Books like Full Tilt

If you liked Full Tilt, read Unwind, The Schwa was Here, or A Sudden Silence — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman (Horror · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of brothers, carnivals in fiction, and carnivals. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to Full Tilt

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Why each is a match

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Unwindgrades 8–12
Is by Neal Shusterman, the same author, both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, and overlapping grades (8–12). Amazon → books like this →
The Schwa was Heregrades 4–9
Is by Neal Shusterman, the same author, overlapping grades (4–9), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
A Sudden Silencegrades 9–12
Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Breaking Boxesgrades 9–12
Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →
Breathing Underwatergrades 9–12
Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Define "Normal"grades 9–12
Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Hanging on to Maxgrades 9–12
Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Life as We Knew Itgrades 5–12
Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (5–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
My Sister's Keepergrades 9–12
Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2000s). Amazon → books like this →
Night Kitesgrades 9–12
Shares themes of brothers and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like Full Tilt for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

  • Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Don’t Touch My Room by Patricia Lakin · grades K–3 — Shares themes of brothers.
  • Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Let's Do Nothing by Tony Fucile · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (2000s).
  • Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt · grades K–3 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and the same era (2000s).

Books like Full Tilt for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

  • It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell · grades 3–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and same genre (Horror).
  • 7 X 9 = Trouble by Claudia Mills · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of brothers.
  • All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn · grades 5–8 — Same genre (Horror) and the same era (2000s).
  • Double Fudge by Judy Blume · grades 4–6 — Shares themes of brothers.
  • Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of self-perception.

Books like Full Tilt for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

  • It Came from the Trees by Ally Russell · grades 3–6 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and same genre (Horror).
  • Night Terrors by Murphy, Jim · grades 6–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and same genre (Horror).
  • There's a Dead Person Following My Sister Around by Vivian Vande Velde · grades 6–8 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list and same genre (Horror).
  • When by Laurie McBain · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of brothers and both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list.
  • 12 Again by Sue Corbett · grades 6–8 — Shares themes of brothers.

Books like Full Tilt for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

  • The Compound by S. A. Bodeen · grades 6–9 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s).
  • The Doom Stone by Paul Zindel · grades 6–9 — Same genre (Horror) and overlapping grades (6–9).
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (6–9), and the same era (2000s).
  • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (7–10), and the same era (2000s).
  • Twilight by Stephenie Meyer · grades 9–12 — Both on the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2000s).

Common questions

What books are similar to Full Tilt?
The 10 closest matches to Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman on ReadingList include Unwind, The Schwa was Here, A Sudden Silence, Breaking Boxes, and Breathing Underwater. Each is scored on shared themes (brothers, carnivals in fiction, and carnivals), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like Full Tilt reading-level appropriate?
Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?
Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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