Undead Pets 3 – Night of the Howling Hound

Sam Hay's Night of the Howling Hound is the third Undead Pets book, a spooky, slobbery camping story for 6 year olds about a boy who can see animals nobody else can.

What happens

Joe's class is camping at an adventure centre on the edge of a forest. There's a local legend about a ghost wolf, and Spiker (the class troublemaker, who's been put in Joe's tent) makes sure everyone hears it.

Joe has a secret. Thanks to Uncle Charlie's Egyptian amulet, he's now the Protector of Undead Pets. Animals that have died with something left undone come to him for help. And on the very first night, something big comes crashing out of the dark woods straight at him.

It isn't a wolf. It's Dexter, a scruffy zombie dog with green drool, bulging red eyes and breath like a sweaty armpit. He used to belong to Mr Hill, the head teacher. Dexter wants Joe to help Mr Hill stop blaming himself for the accident that killed him.

The trouble is, only Joe can see or hear him. And Dexter can't concentrate on anything for more than about five seconds (squirrel!). So while Joe is climbing walls and whizzing down a zip line, a dead dog is doing enormous smelly farts beside him and getting him into trouble with the head.

It's very funny. Dexter knows all of Mr Hill's secret nicknames for the class, and Moanie Leonie is a perfect fit. There's a nice warm idea underneath the gross stuff too. Mr Hill misses his dog, and Joe has always longed for one.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

The whole series is about pets that have died, and here it's a dog who fell off a cliff before the story starts. Spiker's ghost story also has a line about a wolf ripping out hunters' throats. It's all played for laughs rather than sadness, but a child who has recently lost a pet might find it too close to home.

If your reader likes their spooky stories with plenty of slobber and silliness, though, this is a great fit.

What to read next

If they'd like to go back to where Joe's job began, Return of the Hungry Hamster is the first Undead Pets book, where Uncle Charlie hands over the amulet and a very dusty hamster needs a favour.