My Friend's a Werewolf Book

Simon's voice grew more muffled. I guessed he was bending down and whispering to Plute just as I'd seen him do before. I should have left then. Plute was back home--and my parents would be going mad wondering where I was. How I wish I'd left then. But I didn't. I wanted Simon to know it was me who had brought Plute back. The kitchen door was pushed open again. "Now, stop it, you're still wet," said Simon. But Plute obviously didn't want to be dried. I could see the bottom half of his body wriggling about. "Simon…" the word stopped in my mouth. As I'd seen something. Then I saw it again, moving across Plute's back. It was a hand. But a hand covered in hair. Thick, black, bristly hair. And the fingernails were very sharp and pointed, like claws…The title may have come straight from a 50s B-movie but this is a modern-day morality tale that never quite delivers what you expect. When a new boy arrives in town, Kelly is determined to make friends with him, and they bond instantly. But it isn't long before Kelly notices something is not quite right about her new friend. He wears gloves all the time, as if he is trying to hide something, there is hair starting to grow on his face even though he isn't yet old enough to start make choices on shaving products and the howling noises Kelly hears at night seem to be a little too close for comfort. But Simon couldn't be a werewolf could he? After all, werewolves aren't real, they only exist in the movies. And in the movies, they are also very, very dangerous.Have no fear, Simon's secret is never going to be what you expect, but the sympathy Johnson evokes is at times painful but never less than real, despite the far-fetched situation he has found himself in. It's a credit to Johnson's skill as a storyteller that the story never descends into melodrama as the touching friendship between Kelly and Simon transcends the prejudice and ignorance displayed by the adults. Not quite as creepy as Johnson's other Yearling titles, it still has a spooky air about it and plenty of mystery. The convincing narrative and subtly delivered moral message will leave children with more than a little to think about at the end. Frighteningly good! (Ages 8 upwards.) -- Jonathan WeirRead More