him a little loose, because suddenly his life doesn’t look quite the way he remembers it.

As Ash bounces into worlds that are almost-but-not-really his own, he starts to question everything, including his own perceptions and place in his own reality. But can he even work out how to get back there?