Eleanor Hawken

I read the first book in this series for my Chatterbooks group, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. So when I'd finished my list for Children's Book Day and could choose my own reading again, I decided to check out the sequel.
Sammy Feral's family may not be werewolves anymore, but that doesn't mean the weirdness is over. Far from it. A wish frog, a Mongolian Death Worm and a horde of Yetis make sure of that.
Sammy has to juggle saving a kidnapped Yeti with school and friends and 'normal' life. He does so in his own inimitable style. Kids will simultaneously wish their lives were as exciting as Sammy's and be grateful that it is not!
A great kid's read, that adults can enjoy too. I did.… (meer)

Sammy Feral is a lucky boy. His family runs a zoo and so he spends his spare time hanging out with orangutans, crocodiles and snakes. But his luck has just run out. His entire family has been infected with a werewolf virus. Now his mum, dad and sisters are howling at the moon, craving raw meat and, worst of all, trying to infect Sammy.

I chose this book for my October Chatterbooks session - Halloween, werewolves - predictable maybe, but hey.
Of course I have to read each title a month ahead to make sure it is suitable before I hand it out to the group. This one was a quick easy read, written in the form of Sammy's diary and featuring black and white drawings of the main characters. I managed to read over half of it at the bus stop waiting for a bus to work that didn't come.
Sammy is an unlikely hero, but a likeable one. He is a good kid who wants to do the right thing, but who is prepared to bend the rules to help his family. He has a penchant for using strange similies and metaphors, which you wouldn't necessarily expect to hear from a boy his age - but then Sammy isn't exactly a normal boy, even before he becomes the only human in a family of werewolves.

I hope my group will enjoy it. I liked it enough to want to read the Yeti sequel, and that is a definite recommendation.… (meer)

To make some extra money for Feral Zoo, Sammy, Red and Donny decide to promote their Cryptozoology business - investigating animals that don't exist. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything! Hired to check out sightings of a ghost dog, the friends uncover the terrifying legend of the Hell Hound. Anyone who is seen by this terrible beast is struck with a death curse. So when Sammy's best friend Mark runs into the deadly dog, Sammy knows he doesn't have long to figure out how to save him!

This is the third book in the series, and now I'm looking out for book 4. There's something very endearing about Sammy Feral. I think part of it is his use of strange similies. He certainly has a way with words. Another fun-packed adventure that children will love, and adults can appreciate.… (meer)