It
by Stephen King
Top 25Interest peak #1
A group of childhood friends reunite to face the shape-shifting evil that terrorized their town. Long, atmospheric, and Stephen King at his most ambitious. Read the full description
Best for: Horror readers with time to spare
It is #25 on BookWard's Top 100 books for September 2026, with a BookWard Score of 75 out of 100.
It: reading interest over the past 12 months
Sources: Open Library’s public reading-log and ratings data (dump of 2026-08-31), Wikipedia page views and Wikidata. Monthly counts are exact; they show relative interest among readers of these public sources, not total readership.
Ranked against the other books on this list, It’s reading interest has run from #1 to #63 over these 12 months. Interest rank blends shelf adds, Wikipedia page views and rating activity, each compared with the other 99 books that month.
Shelf adds by month
It was added to Open Library readers’ shelves 2,801 times in the past 12 months, peaking in November 2025 with 936 (301% above its monthly average of 233). Over the latest three months (Jun 2026 to Aug 2026) shelf adds were down 36% on the three months before. 92% of the adds were “want to read”, 6% “currently reading” and 2% “already read”.
Want to read Currently reading Already read
Wikipedia page views
Its Wikipedia article was viewed 1,242,849 times in the past 12 months, peaking in November 2025 with 307,931 views. The latest three months were up 12% on the three before.
Source: Wikimedia monthly page views for the article It (novel).
Adaptations
- It: Welcome to Derry (television series), 2025
- It: Chapter Two (film), 2019
- It (miniseries), 1990
Adaptations are listed from Wikidata; a release date near a rise in the charts above is context, not proof of a cause.
Awards and honours listed on Wikidata: August Derleth Award.
What the data says about It
- Uneven demand. Monthly shelf adds swung widely around an average of 233, so interest arrives in bursts and not as a steady stream.
- Busiest and quietest months. November 2025 was its busiest month (936 adds), about 25.3 times its quietest, July 2026 (37).
- A book people save for later. 92% of its shelf adds are “want to read”, against 86% across the Top 100, so more of its interest is about future reading than finished reading.
- Attention and shelf adds move together. Months with more Wikipedia views for It were also months with more shelf adds (correlation 0.85), which suggests the same events, such as new editions, adaptations or social media, drive both.
- Share of the list. It accounts for 2.7% of all shelf adds recorded for the Top 100 over these 12 months, #5 of 100.
- Its age. First published in 1986 (40 years ago), it is older than 71% of the books on the list.
Each finding is computed from the public data above and shown only when the numbers support it.
It on the Top 100: rank history
First charted in September 2026. The chart gains a point with every monthly update, so its peak, climbs and falls will show here as they happen.
| Month | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | #25 | 75 |
Is It rising or falling?
Cooling It ranks lower this week than over the past year, so interest is softening from its recent level.
On Open Library, It ranks #68 this week, #46 this month, and #5 over the past year. A longer bar means a higher position. Comparing the three windows shows whether readers are arriving faster than the book's long-term pace. Readings as of 2026-09-30.
Why It made the Top 100
It made the list mainly on momentum (+27.2 points) and being read right now (+22.5 points). Its smallest contribution is rising (+0). The BookWard Score blends five public signals, each scored from 0 to 100 and weighted as shown.
The reading-now, rating and rank signals come from Open Library’s public data, not from BookWard’s own readers. The score measures reading interest, not quality or sales. How the score works.
Open Library reader stats for It
Source: Open Library public reading logs, as of 2026-09-30. BookWard’s own monthly snapshots are added to the picture, and anonymous BookWard reader data will be layered in as the community grows.
More readers have It open right now than 85% of the other books on this list. These counts come from one public source, so they show relative interest rather than total readership.
Where it sits among Horror books
It is #1 of the 2 Horror books on this month’s list.
About It
A group of childhood friends reunite to face the shape-shifting evil that terrorized their town. Long, atmospheric, and Stephen King at his most ambitious.
Why it’s here: It regularly resurfaces with new adaptations, and remains King's defining horror epic.
Best for: Horror readers with time to spare
At a glance
- First published
- 1986-09-15
- Genre
- Horror
- Also described as
- horror fiction
- Length
- about 1168 pages (the median across its editions)
- Original language
- English
- Languages
- editions in 11 languages listed on Open Library
- Editions
- 96 on Open Library
- Setting
- Derry
- Characters listed
- IT, Losers Club, Aristotle, Atilla the Hun, Batman
- Awards and honours
- August Derleth Award
From Open Library and Wikidata public records. Missing rows mean the records do not list that fact.
Themes
- Childhood fear
- Friendship and memory
- Small-town evil
What reading it is like
Long, slow-burning horror that moves between childhood and adulthood.
At about 1168 pages it is a long read: roughly 23 hours at an average reading pace (about 250 words a minute, 300 words a page). Audiobook and edition lengths vary.
Good to know
Over a thousand pages in many editions. Includes child harm and violent content.
The premise
A group of childhood friends in Derry, Maine, face a shape-shifting evil that hunts the town's children. Decades later, they are called back to finish what they started.
What you’ll get
- Atmospheric, slow-burn horror
- Strong friendships at the core
- A long, immersive read
You might skip it if you dislike horror or a 1,000-page commitment.
More by Stephen King on the Top 100: The Shining
Pairs well with: The Shining
Keep exploring the chart
Also on the chart at #24 and #26
More Horror on the Top 100
Questions about It
What rank is It on the Top 100 books?
It is #25 on BookWard's Top 100 books for September 2026, with a BookWard Score of 75 out of 100.
Is It rising or falling?
Cooling. It ranks lower this week than over the past year, so interest is softening from its recent level. On Open Library, It ranks #68 this week, #46 this month, and #5 over the past year.
Why is It on the Top 100?
It made the list mainly on momentum (+27.2 points) and being read right now (+22.5 points). Its smallest contribution is rising (+0).
How many people are reading It right now?
Open Library's reading logs show 669 readers currently reading It, 10,658 who want to read it and 615 who have logged it as read (as of 2026-09-30). These are counts from one public source, not all readers.
How much interest has It had over the past year?
2,801 Open Library shelf adds in the past 12 months (peak November 2025, 936); latest three months down 36% on the prior three; 1,242,849 Wikipedia views in the past 12 months (up 12% over the latest three months); Adaptations on Wikidata: It: Welcome to Derry (2025); It: Chapter Two (2019); It (1990). Figures come from Open Library and Wikipedia public data.
Who is It best for?
Horror readers with time to spare.
Ask a question about It
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How we know
This page is built from public data: Open Library’s dated reading-log and ratings dumps, Wikipedia page views, Wikidata, and BookWard’s own monthly Top 100 snapshots. The interest rank blends shelf adds (45%), Wikipedia page views (30%), rating activity (10%) and, for months where a snapshot exists, BookWard’s own score (15%), each as a percentile among the Top 100 books. Every month shown is real data; nothing is estimated. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Last updated September 2026. Read the full methodology.
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