My Babysitter Has Fangs

by John Bellairs

Like Hodgman's work, Bellairs creates that perfect balance of genuine creepiness and adventure that doesn't talk down to young readers—his protagonist Lewis discovers his uncle's house harbors dark magic, and the mystery unfolds through atmospheric detail rather than jump scares. Both authors understand that the best supernatural stories for this age group work because the kids are clever enough to piece together the danger themselves.

by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman does what Hodgman does—creates a world where something is genuinely wrong beneath the surface—but he takes it further into psychological territory. Where Vincent's return is a concrete threat, Coraline's parallel world operates on dream-logic that's far more unsettling. Both stories hinge on a young protagonist realizing they've made a terrible mistake and having to navigate the consequences alone.

by Trenton Lee Stewart

Here's where I'm sending you slightly sideways: this is adventure-mystery rather than supernatural, but it has that same DNA of kids discovering they're in over their heads, needing to trust their wits, and uncovering a conspiracy that adults have missed. Stewart builds his world through clues and misdirection the way Hodgman builds hers through strange occurrences—you're always one step behind the characters, trying to figure out what's actually happening.

by Neil Gaiman

Published in 2008, this gives you that decade-jump while staying in Gaiman's wheelhouse of making the supernatural feel inevitable rather than shocking. A boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard has to navigate a world where danger is both magical and very real—it shares Hodgman's gift for making readers genuinely invested in a protagonist's safety while maintaining an almost matter-of-fact tone about the impossible things happening around them.

by Norton Juster

This 1961 novel is a genuine curveball, but stay with me: like Hodgman, Juster creates a world where the rules are slightly off and the protagonist must navigate it through a combination of logic and instinct. Where Meg deals with Vincent's supernatural return, Milo journeys through a landscape where language and ideas are literal obstacles. Both authors write with that dry wit that makes young readers feel like they're in on the joke—the humor isn't condescending, it's conspiratorial.