High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous monster "It", a shapeshifter that takes the form of its victims' deepest fears. "It" primarily appears in the form of "Bob Gray" a.k.a. "Pennywise the Dancing Clown," described as resembling a combination of Bozo and Clarabell, in order to attract its preferred prey of young children, though it occasionally feeds on adults. The novel is told through narratives alternating between two time periods, which shift among the different perspectives of its protagonists. It deals with themes which would eventually become King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma, and ugliness lurking beneath a facade of traditional small-town values. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1987, and received nominations for the Locus and World Fantasy Awards that same year. Publishers Weekly listed It asthe best-selling book in America in 1986.