Netflix’s new TV show Stranger Things has been wildly popular. The show, set in the 80s, begins when a young boy, Mikey, goes missing, and his friends and family uncover many strange things while looking for him, including a girl with paranormal abilities.
Season two is currently filming, but if your teens have binged season one and need some books to tide them over, check out these 18 science fiction/weird YA titles.
Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
What would the world be like if Hitler’s Aryan nation plan had succeeded? It’s 1956 and Yael, a skinshifter, has been assigned the task of killing the fuhrer by entering and winning a motorcycle race.
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (2016 Popular Paperbacks)
Ruby is different and her parents are afraid of her. When Ruby survived the virus that killed all the kids, her parents locked her in the garage. Desperate to escape, Ruby finds a place with other teens like her only to find out that her powers will be exploited.
Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza
Mila looks like a human teen but was actually created in a lab. Sent to live like a human after a memory wipe, Mila finds herself on the run from her creators who want to destroy her and from people who want to use her powers for evil.
The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
Nadia lives in Canaan-a Utopian city that erupts in chaos every twelve years called The Forgetting. The annual “celebration” is set to arrive but Nadia is beginning to remember things she was supposed to forget twelve years ago. Can she find answers before the next Forgetting?
Reboot by Amy Tintera (2014 Quick Picks for Young Readers)
The longer you’re dead the less human you are when you are rebooted. Wren was dead for 178 minutes making her almost nonhuman. When a new recruit whose mostly human joins, he’s too slow and is a detriment and Wren has begun to have human feelings for him. When he’s ordered to be terminated for his incompetence, will Wren have the “guts” to do it
Unremembered by Jessica Brody
Seraphina was the only survivor from a deadly plane crash and she doesn’t know why she survived or where her supernatural powers came from. She needs to find answers quickly before the bad guys catch her.
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
Katie’s father is trying to kill the monsters and August is a monster with the gift of sucking ones soul. When Katie and August unexpectedly team up, can they reason with their feuding fathers to end the war?
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby (2016 Printz Award)
Bone Gap, Illinois is a little town that has gaps where one can fall into and never find their way out. When Roza goes missing and creepy Finn doesn’t help her, the town suspects Finn but Finn suspects a mysterious stranger.
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Marguerite is the daughter of two brilliant physicists who invent a device that allows people to travel to different dimensions. One day, one of their interns steals the device and is suspected in the murder of Marguerite’s father.Marguerite and a second intern, Theo, travel through dimensions to find and kill Marguerite’s father’s murderer.
A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab
There are four Londons that exist in four dimensions and only two people in the world can travel between them and one of them is Kell. Kell is a smuggler and one day his illegal activities catch up to him.
Pivot Point by Kasie West
Addison is a searcher-she can see alternate futures. When her parents get divorced, Addison uses her special abilities to see her future with her father who lives outside their special community or with her mother who lives inside the community. Addison sees a relationship in one future and a death in the other; which one will she choose?
3:59 by Gretchen McNeil
Josie’s life is in turmoil especially when she begins to have a reoccurring dream at 3:59pm of a girl who looks exactly like her but has a perfect life. When Josie receives the opportunity to switch lives with the other Josie, will she find happiness or more mysterious problems.
Paralell by Lauren Miller
Abby’s life is planned out perfectly but she suddenly finds herself on a Hollywood movie set and then she’s in college at Yale. Unsure on how she’s jumping from life to life, Abby soon discovers she’s jumping between alternate universes and someone is living the life she planned.
When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
Miel fell out of a water tower one day and everyone thinks she’s a witch. Sam brings her home, finds her a family, and they eventually become best friends. Ten years later, Miel is still a mystery that is slowly being revealed.
The Rules by Stacey Kade
Ariane was created in a lab and is to live by five simple rules and one of them is to not fall in love. When Ariane is sent to blend in with other human teens a prank has potentially exposed her to the police chief’s son. With the help of Zane, Ariane must run from those who want her destroyed.
Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn
Annaliese Rose Gordon disappeared from Buffalo NY a year ago. She turns up in Oklahoma. She looks like herself, visibly thinner, but she’s different. She’s Anna, a monster.
The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry
Dolssa has unexplained gifts that have labeled her a heretic. On the run from the church, Dolssa is found by Botille and taken back to her small French town. When Dolssa’s gifts begin to heal people, some of the townspeople look to Dolssa to heal them while others fear her. When the church comes to town to ask questions, will Botille and her town hide Dolssa or turn her in?
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Jonah has always known he was adopted but when he discovers his friend and other teens his age are also adopted, he begins to ask questions. A mysterious note that tells Jonah he is one of the missing sparks Jonah to investigate his background but what happens when the FBI discovers Jonah’s inquiries?
Printable downloadable booklist
—Dawn Abron, currently reading Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo