If you were captivated by the nostalgic yet unsettling childhood adventures of Jim and his friends in The Shadow Year, you'll love the way Summer of Night immerses you in the eerie summer of 1960, as a group of kids in a Midwestern town confronts an ancient evil lurking beneath the surface. The friendships, childhood rituals, and gradual encroachment of horror echo Ford's blend of innocence and dread.

If you enjoyed the way The Shadow Year delves into the inner lives of its young characters, capturing both their anxieties and their imagination, Boy's Life will resonate with you. Cory Mackenson's journey through mystery and magic in small-town Alabama is rich with introspection, emotional nuance, and the blurred lines between reality and myth, much like Ford's evocative narrative.

If you were drawn to the gradual, haunting tension and the close-knit domestic spaces of The Shadow Year, The Little Stranger is a perfect next read. Waters crafts a chilling tale within the decaying Hundreds Hall, where subtle supernatural elements and psychological unease build slowly, creating an immersive and claustrophobic atmosphere.

If you appreciated the tight focus on family dynamics and the insular, almost claustrophobic world of Jim and his siblings in The Shadow Year, you'll find We Have Always Lived in the Castle equally compelling. Jackson's story centers on two sisters and their uncle, exploring paranoia, isolation, and the bonds that hold a family together against a world that feels threatening and strange.

If you enjoyed how The Shadow Year grounds its mysterious, magical events in the mundane reality of childhood, The Ocean at the End of the Lane will enchant you. Gaiman beautifully weaves subtle supernatural elements into a young boy’s recollections of strange happenings in the English countryside, capturing that same feeling of wonder tinged with unease.