The Werewolf of Fever Swamp

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Grady and his family, the Tuckers, have moved from Burlington, Vermont to Florida into a house next to Fever Swamp because his father Mr. Tucker, a scientist, wants to determine if swamp deer from South America can survive in Florida. Grady's father keeps the deer in a pen but plans on releasing them in the swamp. Grady and his sister Emily get lost while exploring the swamp and meet a swamp hermit who lives in a shack. As the hermit chases after them, they run away ultimately making their way back home. A few days later, as Grady is going outside to meet Will Blake, one of his new friends, a big stray dog jumps onto Grady. Grady thinks the dog resembles more a wolf than a dog and decides to call the dog Wolf. One morning, Will tells him that a neighbor, Ed Warner, went missing after hunting in the swamp. Cassie O'Rourke, a girl who lives in the neighborhood, suggests that a werewolf is the reason for Mr. Warner's disappearance.

In Their Own Story

After going out to investigate some howling, Grady finds a hole that had been ripped from the deer pen and a slain deer laying on one side. Mr. Tucker sees paw prints around the pen and blames Wolf for the killing. He plans on taking Wolf to the pound, but Grady is convinced that a werewolf killed the deer and other animals in town, and he helps the dog flee before Mr. Tucker can capture Wolf. That night, Grady hears howling and observes Wolf slowly moving towards the swamp shortly afterward. As Grady follows the dog he runs into Will, who says he heard the howls and decided to investigate them. While they are following Wolf, Grady gets separated from both the dog and Will. Eventually, Grady comes across the swamp hermit's shack and begins to hear loud howling coming from nearby. Worried that the swamp hermit is a werewolf, he starts to flee before he is suddenly attacked by the werewolf, who is revealed to be Will. During the struggle, Will bites into Grady's shoulder, causing Grady to become a werewolf. Wolf reappears and fights off Will before Grady passes out. When Grady regains consciousness, he learns from his mother that the swamp hermit found him and carried him home. His parents also let Grady keep Wolf after discovering that the dog saved his life. When Mr. Tucker goes to check on Will, he finds his house completely abandoned. A month passes by, and Grady continues to explore the swamp with Cassie and Wolf. During the next full moon, Grady (now a werewolf) and his dog go out to hunt.

Reader's Guide

The Werewolf of Fever Swamp was first published in December 1993 by Scholastic, and reissued in October 2009 under the Classic Goosebumps rename. The book was featured in USA Today's Top 150 Best-Selling Books database for 73 weeks, attaining a peak position of 24. In 2001, it was listed as the 209th bestselling children's paperback book of all time by Publishers Weekly, having sold 1,577,808 copies. In the 1990s, The Werewolf of Fever Swamp was adapted into a television special, which first aired on May 17, 1996 on the Fox Network. The special was later split into two parts and denoted as the 18th and 19th episodes of the Goosebumps television series' first season. The special starred Brendan Fletcher as Grady Tucker, Maria Ricossa as Grady's mother, Mairon Bennett as Emily, Geoffrey Bowes as Grady's father, Michael Barry as Will, and Don Francks as the swamp hermit. Neal Shusterman wrote the special, while Steve Levitan served as producer, and William Fruet served as director. The Werewolf of Fever Swamp was released on VHS in 1997. Billboard listed the video as the 19th best-selling children's video in 1997, the only Goosebumps video on the list. In 2004, the TV special was also released on DVD. Gabriel Hernandez adapted the book into a comic book story in Creepy Creatures, published on September 1, 2006, as the first book in the Goosebumps Graphix series. The comic book story reappeared along with three other Goosebumps book adaptations in the Goosebumps Graphix book Slappy's Tales of Horror, published August 25, 2015.

Did You Know?

• The Werewolf of Fever Swamp is the fourteenth book in the original Goosebumps series.
• The book was featured on USA Today's Top 150 Best-Selling Books database for 73 weeks, peaking at position 24.
• The television special first aired on May 10, 1996 on the Fox Network.
• Billboard listed the VHS release as the 19th best-selling children's video in 1997, one of several Goosebumps videos on the list.
• The comic book adaptation was published on September 1, 2006 as the first book in the Goosebumps Graphix series.