6 Wonderfully Weird YAs for Welcome to Night Vale Fans

Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew Smith
At the beginning of this story, Ealing, Iowa, considers itself a fairly typical town. By the end of this story, you will know not what to believe. Why? As 16-year-olds are apt to do, young Austin Szerba and his best friend, Robby, have unleashed the downfall of civilization in the form of six-foot preying mantises who believe in nothing but death and copulation. On top of trying to stop the apocalypse, Austin struggles to suppress his hormones and understand his burgeoning sexuality. It is a very busy time.

Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy, by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Brooke A. Allen
I can only imagine if the children of Night Vale attended summer camp (assuming they had the ability to pass the city limits), they would wind up at Miss Quinzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types. There are three-eyed foxes, secret codes, perilous caves, and mysterious scout lads to contend with—and much more. But just like Night Vale, Lumberjanes’ journey into the weird wouldn’t have the same effect if it didn’t have a heaping helping of heart, and that’s served up five times over thanks to hardcore lady types Mal, Molly, Jo, April, and Ripley.

Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest, by A. Lee Martinez
What if it wasn’t just one desert town that was insane? What if it were the whole country? That’s the setting for Martinez’s absurdist road trip comedy, on which he propels two unsuspecting teens—one an exceptionally good-looking human, one a painfully awkward minotaur. Helen and Troy get sucked into the schemes of an ancient god (who first takes form in the medium of hamburger meat) thanks to their part-time jobs. They have one choice: complete a quest along enchanted roadside America or die. I’ll let you and the general-store Fates guess what they pick.

The Tiffany Aching series, by Terry Pratchett
Oh, so you like weird, do you? Welcome to Mr. Pratchett’s Discworld fiefdom, where nothing is what you might expect—especially the “sausages” in buns. As storied and ample as the Discworld canon is, it also includes a number of YA entries, focusing on young witch Tiffany Aching. Tiffany’s adventures have all the humor and antics so appealing to Night Vale fans, and the added mental image of listening to Granny Weatherwax and Cecil go toe to toe.

Going Bovine, by Libba Bray
Diane Crayton’s teenage son has his own troubles in Night Vale, what with the constant moody shape-shifting and all. But he’s got nothing on Cameron, the star of Bray’s riotous quest novel. Cameron, a self-diagnosed slacker, suddenly finds himself with a much starker prognosis: he has mad cow disease, and is not much longer for this planet. I know, you’re saying, “That sounds devastating and not at all like my favorite podcast from Strange Town, USA.” But that’s because you don’t know the companions Cameron accumulates on his journey to save himself and the world: a teenage gamer dwarf, a pop-punk angel, and a deified garden gnome. See? Told you.

The Dust of 100 Dogs, by A.S. King
A teenaged pirate is cursed, upon her death in the 17th century, to reincarnation in the bodies of 100 dogs. Upon completion of her canine lives, she winds up as a suburban ’80s teenager with a burning desire to dig up the treasure she buried in Jamaica all those centuries ago. Oddball enough for you? Steve Carlsberg could not make that up.