Fans of the tv show Stranger Things will enjoy these YA paranormal horror book recommendations. Perfect for teens who like quirky characters and weird places.
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This post is part of a new series I’m working on with book recommendations for teens. Each week this summer I’ll be sharing lists of 5 YA books for fans of a different tv series. See all my book lists.
Today I’ve got 5 books you might enjoy if you like the tv series Stranger Things. There are 5 seasons of the show on Netflix.
In the tv series, a group of kids in 1980s Indiana discover a secret government lab in their small town that has opened a portal into a horrifying alternate dimension. This series has a lot of retro nostalgia, like music and pop culture, as well as the ubiquitous time spend bicycling around town unsupervised. As much as this show is about kids fighting monsters, it’s also about friendship and growing up.
Paranormal horror YA books
I picked these books because they all have ensemble casts and a strange hole in the universe.
1. Sawkill Girls
- Title: Sawkill Girls
- Author: Claire Legrand
- Genre: YA horror
Summary
Girls have been disappearing from Sawkill Island for generations. Marion is new in town and soon meets Zoey (a social pariah) and Val (cute but kind of a bully). Each is carrying baggage, expectations, and hunger for something better. When Marion’s sister goes missing, they head into the woods to search for her, but find something even worse.
Why you’ll like it
If you like Stranger Things for the character development.
Sawkill Girls has a lot of atmosphere and introspection. The story includes all 3 girls’ points-of-view, so readers get an inside view of their emotions and conflict. And they have a lot of both. Each girl must make peace with her past trauma and find inner strength to avoid becoming the next missing face.
I borrowed this audiobook from my library.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
2. Rules for Vanishing
- Title: Rules for Vanishing
- Author: Kate Alice Marshall
- Genre: YA horror
Summary
There’s an urban legend about a ghost and a road that appears only once a year. Becca’s sister disappeared last year, and Becca’s sure she found the road. When a mysterious text invites Becca and her friends to play the game, she’s determined to find the road and her sister, no matter the cost. But the journey is darker, stranger, and more horrifying than Becca imagined. Even if she makes it to the end, it may cost her everything.
Why you’ll like it
If you like Stranger Things for the danger.
This story is told in a faux-documentary style with interviews, transcripts, and found footage. Every narrator has their own perspective and not all of them are entirely reliable. The tension stays high through this story and in true horror fashion, not everyone survives the trip.
I borrowed the ebook from my library, then purchased the paperback from a local bookstore.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
3. Small Spaces by Katherine Arden
- Title: Small Spaces
- Author: Katherine Arden
- Genre: MG horror
Note this is the first in a series of 4, but is a complete story on its own without a cliffhanger.
Summary
Ollie lost her mom and escaped into reading, so when she sees a woman throwing a book into the river, she’s happy to take it from her. The story is a strange ghost tale that turns out to be a local legend. After a field trip, the school bus breaks down, leaving Ollie and her friends stranded with a warning to run. Soon Ollie and her friends are escaping into the woods and hiding from scarecrows. And they might be the only ones who can save their classmates.
Why you’ll like it
If you like Stranger Things because it’s just weird.
This is a middle grade story, so its shorter than the others on this list and the protagonist is 11. But the protagonist and her friends are plucky “kids on bikes” who do a lot of brave things. This story has a lot of plot twists and paranormal elements that are really unexpected. And the farm and surrounding woods are a sort of strange alternate world that’s both like ours and uncanny. Creepy scarecrows, scary chase scenes, and a villain called The Smiling Man.
I borrowed the audiobook from my local library.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
4. Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear
- Title: Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear
- Author: Robin Wasley
- Genre: YA paranormal fantasy
Summary
Sid is a regular girl in a small tourist town that was built over a fault line that traps magic, protected by guardians. When a guardian is killed, the fault cracks open and zombies spill out. Soon Sid is joining a group of guardians searching for her missing brother to restore the fault. But there are people out there who don’t want them to succeed and more danger than Sid could’ve imagined.
Why you’ll like it
If you like Stranger Things for the conflict.
The world-building and magic are really interesting. There’s a whole system of guardians, magical keys, and rituals. Sid is a regular girl who didn’t even know her brother was a guardian, so watching her navigate a world that she knew existed, but didn’t know about is really fun. It also has some good thoughts on power and agency.
I borrowed the audiobook from my library.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble
5. Adaptation
- Title: Adaptation
- Author: Malinda Lo
- Genre: YA paranormal sci-fi (romance triangle)
Note this is the first in a duology. It wraps up the short-term plot, but doesn’t resolve the bigger one.
Summary
Reese and David are on a school trip when birds across the US crash into airplanes and all flights are grounded. They rent a car and attempt to drive home while the rest of the country panics, but a bird flies into the car, causing it to crash. Both wake up a month later in a top secret government hospital, where they’ve been miraculously healed. Reese has too many questions – about their treatment, how she’s still healing so quickly, and why the government seems to be covering up what’s really going on with birds. When she meets a cute and mysterious girl named Amber, the trio get tangled up in something that’s bigger than all of them.
Why you’ll like it
If your favorite character is Eleven and you like Stranger Things for her personal arc.
Reese is the main character and at 17, she’s really unsure of her identity and place in the world. She has to figure out what happened in the hospital, what she can do now, and how she feels about both David and Amber. The stranger we learn the universe is, the easier it is to see how Reese might not fit her old ideas and expectations.
I borrowed this audiobook from my library.
Order this book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org unavailable | Barnes & Noble
What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
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