Return to Augie Hobble

Lane Smith's Return to Augie Hobble is a funny, slightly strange summer story for 9 year olds about a boy who's worried he's becoming a werewolf.

What happens

Augie's dad manages Fairy Tale Place, a tired old theme park out in the desert. Augie spends his summer sweeping up popcorn, painting polka dots on carved toadstools and cleaning up after guests who've been sick on the rides.

He's also failed Creative Arts (who fails Creative Arts?). So he has to come up with a whole new project before the end of the holidays, and every idea he has is junk. Just ask Britt, his best friend.

Then one foggy night in the woods behind the park, something big and furry grabs him and throws him against a tree. The next morning his chin is itchy and bristly. Then his hands look a bit hairy...

The park itself is one of the best bits. To dodge the lawyers, Augie's dad has given lots of the rides slightly-off names. There's Charley's Chocolate Factory (with a Y), a playground called Lord of the Swings and a baby-changing station called Winnie the Poo's. There's a fortune-teller whose crystal ball keeps going fuzzy and a drinks seller who seems to know everything about Augie.

Augie tells it all himself, deadpan and very funny. He and Britt bicker like an old married couple and build a tree house that ends up on the ground. You'll probably find yourself laughing out loud at the pair of them.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

This one isn't all light. Augie and Britt get picked on a LOT, and the bullies are nasty. One of them calls Augie names that mock Native Americans, and a teenager smokes inside his wolf costume. Also, something happens later that turns Augie's summer upside down, and the tone gets a lot more serious.

For a reader who's ready for a book that starts out goofy and becomes something deeper, this could be a really special one. A child who wants jokes all the way through might want to wait a little.

What to read next

If the werewolf worry is the bit they love, The Werewolf of Fever Swamp is a great next pick. Grady has just moved to the edge of a Florida swamp, and something out there keeps howling at night.