Full Tilt

• Genre: Fiction; young adult horror
• Originally Published: 2003
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 700L; grades 7-9
• Structure/Length: 16 chapters; approx. 225 pages; 5 hours and 49 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: At a phantom carnival, 16-year-old Blake must survive seven dangerous rides in order to save his younger brother, Quinn.

Neal Shusterman, Author

• Bio: Lives in Jacksonville, Florida; has written over 30 novels for children, teens, and adults; studied psychology and theater at the University of California; is also a film and television screenwriter
• Other Works: Everlost (2006); Challenger Deep (2015); Scythe (2016); Dry (2018)
• Awards: National Book Award for Young People’s Literature (2015); Golden Kite Award for Fiction (2016); Michael L. Printz Honor Award (2017)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Finding Balance
• Overcoming Trauma
• Fear of Change

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Deepen their understanding of the horror genre and its psychological basis as a foundation for appreciating and comprehending Full Tilt.
• Read/study short paired texts and other resources to develop their understanding of themes related to Finding Balance, Overcoming Trauma, and Fear of Change.
• Demonstrate their understanding of how a specific scene in Full Tilt develops a larger motif by illustrating one of the park’s rides and using text to explain its thematic significance.