The Werewolf of Fever Swamp

R. L. Stine's The Werewolf of Fever Swamp is a spooky Goosebumps story for 8 year olds about a boy who moves to the edge of a swamp and can't stop hearing howls.

What happens

Grady is twelve. His mum and dad are scientists, and they've moved the whole family from Vermont to Florida for six very odd red deer. The plan is to see whether these swamp deer can survive out in the wild.

Grady can't wait to explore. His big sister Emily can (she'd much rather wait for a letter from her boyfriend back home).

On their very first walk they get lost. They find a gurgling green bog, mushrooms as big as footballs and a little hut hidden in the trees. Then the door bursts open and a wild-haired man comes out. They run. He follows.

And at night, when the moon is almost full, something howls out in the swamp. Something scratches at the kitchen door.

This is classic Goosebumps. Chapter after chapter ends on a scream, and the next one starts by showing you it was only a tree root, or your sister, or a very friendly dog. It's a great way to be scared. You get the shiver, then the giggle, then you turn the page anyway!

Grady tells it himself, so you're right there in his head while his heart pounds. He's good company, a bit cheeky and very curious.

Then a huge stray dog with sky-blue eyes turns up and won't leave. Grady names him Wolf. Even Mum says he looks more like a wolf than a dog. Hmm.

There's nothing gory in the opening chapters, just creepy noises in the dark and a hermit nobody knows much about. The darkest bit so far is a new friend's tale of the fever that gave the swamp its name, when lots of people died long ago.

If you've got a reader who likes to be a little bit frightened, this is a good one to try. A worrier might want it in daylight rather than just before bed.

What to read next

For more of the same, try R. L. Stine's Werewolf Skin. Alex is twelve too, sent off to stay with an aunt and uncle he barely remembers in a tiny town surrounded by woods, just before Halloween.