“She saw the extraordinary in the ordinary, the magic in the mundane.”
Is there a Hawkins-shaped hole in your spare time? Can’t get enough of Americana-themed Sci-Fi and Horror tales where mysteries run rife and all is not as it first seems? Well, do we have the reading list for you! With its 80s nostalgia trips, spooky themes and compelling characters, it’s no wonder why Stranger Things has become such a cultural phenomenon in the years since its first season.
The hit Netflix show has provided an incredible amount of influence across the entertainment industry, so we decided to create a list of the best books like Stranger Things for when you’ve finished binging all of its episodes. From monsters hiding in the shadows to government conspiracies, check out these spine-tingling and chilling reads to sink your teeth into at What We Reading!
It – Stephen King
Where else could we start in a list of the best books like Stranger Things than with Stephen King’s It? Whether it was the original literary version, the 1990 television film or 2017 and 2019 adaptations, the story of Pennywise the Dancing Clown and the Loser’s Club has grown to become one of the horror world’s most iconic dynamics.
When a number of children go missing across the town of Derry, a group of outcasts band together to investigate what is behind the disappearances, and why the adults of the town seem to have no idea what is going on under their noses. Split in perspectives between the cast of characters as kids and adults, it tells the story of the Loser’s Club during one summer and their standoff with the evil being that has tormented them all their lives.
Check Out The Best Books Like It
Sawkill Girls – Claire Legrand
Are you missing the ‘small town being terrorised by a nefarious being’ vibe Hawkins has? Sawkill Girls is the perfect book for you. Author Claire Legrand introduces readers to three extraordinary girls who make up our titular trio: Marion, Zoey and Val. All three share vastly different personalities but are brought together on Sawkill Island, a land where the pastures roll into the horizon and violent waves crash against its black cliffs.
For years, whispers of girls being stolen away by an unspeakable evil have plagued the island. But, through the Sawkill Girls, this evil may have finally met its first challengers ready to fight back.
Meddling Kids – Edgar Cantero
Nominated in the Best Horror category in the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards, Meddling Kids is the hilarious blend of It and Scooby Doo from Barcelona-based author Edgar Cantero. The detective club known as the Blyton Summer Detective Club haven’t seen each other since their teenage days.
All of their lives have branched off into different directions, however, they are brought back to their small town of Blyton Hills to finally confront the case that broke them all in the first place. There, they soon discover that the source of their nightmares isn’t a man in a mask and that very real monsters are awaiting them.
House Of Furies – Madeleine Roux
For anyone who loved the creepy, sinister nature of ‘Papa’ and his experiments in Stranger Things, a book like Madeleine Roux’s House of Furies is a perfect follow-up experience. Seventeen-year-old Louisa Ditton picks up a job as a maid at the grand estate, Coldthistle House.
There, she encounters the mysterious owner of the house, Mr. Morningside. Louisa soon realises this building is not a place of rest, but rather one of judgement where the punishments are dealt firsthand by Mr. Morningside. Meeting a young boy named Lee, who doesn’t appear to be like the others in the building, Louisa sets out to help him. But in a place where all is not as it seems and dark twists and secrets are lurking in every shadow, how can Louisa know who to trust?
The Hazel Wood – Melissa Albert
With a story centred around the sudden disappearance of a family member, it should come as no surprise why we’re listing Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood as one of the best books like Stranger Things.
In it, readers follow seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother. The pair have spent the majority of their lives on the road but, following the death of her grandmother, Alice’s mother is suddenly kidnapped by a figure claiming to be from the ‘Hinterland’. The Hinterland is the unforgiving and evil world from her grandmother’s series of supernatural fairy tales, and the only lead Alice is given is to ‘stay away from the Hazel Wood’, the estate where her grandmother lived. Teaming up with her classmate, Alice is forced to dive into the Hazel Wood in a desperate quest to save her mother, discovering the chilling realities that influenced her grandmother’s spooky stories along the way.
Dead Flip – Sara Farizan
Another great book for anyone who loved Stranger Things, Dead Flip is a book by Sara Farizan that deals with ‘80s nostalgia and strange supernatural goings-on. Readers are introduced to the inseparable trio: Cori, Maz and Sam.
Set in 1992, Sam has been missing for five years but suddenly reemerges. Still twelve years old, the bestselling author of If You Could Be Mine and Here to Stay delivers a thrilling read that dazzles as much with its humour and wit as it does with its dark mysteries and profound character studies.
Monday’s Not Coming – Tiffany D. Jackson
In Tiffany D. Jackson’s Monday’s Not Coming, Monday Charles is introduced as being missing, a fact that only her best friend, Claudia, seems to be aware of. The pair are inseparable, and Claudia knows that Monday would never leave her to face the perils of school without letting her know.
Monday’s mother and sister offer her no help, leading to Claudia digging deeper into this sudden disappearance. However, the deeper she goes into the rabbit hole of Monday’s disappearance, the more Claudia begins to see how no one seems to have any recollection of when they last saw her. How can a teenage girl disappear with no one realising?
All These Bodies – Kendare Blake
#1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake presents an adrenaline-pumping thrill ride and one of the best books like Stranger Things in All These Bodies. Set in 1958, readers are introduced to a series of gruesome murders taking place across the Midwest. Town sheriff Michael Jensen never suspected these murders would find their way to his town but, when the Carlson family are found in their home drained of their blood, he is forced to confront the truth.
Fifteen-year-old Marie Catherine Hale was discovered at the scene of the crime covered in blood and is the sole suspect in the case. However, when says she is only willing to talk to Jensen, he is forced to uncover the gruesome truth of what happened that night, and how this one girl found herself amongst all those bodies.
Loved All These Bodies? Check Out Our The Silent Patient Book Review
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
