The Werewolf's Howl

Lore & Background

The story is set in Florida, where Grady's family has moved from Burlington, Vermont into a house next to Fever Swamp. Grady's father, Mr. Tucker, is a scientist who wants to determine if swamp deer from South America can survive in Florida. He 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

Grady Tucker is the main protagonist, a boy who moves with his family from Burlington, Vermont to Florida into a house next to Fever Swamp. His father Mr. Tucker is a scientist who wants to determine if swamp deer from South America can survive in Florida. Grady's sister Emily gets lost with him exploring the swamp. Will Blake is one of Grady's new friends who is revealed to be the werewolf attacking Grady. Cassie O'Rourke is a girl who lives in the neighborhood and suggests a werewolf is responsible for disappearances. The swamp hermit lives in a shack in the swamp and chases Grady and Emily, but later finds Grady and carries him home. Wolf is the big stray dog Grady finds that resembles more a wolf than a dog; Wolf saves Grady's life by fighting off Will. The werewolf is revealed to be Will Blake, who attacks Grady and bites his shoulder, causing Grady to become a werewolf himself.

Did You Know?

• 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.
• The television adaptation first aired on May 17, 1996 on the Fox Network and starred Brendan Fletcher as Grady Tucker.
• The TV special was released on VHS in 1997 and Billboard listed the video as the 19th best-selling children's video in 1997, the only Goosebumps video on the list.