Grady Tucker

Grady Tucker is the main protagonist of R. L. Stine's The Werewolf of Fever Swamp.

The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
He and his family moved down to Florida for a school transfer and they happened to have a little project with them. Mr. and Mrs. Tucker are scientists, and they are performing an experiment to see if the swamp deer they got from South America could survive in the swamps of New Orleans and Florida such as the bog right next to their house: Fever Swamp. For now, they keep the deer in the pen. After Grady and his sister, Emily do some exploring in the swamp they met a hermit who lived all by himself in the swamp and his appearence frightened the poor children, but their dad, who heard about the hermit from a friend, told them not to worry; he's harmless. Is he? Later on, Grady met a boy just about Grady's age named Will who knows more about the swamp than anyone else. He also told him how the swamp got its name: cemturies ago, the settlers who came here began to have strange fevers and they went crazy. Some even died.

The boys found the swamp hermit again, taking some birds into his shack. Will thought he was dangerous, despite the fact that Mr. Tucker said he wasn't. They also met a girl who lived nearby named Cassie O'Rourke, who is obsessed with werewolves and believed that the hermit is one. After the hermit scared the children, the hermit convinced them that he was only joking, but told Grady to watch for Wolf. Some time later in the week, the Tuckers begin to hear scratching at night, so much so that they try to investigate, only for Grady to get tackled and pinned down by the source of the noise, a large wolfdog. After the dog licked his face, Grady assumed that he's friendly. Because of the way he looked, the dog was given the name Wolf. But strange animal attacks happen around the house. Attacks caused by a canine. The Tuckers; minus Grady, blame Wolf for it.

After introducing the dog to Will, the three of them explored the swamp with him, only to meet a werewolf obsessed girl named Cassie O'Rourke, and she suspects that the recent animals attacks were caused by a werewolf and she believed that the swamp hermit was one. The hermit heard her shouting and chased the children, only to stop and say he was only joking. He did tell Grady to watch for Wolf, leaving Grady confused. Along the way back home, Grady got bitten by a copperhead snake, but he was cured of the venom after he went to the doctor's. Soon afterwards, Wolf was blamed for an attacks on one of the deer in the pen. Grady told the family that it was probably the werewolf, but his parents and sister do not believe him. Grady told Wolf to run after Mr. Tucker threatened to take him to the pound.

At night, Grady and Will split up in the swamp to find proof that Wolf is innocent. However, Grady ran into the werewolf itself and after it tackled him, it spoke! "You shouldn't have come into the swamp at night, Grady! Not when the moon is full!" It was Will! After Will bit him in the shoulder, Wolf jumped out of the bushes and battled the werewolf. Grady was right, it wasn't Wolf who did it. It was Will all the time. Grady passed out. He awoke in his own bedroom and demanded to know what happened. The swamp hermit found him and took him home after he saw Wolf chasing off a large animal away from Grady and fighting it. Mr. and Mrs. Tucker and Emily were sorry for accusing Wolf and allowed him to stay. They still didn't believe the story about the werewolf and Will, and to prove it, Mr. Tucker went to Will's house to check for evidence. But to his amazement, the house looked completely empty, like no one had lived there for months. Cassie soon learned the truth about Will from Grady. She was satisfied but she hasn't gotten over her werewolf obsession.

As for Grady, he found out that he was cursed by Will after he was bit, but Grady didn't mind. In fact, he's a lot happier. After all, with Will gone, Grady now has the swamp for himslf. And with Wolf, Grady has a companion whenever the two of them explore and hunt in the bayou. After Grady finishes narrating his story to us, which took place a month ago, he changes into his werewolf form again and left for Fever Swamp with Wolf, ready to hunt with his friend.