What books does Jack Black recommend?
Jack Black's book recommendations reach back to a kid raised on science fiction and pulpy horror. The actor, comedian, and Tenacious D frontman behind School of Rock and the Kung Fu Panda films has shared this list of five through interviews and a Reddit AMA, and it stays true to those early enthusiasms: fiction, science fiction, and a streak of childhood horror. He traces the origin plainly: "The first book I ever really enjoyed was science fiction for children, 'A Wrinkle In Time'. It was great." From there the list runs through Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles — "I loved 'The Martian Chronicles'" — and Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, before landing on R.L. Stine's Goosebumps, where Black picks Night of the Living Dummy and The Blob That Ate Everyone as his favorites.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
byMadeleine L'Engle
2017256 Pages“The first book I ever really enjoyed was science fiction for children, 'A Wrinkle In Time'. It was great.”
— Jack Black
Source: Movies.ie interview
Read by Jack Black
byRay Bradbury
2012256 Pages“I started reading all the science fiction books, by people like Ray Bradbury. I loved 'The Martian Chronicles.'”
— Jack Black
Source: Movies.ie interview
Read by Jack Black
byIsaac Asimov
1991304 Pages“And then Isaac Asimov's 'I, Robot'.”
— Jack Black
Source: Movies.ie interview
Read by Jack Black
byR.L. Stine
1993134 Pages“Well, you know at the center of it all is Slappy's Revenge, but I'm gonna go with Night of the Living Dummy and The Blob That Ate Everyone.”
— Jack Black
Source: Reddit AMA
Read by Jack Black
The Blob That Ate Everyone
Goosebumps #55
byR.L. Stine
1997114 Pages“I'm gonna go with Night of the Living Dummy and The Blob That Ate Everyone.”
— Jack Black
Source: Reddit AMA
Also recommends books in
Frequently asked questions
What books does Jack Black recommend?
Jack Black's five recommendations are Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, and two R.L. Stine Goosebumps titles, Night of the Living Dummy and The Blob That Ate Everyone.
What is Jack Black's favorite book?
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle holds special standing. Black has called it "the first book I ever really enjoyed," describing it as science fiction for children and adding simply, "It was great."
Where do Jack Black's book recommendations come from?
They are drawn from a Movies.ie interview, where he recalled his early science-fiction reading, and a Reddit AMA, where he named his favorite Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine.
Has Jack Black written a book?
Yes. He is credited on Tenacious D: Post-Apocalypto (2020), the illustrated companion tied to the band's animated series and album of the same name.
What genres does Jack Black read most?
His recommendations center on fiction and science fiction, with a nostalgic streak of childhood horror from the Goosebumps series — an early love of imaginative storytelling that shaped his taste.