The highly anticipated season 4 of Stranger Things premieres May 27, 2022. While you wait, dive into one of the many stories based in the world of Hawkins, Indiana and the Upside Down featuring many beloved characters such as Jim Hopper, Max, Robin, Dustin, Erica, and more. Curated by Samantha Matherne.
Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond
book
OverDrive eAudiobook
A mysterious lab. A sinister scientist. A secret history. If you think you know the truth behind Eleven’s mother, prepare to have your mind turned Upside Down in this thrilling prequel to the hit show Stranger Things.
It’s the summer of 1969, and the shock of conflict reverberates through the youth of America, both at home and abroad. As a student at a quiet college campus in the heartland of Indiana, Terry Ives couldn’t be further from the front lines of Vietnam or the incendiary protests in Washington.
But the world is changing, and Terry isn’t content to watch from the sidelines. When word gets around about an important government experiment in the small town of Hawkins, she signs on as a test subject for the project, codenamed MKUltra. Unmarked vans, a remote lab deep in the woods, mind-altering substances administered by tight-lipped researchers . . . and a mystery the young and restless Terry is determined to uncover.
But behind the walls of Hawkins National Laboratory—and the piercing gaze of its director, Dr. Martin Brenner—lurks a conspiracy greater than she could have ever imagined. To face it, she’ll need the help of her fellow test subjects, including one so mysterious the world doesn’t know she exists—a young girl with inexplicable superhuman powers and a number instead of a name: 008.
Amid the rising tensions of the new decade, Terry Ives and Martin Brenner have begun a different kind of war—one where the human mind is the battlefield.
Darkness on the Edge of Town by Adam Christopher
book
OverDrive eAudiobook
Christmas, Hawkins, 1984. All Chief Jim Hopper wants is to enjoy a quiet first Christmas with Eleven, but his adopted daughter has other plans. Over Hopper’s protests, she pulls a cardboard box marked “New York” out of the basement—and the tough questions begin. Why did Hopper leave Hawkins all those years ago? What does “Vietnam” mean? And why has he never talked about New York?
Although he’d rather face a horde of demogorgons than talk about his own past, Hopper knows that he can’t deny the truth any longer. And so begins the story of the incident in New York—the last big case before everything changed.
Summer, New York City, 1977. Hopper is starting over after returning home from Vietnam. A young daughter, a caring wife, and a new beat as an NYPD detective make it easy to slip back into life as a civilian. But after shadowy federal agents suddenly show up and seize the files about a series of brutal, unsolved murders, Hopper takes matters into his own hands, risking everything to discover the truth.
Soon Hopper is undercover among New York’s notorious street gangs. But just as he’s about to crack the case, a blackout rolls across the boroughs, plunging Hopper into a darkness deeper than any he’s faced before.
Runaway Max by Brenna Yovanoff
book
OverDrive eAudiobook
Don’t miss this gripping, emotional prequel to the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things! The never-before-told backstory of the beloved Dig Dug maven, Max Mayfield, written by New York Times bestselling author Brenna Yovanoff.
This must-read novel, based on the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things, explores Max’s past–the good and the bad–as well as how she came to find her newfound sense of home in Hawkins, Indiana.
Rebel Robin by A.R. Capetta
book
High school is a monster, and it’s eating everyone Robin knows. As sophomore year starts, Robin’s Odd Squad friends have decided to try to be just like everyone else. Her best friends couple up and expect her to come along for the ride. They can’t stop talking about school and college and careers. But Robin has bigger problems–she’s been hiding out with the band kids since middle school, hoping nobody would notice that she’s something even stranger than a French horn player who can speak four languages: she’s gay.
She’s convinced the only way she can learn to be herself is by fleeing to Europe for a summer to experience real life. But she has no money, no permission, and no one to share the adventure with. How is she supposed to be her true self in Hawkins, Indiana? The weirdest girl in Hawkins has spent her whole life trying to fit in. Now, she’s going to break out.
Sprinkled with Easter eggs that reference our favorite Stranger Things characters, this contemporary coming-of-age story set in the ’80s is about one girl’s realization that the only person she needs to be accepted by is herself.
Stranger Things: The Other Side by Jody Houser
comics
Hoopla comic issues #1-4
Hoopla comic issue #1
Hoopla comic issue #2
Hoopla comic issue #4
The hit Netflix series from the Duffer Brothers is now a spine-tingling comic that recounts Will Beyers’ harrowing survival in the treacherous Upside Down.
When Will Byers finds himself in the Upside Down, an impossible dark parody of his own world, he’s understandably frightened. But that’s nothing compared with the fear that takes hold when he realizes what’s in that world with him.
Follow Will’s struggle through the season one events of the hit Netflix show Stranger Things. Written by Jody Houser (Mother Panic, Faith) and illustrated by Stefano Martino (Doctor Who, Catwoman)
Stranger Things: Six by Jody Houser
comics
Hoopla comic issues #1-4
Hoopla comic issue #1
Hoopla comic issue #2
Hoopla comic issue #3
Hoopla comic issue #4
A prequel comic from Netflix’ award-winning series, delving into the mysterious workings of Project MKUltra and the weird science that opened the door to the Upside Down.
Francine, a teenage girl with precognition, has struggled through a lifetime of exploitation: first by her parents, then by Dr. Brenner of Hawkins Laboratory. Dr. Brenner wants to harness her powers as well as those of the other gifted children that they hold captive at the lab. Wracked by increasingly disturbing visions, she sees an opportunity for her and all the children to escape. But at what cost?
From the pen of Jody Houser (Faith, CMYK: Magenta, Max Ride: Ultimate Flight) and featuring art from Edgar Salazar and Keith Champagne (Black Panther), Stranger Things comics is essential reading for fans of the hit Netflix series as well as fans of the urban fantasy and horror genres in general.
Stranger Things: Science Camp by Jody Houser & Greg Pak
comics
Hoopla comic issues #1-4
The comics based on the hit Netflix series delve into B-movie horror nostalgia when Dustin goes to summer camp, confronts a sinister figure in an Albert Einstein mask, and joins forces with Suzie to solve mysterious disappearances.
Dustin arrives at Camp Know Where to navigate the new social hierarchy without the support of his Hawkins adventuring party. While also faced with nerdy bullies, a new menace haunts the young scientists and camp counselors. A mysterious figure with sinister intent arrives to disrupt the serene woodland scene. When camp counselors start to disappear, the solution won’t take rocket science, but Dustin will have to get on the same wavelength as Suzie and the other campers before tensions reach a boiling point.
Writer Jody Houser (Critical Role, Stranger Things: Into the Fire) returns with Edgar Salazar and Keith Champagne (Stranger Things: SIX) to create a new miniseries in the Stranger Things universe, taking place between seasons two and three of the hit Netflix show.
Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons by Jody Houser and Jim Zub
comics
Hoopla comic issues #1-4
Follow the crew from Hawkins, Indiana, as they discover the legendary monsters and epic adventures of the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game together.
Long before the dreaded Demogorgon took one of them to the Upside Down, watch Mike, Lucas, and Will bond with Dustin for the first time over the game that would define their childhood. See the party come together as a team through communal stories and perilous quests to learn important lessons about friendship and find the courage to stand up to the bullies that challenge their everyday.
Written by comics and RPG all-stars Jim Zub (Rick and Morty vs. D&D, Conan: Serpent War, Dungeons & Dragons: Infernal Tides) and Jody Houser (Critical Role: Vox Machina, Stranger Things, Star Wars), with vorpal-sharp line art from rising talent Diego Galindo (Power Rangers, Kino) and eye-popping colors from MsassyK (Isola) that strike as true as a Magic Missile. Dive into this love letter to a game that has defined role-playing through the lens of your current favorite icons of eighties nostalgia.
Stranger Things: Erica the Great by Danny Lore and Greg Pak
Hoopla comic
In this Middle Grade foray into the 80s-nostalgia hit series from Netflix, when Erica’s frenemy loses track of her mother’s prized Parakeet, the two will have to work together to return the bird safe and sound, or deal with the consequences. They learn that even the toughest and smartest people need a little help now and then.
Hawkins, Indiana has been plagued by strange events for years now. With the Starcourt Mall’s recent destruction, Erica has lost her favorite hangout spot and her free ice-cream-for-life deal at Scoops-Ahoy. To make matters worse, her brother is too busy for her and her mom won’t let her play Dungeons and Dragons anymore. This is the story of an ambitious, bossy, brilliant ten year old dealing with boredom and the complexities of maintaining friendships through tough times.
Written by Greg Pak (Stranger Things: Zombie Boys, Stranger Things: The Bully, Ronin Island) and Danny Lore (Queen of Bad Dreams, James Bond) with art by Valeria Favoccia (Stranger Things: Zombie Boys, Assassin’s Creed), colors by Dan Jackson, and letters by Nate Piekos.
*All summaries courtesy of the publisher unless otherwise noted.
Shelf Analysis 