The best books to read like Wednesday Addams and indulge your dark side

This book is an ideal introduction to the history of the Addams Family, tracing back to their origins as a comic strip in the New Yorker. It is filled with trivia and information about the family throughout the years and how they became so beloved.

Over 200 of the original comics are printed in this book, and I loved being able to see their villainous beginnings. I love learning about the Addams Family and how their mischievous machinations have made them cultural icons.

Perhaps not the scariest book on this list, but it's a good way to learn about how Wednesday became Wednesday.

What terrible tome would Morticia and Gomez have read to little Wednesday in order to ensure that she would have the most noxious nightmares? I believe they would’ve cracked open this gothic children’s classic, written and illustrated by the enigmatic Edward Gorey.

This book recites the alphabet, with each letter representing how a child died. Take, for instance, the representation of our second letter: “B is for Basil assaulted by bears.” What better way for a wicked whelp to learn her letters?

I both chuckled and winced while reading this book, especially with the paired black-and-white illustrations. It’s funny and deeply dark, which is, of course, the perfect mix for an Addams Family fan.

In this middle-grade horror novel, Steve is feeling lonely and worried. His newborn brother is sick in the hospital, and his parents are understandably stressed. There’s also a wasp’s nest threatening their home, which becomes a bigger problem when the wasp queen visits him in his dreams. One night, the queen comes to Steve and offers to help “fix” the baby.

I have read many, many horror books. I consider myself a connoisseur of the creepy. This book, intended for middle-grade children, remains one of the scariest books I’ve read. It’s filled with dread while also centering on family.

I can imagine a young Wednesday (as played by Christina Ricci or the late great Lisa Loring) reading this book and imagining what she would wish upon her own brother should a wasp queen approach her.

In this twist on Stephen King’s Carrie, teenager Madison’s biracial identity makes her a target for her racist classmates as the town prepares for its first integrated prom. Of course, just like in the inspirational novel, Madison has a secret that may mean danger for the rest of her town. 

I love the journey of this book. Multiple POVs and a podcast transcript come together to make up this book in a way that makes it constantly interesting. When I consider a teenaged Wednesday, I imagine her being drawn to the outcasts. She has always been depicted as someone who not only understands the unusual but prefers them—her best friends have been Lurch and Thing in almost all iterations of the character.

I know she’d love Carrie, and I know she’d be rooting for Madison.

In this slow-burn literary horror, Ren Yu is an obsessive swimmer on her high school team. But beyond these human concerns, she is convinced that she is actually a mermaid. Her determination to assume her true form comes with no reservations, and she will achieve her transformation by any means necessary.

This book is strange. It’s both lyrical in some places and purposefully dry in others. It is an examination of an obsessive descent into madness, working to draw the reader into the protagonist’s unsettling perspective.

I found myself falling into Ren Yu’s world and swimming in her insanity, which Wednesday (and all the Addams) find quite satisfying.