The Werewolf of Fever Swamp facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | R. L. Stine |
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| Cover artist | Tim Jacobus |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Goosebumps |
| Genre | Horror fiction children's literature |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
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Publication date
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December 1993 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 123 (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0-590-49449-X |
| OCLC | 29391346 |
| LC Class | MLC R CP01334 |
| Preceded by | Piano Lessons Can Be Murder |
| Followed by | You Can't Scare Me! |
The Werewolf of Fever Swamp is the fourteenth book in the original Goosebumps series. This popular series of scary stories for kids was created by R. L. Stine. The book tells the story of Grady Tucker and his family. They move to a new house right next to a spooky place called Fever Swamp.
Soon after they arrive, a swamp deer is found dead. Grady's dad thinks their new dog is to blame. But Grady is sure that a real werewolf is hiding in the swamp. This book was very popular with readers and critics. Many people liked how the story kept the werewolf's identity a secret until the very end.
The Werewolf of Fever Swamp became a bestseller. It appeared on lists like USA Today and Publishers Weekly. In the 1990s, it was even made into a TV episode. You could watch it on VHS and later on DVD. In 2006, the story was turned into a comic book in a collection called Creepy Creatures.
Contents
What Happens in the Story?
Grady Tucker and his family move to Florida. Their new home is right next to Fever Swamp. Grady's dad is a scientist. He wants to study if special swamp deer from South America can live in Florida. He keeps the deer in a pen, planning to let them go into the swamp later.
Grady and his sister Emily decide to explore the swamp. They get lost and meet a strange swamp hermit. He lives in a small shack. The hermit chases them, but they manage to run away and find their way back home.
A few days later, Grady goes outside to meet his new friend, Will Blake. A large stray dog suddenly jumps on Grady. Grady thinks the dog looks more like a wolf than a dog. So, he decides to name him Wolf.
One morning, Will tells Grady that a neighbor, Ed Warner, has gone missing. Mr. Warner was hunting in the swamp. Cassie O'Rourke, another girl in the neighborhood, suggests that a werewolf might be responsible for Mr. Warner's disappearance.
The Mystery of the Swamp
Grady hears howling sounds and goes to investigate. He finds a big hole ripped in the deer pen. One of the deer is dead nearby. Grady's dad sees paw prints around the pen. He blames Wolf for killing the deer. He plans to take Wolf to the animal pound.
But Grady is sure that a werewolf killed the deer and other animals in town. He helps Wolf escape before his dad can catch him. That night, Grady hears howling again. He sees Wolf slowly heading towards the swamp.
Grady follows Wolf. He then meets Will, who also heard the howls and decided to investigate. As they follow Wolf, Grady gets separated from both Will and the dog.
The Truth Revealed
Eventually, Grady finds the swamp hermit's shack. He hears loud howling coming from very close by. Grady worries that the swamp hermit is the werewolf. He tries to run away.
Suddenly, Will attacks him! It turns out Will is the werewolf. During their struggle, Will bites Grady's shoulder. This bite causes Grady to start turning into a werewolf himself.
Wolf then reappears and fights off Will. Grady passes out. When Grady wakes up, his mom tells him that the swamp hermit found him and carried him home. His parents also let Grady keep Wolf. They learned that the dog saved Grady's life.
During the next full moon, Grady (who is now a werewolf) and his loyal dog Wolf go out to hunt together.
The Comic Book Version
The book was turned into a comic book story by Gabriel Hernandez. It appeared in Creepy Creatures, which came out on September 1, 2006. This was the first book in the Goosebumps Graphix series.
A reviewer named Kat Kan said that Hernandez used "sketchy but expressive art" to make the story feel spooky. She also thought the "gotcha" ending was done very well in the comic. This comic book story was later included in another Goosebumps Graphix book. It was called Slappy's Tales of Horror and was published on August 25, 2015.
