Stranger Things, Season One: The Junior Novelization

by Matthew J. Gilbert

This expanded junior novelization retells the first season of Netflix’s iconic series Stranger Things—and includes 8 pages of full-color images from the show!

Hawkins is a quiet town where nothing exciting seems to happen—until one night when a boy named Will Byers vanishes. Follow his friends Mike, Lucas, and Dustin as they search for him and uncover a world of secret experiments and terrifying supernatural forces. Is Eleven, a girl with incredible psychic powers, the secret to the mystery? This 320-page junior novelization, which includes eight pages of full-color images from the show, retells the landmark first season of Stranger Things and is sure to thrill kids ages 7 to 10 as well as fans of all ages.

Welcome to the thrilling world of Netflix's hit series Stranger Things. Follow Eleven, Dustin, Max, Lucas, and their friends for mystery, suspense, and supernatural adventures in 1980s Hawkins.

Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction

311 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 8, 2025

About the author

Recently named a New York Times Bestselling Author, Matthew J. Gilbert has written several licensed books for some of the world’s biggest franchises, including Stranger Things, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Some of his most notable titles are: the best-selling Little Golden Book, “I Am Jack Skellington,” “Hawkins Horrors: A Collection of Terrifying Tales,” and the official junior novelizations for Netflix's Stranger Things. He is also the co-author of the popular “Classroom 13” chapter book series. In addition to his author life, he’s a former Nickelodeon staff writer, an amateur screenwriter, and a poet when the mood strikes him. He currently lives in far-too-sunny California with his wife, and his loyal cat sidekick, Pepe.

You can follow him on Instagram at @mattgilbertwrites and find him on YouTube as well.

Reviews

[Sarafina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun! It was exactly like the tv series except without the unsavory gory bits!

[Louis (audiobookfanatic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stranger Things: Season One is a junior novelization of the first season of the popular Netflix series—it's written for MG/YA readers but can be fully enjoyed by adults! In just over 300 pages (and under 7 hours on audio), it’s a retelling in book form that keeps the main plot, characters, and suspenseful events intact, but it’s written in an exciting, age-appropriate way that’s perfect for those who haven’t seen the series yet!

The story follows the disappearance of Will Byers, a 12-year-old boy in Hawkins, Indiana, who vanishes without a trace. As his friends—Mike, Dustin, and Lucas—band together, they meet Eleven, a mysterious girl with extraordinary abilities, and slowly uncover terrifying secrets about the Upside Down, an alternate reality where darkness and monsters reign—and where Will may be in danger!

The characters are the heart of the story, and the author does a great job bringing out their individual personalities. Will’s friends are loyal and fully committed to finding him. Their heartfelt, close bond will tug at readers’s heartstrings—reminiscent of the boys’s friendship in the classic film “Stand By Me.” Mike’s determination and Dustin and Lucas’s humour all shine through, and they’re all very likeable! The main adult characters, Hopper (a police officer) and Joyce (Will’s mother), are fully immersed in the mysterious events, and they both show bravery and determination, especially when facing dark forces—evil humans and the monster (the Demogorgon) from the Upside Down. Eleven, whose backstory and supernatural powers are shadowed in mystery, has the biggest growth. With the odds stacked against her and seen as highly suspicious, she defies the odds and quickly evolves from a terrified, isolated girl to a loyal and courageous friend—and even a potential future love interest to one of the boys! What this novelization really has going for it over the TV show is how it captures the small moments between the characters—but it’s great to read/listen and then watch and compare the two for yourself!

The pacing is relentless and will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Once the search for Will begins, more mysterious events occur in Hawkins, and the growing danger from the Upside Down becomes so real. The tension then increases, and the scenes with the Demogorgon are both thrilling and terrifying! The ending mirrors the tension, resolution, and unanswered questions of the TV season one finale—and feels just as cinematic! Readers will be eager to read/listen to the next books—one for each season. The junior novelization for season 2 is already released, with seasons three and four already slated as 2026 releases—and a book for the fifth season is expected!

Overall, Stranger Things Season One is a must-read for megafans of the show or MG/YA readers who love thrilling stories with highly memorable characters! Whether you’re returning to Hawkins, Indiana, or stepping into it for the very first time, this junior novelization delivers all the heart and excitement of the Netflix series!

[Jacie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean, it’s the whole first season of the show just less gory, but still not appropriate enough for 7-10 year olds. Also, without the visual aid of Joe Keery so that’s a thumbs down.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novelisation of Stranger Things season one. While I thought most things about the show were etched in my mind this book still managed to show me some nuances I didn’t necessarily recall. I particularly loved tenderness of the encounters between Hopper and Joyce. So many of the scenes were honestly even more intense while reading them. Joyce’s desperation, Will’s fear and my hatred for Dr Brenner!

Of course reading this has made me want to rewatch the series from the beginning so I’ll be doing that until book two is ready.

[Alejandro Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stranger Things is a fandom I try to disassociate myself with. From the gooners to the shippers (don’t even get my started on those corny ass names), to the nostolgiaholics and the egotistical fucks, the fandom for this show is horrendously toxic and unbearable. The only thing good I feel has stemmed from it is the people who actually care and enjoy the show without having a “favorite ship” or making it their whole persona—like me—or those more invested fans who have picked up on the gay dilemma happening between Mike and Will (it’s there, and there’s thousands of hours worth of evidence to sift through to prove it). With that immediate comment out of the way on where I stand on the fans… how does this novelization choose to interpret the show? Well, definitely in a far duller avenue. The story and it’s major beats are all present, and in my opinion, seasons 1 and 4 are the best the show has to offer, and they’re about tied. The story is almost perfect and one of the best seasons of television arguably, and with this retelling that, it’s safe to say this is just as good in the story department. If I’m being honest, my real praises here are ones that come from the show and not particularly from this adaptation, so to be brief: great characters, stellar finale, amazing atmosphere and tone, well-lived setting, baller moments and sequences, and an insanely gaging and interesting plot. Also, spooky monster. It’s a simplistic-ish little story that really, really worked. And if I had any credit to give to the author before I bash this thing a bit? They were able to keep those praises intact with the translation. However—and I mean a huge, fat however—this adaptation of the story falls flat for three main reasons: the writing, the pacing, and how the author treats the story. The book is way too fast for its own good, and it feels like the entire time it’s just rushing to the finish line, speeding over important scenes—and sometimes not even including them (we’ll come back to this). The writing is just not hitting that high that this kind of story needed. It feels half-baked in that regard and whilst I’m sure the author tried, his style didn’t work. And back to what I said earlier: the author treated this story in a way that I DID NOT jive with. To sum up, it felt like it was only trying to adapt the key plot points and not have a flair, personality, and be a shell of the show whilst also inevitably becoming outdated after season five drops (this is relevant… soon). There’s a BUNCH of moments left out, of which are great for building characters; little scenes between Nancy and Steve were cut, Joyce’s big fight with Lonnie (a fantastic character moment) was ONLY MENTIONED. And there’s far more as well, mostly in the lesser B-plots and all, which pisses me off. If you’re going to adapt a show faithfully, don’t leave out key moments for the characters, and yet here we are. Cutting these out not only displays the lack of care felt with this adaptation, but it dulls the story. With the writing also being dull and those complaints in mind, it really feels like he—the author—just wanted their paycheck and put in a medium effort. They tried, likely, but it didn’t feel like it. Where I’m getting at? Add another 100 or pages, slow the story down, include those moments… and THINK WITH THE REST OF THE SHOW IN MIND. Going back to what I said, there’s some monologuing that’s going to be irrelevant; this isn’t an issue that I’m incorporating in the score, but it would’ve been if this were to have come out this exact way after season five drops. What am I talking about? Mike’s attraction to El isn’t real or solidified, yet the author treats it like it is. In ST5, it’s all-but confirmed that there’s going to be some romantic tension between Mike and Will (boo me but it’s true). There’s also confirmation ALREADY IN THE SHOW that Mike doesn’t actually have feelings for El. The author, again, acts like he absolutely does… which won’t make any sense with the fifth season releases. See what I mean? Again, this isn’t a score-affecting issue, but it bothers me a ton. I firmly believe these novels should’ve dropped AFTER the show concluded, and thankfully, only 1 and 2 are out this year—I in fact have them both (duh). 3 drops in 2026 after the show’s conclusion—lord do I pray ST3’s novel improves that shit fiesta season—and I hope it can elaborate on more of the obvious hints Will is gay, or that Mike might be in love with him, like the rain fight where he started projecting his internalized homophobia. But no less… Jesus, I sound like a psycho fan… this novel did exactly with it was supposed to do, but without a soul. For that… I must give it a 6.5/10. Boy, was this an essay… and I’m gonna read four more of these in the future. Hooray. Screw this fandom, I’m going back to kids horror.

[William Barnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who has not got netflix and has never seen the show , this was brilliant . I liked that it had stephen king vibes about it, Great characters and a good setting. The writing was good and even though it's aimed at kids of about 10 I, who am 34, really enjoyed this. Thank you to the author. I would like one day to see the show but this was a fantastic alternative for me. 4.5 out of 5 for me

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Faithful novelization for season one, and I liked how they also made it more kid friendly with this junior novel version of the show. Also loved the little depictions added in during key moments that we could only get in a written form of the story, versus the actual film of the shows episodes.

[Devri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so happy we finally got a novelization!
This was so engrossing. At times I felt like I was just watching the show again.

[vi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so rewatching stranger things asap

[Angelique Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this. I enjoyed the show and felt like I was watching it all over again! Now time to get the next installments!

[lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun version for older elementary, middle school. Michael Crouch narrating the audio was perfection as always.

[Kenzathome · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved diving back into this world! thanks to PRH Audio for my audiobook!

[Janelle Callaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr 11 loved the action and fantasy in this book, and said he thought it was 5/5 stars.