'Stranger Things' Young Adult Novel to Share Max's Backstory

Stranger Things Season 2 introduced fans to a mix of both despicable and great characters. While we met antagonist Billy Hargrove, we also encountered his step-sister Max.

Played by Sadie Sink, Max befriends the Hawkins gang and impresses them with her awesome gaming skills and bravery.

In the opening episode of Season 2, we see the character is initially upset that she's moving to Hawkins and must be watched over by Billy.

However, we never learn about Max's life before moving to Hawkins, though that's about to change. In the first Stranger Things young adult (YA) novel, Max's backstory will be delved into.

Written by New York Times bestselling author Brenna Yovanoff, the novel is titled Stranger Things: Runaway Max.

“I was really thrilled at the chance to dig into Max’s backstory!” Yovanoff told Hypable. “She and I share a particular fascination with monsters and it was so much fun to explore her affection for famous slashers of the ’80s, not to mention her relationship with the most brutal monster in her own life: an angry teenage boy.”

The novel is brought to us by Random House Children’s Books, which also announced two other upcoming Stranger Things titles this past Thursday: The Hawkins Middle School Yearbook / Hawkins High School Yearbook and Will Byers's Secret Files. The former will combine two yearbooks from the 1980s, offering insights into the series' characters, while the latter explores the Upside Down from Will's perspective.

Stranger Things: Runaway Max will be released on June 4—exactly one month before Stranger Things Season 3 premieres on Netflix.