Sammy Feral's Diaries of Weird by Eleanor Hawken

It's strange enough when your family owns a zoo and you have to help out there when you're not going to school.  It's even worse when your sister tries to bite your arm off...

The author sent me a copy of this to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can grab a copy at your local bookstore now.

Ms. Hawken has a great imagination and has created a story that will thrill middle graders.  She mixes magic, mystery, and danger together along with Sammy's best attempts to save his family. See, this stranger gave them a puppy that the whole family loves.  Nobody mentioned that puppy was werewolf...

When Sammy finds his family bloody and laying on the floor, he fears the worst.  However, he has no idea that dead might not be the worst.  Now he's got his family in a cage in the back and is feeding them raw steak.  They'd much rather eat him.

The strange kid that shows up and says he can help him uses tranquilizers to calm them down but it doesn't change the fact that they are infected.  Everyone says there is nothing you can do to help them change back.  Sammy doesn't listen...

This story is full of outrageous characters; I love them!  It's also full of action and a man who wants to buy the zoo and Sammy's family.  It looks impossible.  Can Sammy pull it off?  You'll have to read the story and see.

Happy reading.