Book Recommendations Based on the Latest Movies

There’s no denying that Jordan Peele is a master storyteller.

His debut thriller Get Out was a box office and critical success, and his follow-up Us gave us chills in all the best ways. If you’ve already seen it and want to recapture some of that movie magic in your favorite reads, we have the solution! Here are the book recommendations for those of us who loved some of Hollywood’s latest smashes.

If you liked the thriller movie Us, you’ll love Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina’s young adult fiction book The Things She’s Seen.

The Things She's Seen

The Things She's Seen

By Ambelin Kwaymullina, Ezekiel Kwaymullina

While undeniably scary and full of shocking twists, Us is also a complex story that smartly comments on American culture. If you enjoyed the pacing of Jordan Peele’s latest, you’ll love this haunting story of tragedy and triumph laced in mystery. Nothing’s been the same since Beth Teller died, and her detective father is drowning in grief. But as he works to solve a new case, he is disturbed that he can still see and talk to Beth. For some reason, Isobel Catching can, too. The Things She’s Seen young adult thriller book is an Indigenous Australian ghost story that packs a powerful punch.

If you liked the movie Avengers: Endgame, you’ll love the first book in a new sci-fi series Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman.

Aurora Rising

Aurora Rising

By Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

While Tony Stark sends a frantic message while adrift in space without food or water, the remaining Avengers must work together to bring back their vanquished allies in order to defeat the evil demigod Thanos, who is intent on destroying the universe. Even if you haven’t yet seen the final installment in the Avengers series, you probably know that fans can’t get enough of it, and found the finale incredibly satisfying. For a fast-paced new sci-fi book series set in a similarly fantastical space world, check out Aurora Rising, the first book in the Aurora Cycle series. As graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are assigned their first missions, star student Tyler Jones is ready to recruit his dream squad, but what he gets is a group of marvelous misfits who may just be the last hope for the entire galaxy. Filled with fun characters and an action-packed plot, this young adult sci-fi book is sure to delight those who loved everything Avengers.

If you liked the mystery movie Pet Sematary, you’ll love Rory Power’s young adult novel Wilder Girls.

Wilder Girls

Wilder Girls

By Rory Power

Fans of Stephen King and everything macabre will love this chilling new novel that takes place at a school for girls in which almost everyone is either sick or dying from a strange infection called the Tox that’s overtaken their island home. The students of Raxter School for Girls find their bodies turning strange and foreign, and vow not to wander beyond the safety of the school’s fences. But when Byatt goes missing, Hetty will do anything to find her, even if it means facing the horrors in the woods and beyond. But in doing so, she’ll discover that nothing she believed about Raxter and their lives there was quite what it seemed. The truth is far more sinister. Like a good Stephen King tale, this young adult novel is full of delicious dread and atmosphere, takes place in Maine (King’s home state and the location of many of his stories), and centers around complicated and believable characters, intent on surviving in a dark and dangerous world.

If you liked Long Shot, you’ll love the YA book We Are the Perfect Girl by Ariel Kaplan.

We Are the Perfect Girl

We Are the Perfect Girl

By Ariel Kaplan

In the mood for a warm and funny book as layered and sharp as this year’s romantic comedy smash Long Shot? Much like the new movie starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, the book We Are the Perfect Girl is all about identity and individuality, a smart new take on the classic story of Cyrano de Bergerac. Aphra creates an app meant to help people solve their problems, if they feed it the right information. After it malfunctions, she decides to take on the role of the app, answering everyone’s questions herself in order to salvage her grade. Aphra’s best friend, Bethany, and their mutual longtime crush, Greg, both use the app, leading to a wonderful comedy of errors.

If you liked the latest Captain Marvel movie, you’ll love the science fiction bestseller Skyward by Brandon Sanderson.

Skyward

Skyward

By Brandon Sanderson

Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck broke new ground by casting Brie Larson as the lead in 2019’s smash Captain Marvel, the beloved story of an extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls. For a similar girl-powered space opera adventure book, check out Skyward by Brandon Sanderson, the first in a new young adult book series that tells the story of a teen girl named Spensa who longs to be a pilot in a world where humans have been driven to the brink of extinction. Spensa discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship that appears to have a soul of its own. If she can fix the ship in secret and not flunk out of pilot school, Spensa’s dreams just might become a reality. This new science fiction book series brims with hope and imagination and is set within a carefully constructed and fantastical world that somehow feels as real as our own.

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