Grady Tucker

Grady Tucker is the main hero of the Goosebumps book, The Werewolf of Fever Swamp.

History
Grady used to live in Burlington, Vermont with his family. There, his father, Michael F. Tucker, who is a scientist works for the University of Vermont and one month, he collected six swamp deer and wanted to study them in Florida. Grady and his sister, Emily were totally freaked out when they were told they were moving to Florida because of the deer, because they did not want to leave their friends behind. But they were unable to win the argument as their mother is a scientist as well and their father already her on his side. The two of them managed to persuade Grady and Emily by telling them that this was the chance of a lifetime, that it was really going to be exciting, an adventure they will not forget. So Grady and his family moved down to Florida during Christmas vacation with the six deer, in a house at the edge of a swamp, which Grady was anxious to explore.

One day, Grady and his family were in the backyard and Grady was looking in the swamp with his binoculars when he noticed two dark eyes of a bird staring back at him, which Emily told him is a crane. Grady suggested to follow it into the swamp, which Emily refused at first, until their parents managed to persuade her to go with Grady, which she had a bad feeling about, but Grady declined, asking her what could go wrong. The swamp was hot and wet under the trees and quite surprisingly there were a lot of noises to be heard. The swamp also had some beautiful spots, such as a pond that sparkled in the sunlight, which Grady was not really into, being more interested in wildlife. Then he and Emily saw something scamper behind a log and Grady tricked Emily into thinking it was a hungry alligator when it was actually a lizard, angering her. Emily then wanted to leave, threatening to leave Grady if he will not follow her, but Grady knew she was bluffing. Then Grady noticed a strange-looking pond and Emily got even with him by crying out that it is quicksand and almost pushed him into it. Emily then explained to Grady that it is a peat bog, a pond that is thick because it has peat moss growing in it and Grady thought it was gross-looking. After seeing some falcons in the sky, Grady and Emily started to head home when they realized that they had no idea which way they had come and they were completely lost. Grady suggested to a panicking Emily that they follow the direction of the sun, which they couldn't see through the trees above them. After thinking of failed suggestions and Grady noticed some red bumps on his legs, they walked through the forest until they found the bog to their delight, knowing they were heading in the right direction and started running when Grady tripped over a tree root. Then he and Emily started walking slowly when they realized they had gone in the wrong direction and came across a small shack in a clearing, which they were most surprised that someone would live in the middle of a swamp and Grady thought whoever lived in the shack could tell them which way to go home. He then started to have second thoughts, thinking that the resident could be a criminal, but he and Emily called out to see if anyone was home anyway. Then Grady started reaching for the doorknob when the door was suddenly opened by a man with with long gray-white hair tied in a loose ponytail, black eyes and rows of jagged yellow teeth. This frightened Grady and Emily and they raced away from the man as fast as they could with him in pursuit for a moment. Grady and Emily ran through the swamp until they managed to reach home. They told their parents about how they got lost and the man, whom Mr. Tucker said is the swamp hermit and a man in a hardware store told him that the hermit is strange but perfectly harmless. Mrs. Tucker suggested that Grady and Emily should not go back to the swamp and Grady told them that they had found some neat things in the swamp, to which his father replied that he told them it was going to be an experience and after a disgusted Emily went to take a shower, Mr. Tucker asked Grady to help him feed the deer.

Later on, during a conversation at dinner, Mr. Tucker told Grady and Emily that the swamp they had explored is called Fever Swamp and they will find out sooner or later why the local people call it that. After dinner, Grady was in the backyard feeling homesick, remembering how he and his friends used to hang out when he felt someone grab him from behind. At first, Grady thought it was the swamp hermit, but it turned to be a boy his age, who introduced himself as Will Blake. The two boys then played catch, having a good conversation. Grady then asked Will why they call it Fever Swamp around here and Will told him that a hundred years ago, or maybe longer, that everyone in town that had been in the swamp came down with a strange fever, which lasted for weeks and sometimes even months and lots of people died from it. And those who did not die from the fever began acting very strange, talking crazy, falling down a lot or walk around in circles. And that was how Fever Swamp earned its name. Grady thought that was really weird and then he told Will about how he and Emily had run into the swamp hermit and how he chased them, surprising Will. Will then invited Grady to explore the swamp with him sometime and Grady accepted, happy that he had made a new friend. Later, while he was watching television with his family, Grady began to feel quite unwell and his mother told him that he might be having a fever. Grady was most upset at this, thinking that it is the swamp fever and he will start acting crazy pretty soon. A few nights later, Grady was having a disturbing dream when he heard the strange frightening howls for the first time and it sounded like it was coming from the swamp and they sounded long and angry. Grady got curious and started heading into the hallway, wondering if his parents could hear the howls as well. As he headed for the kitchen, Grady heard something scratch at the kitchen door and wondered what it could be. Grady then realized that someone else was in the kitchen, revealing to be Emily, who also heard the howls and Grady told her about the scratching and they both joked that it could be one of the deer. Then they heard more howling and Emily realized that it is a wolf, but Grady declined saying that wolves do not live in swamps. Then the scratching started again and Grady was determined to know what it was so he opened the door only to find that there was nothing there. Emily then started to guide Grady back to his room when their father appeared, wanting to know what they were doing up. Grady and Emily told him about the scratching and howling, to which Mr. Tucker said that it is hard to sleep in a new house as the sounds are all so new and unfamiliar but they will get used to them. After he was told that he will be fine the next morning, Grady returned to his room and had some more disturbing dreams.

True to his father's word, Grady woke up the next morning feeling fine and the beautiful morning made him forget his nightmares. After breakfast, he was about to head out to meet with Will when he was suddenly knocked over by an enormous creature. At first Grady thought it was a monster, but then he realized that it was a dog when it licked his face. Grady and his family also realized that it was the dog scratching at the door. Seeing that the dog had no collar or ID, Grady asked his parents if he could keep the dog, which they were pretty hesitant with. Then Will came over and Grady introduced him to his family and they asked him if he had ever seen the dog (which Will did not). Will remarked that the dog looked a lot like a wolf, prompting Grady to name him Wolf and he asked his parents again if they could keep, which they replied that they will see.

Later that afternoon, after giving Wolf some lunch and letting him have his nap, Grady and Will went into the swamp to do some exploring and Will suggested to Grady to see a bog, which Grady was most enthusiastic to. As they were walking to the bog, they were talking about quicksand when they heard footsteps behind them. Grady and Will started looking for places to hide, thinking it was the swamp hermit, but it turned out to be Wolf, who was so joyful to see Grady that he jumped on him. Grady supposed Wolf had a good nose and after getting him to settle down, he and Will continued toward the bog. Wolf led the way and Grady was surprised that he seemed to know where they were going and wondered where the dog did come from. They soon got to the peat bog and before Grady could find something heavier after Will threw in a stick that did not sink, he heard Wolf growling menacingly, which he was most surprised at. Will told Grady that Wolf might be sensing danger and when they hid, they saw that Wolf was growling at the swamp hermit, who was carrying a brown sack and he appeared to have bloodstains on his shirt. After the swamp hermit was gone and Wolf was calmed down, Grady wondered what he had in the bag and Will told him it could be someone's head. At first Grady thought Will was joking, but then seeing that he was serious and told him that everyone says the hermit is harmless. They started to head home when they found a dead heron gruesomely torn to shreds. Will thought that was why the swamp hermit had blood on his shirt, but Grady told him that it could not have been him because he had noticed some paw prints around the heron, resembling dog prints. After he pulled away and he and Will returned home, Grady found his father and told him about the dead heron and the swamp hermit having blood all over him. Mr. Tucker told Grady that animals being attacked is part of the wildlife and that he will see a lot of frightening-looking things in the swamp and he warned Grady not to let his imagination run away with him. He also told Grady that Will has a good imagination too when Grady told him that his friend said that the heron was killed by a monster.

That night, Grady was happy that Wolf was allowed to sleep in his room and he felt very safe with Wolf near him and he had been struggling to keep his mind off the dead heron. But some time during the night, Grady and his family were awakened by a loud crash coming from living room. It was trying to get out of the house and he had knocked over some furniture in the process. Grady's parents told him that Wolf has to stay outside, because he is too big and restless to stay in the house, which Grady was most unhappy about, but was unable to win the argument. A short while later, Grady was in bed when he heard the same frightening howls, which did not sound like the cries of an animal. As Grady tried to figure out what it was, he heard a struggle happening in back of the house, along with a terrifying cry. Grady stumbled to his window and peered to see a large creature running on all fours, howling in triumph. Grady was debating on whether it was Wolf or not when he noticed something a few feet from the deer pen. Grady climbed out of his window to have a look and to his horror, it was a rabbit torn to shreds. Sickened at the sight, Grady hurried back through his window, with the howls beginning all over again as soon as he closed it. The next morning, Grady brought his father outside to show him the murdered rabbit. Then Wolf came over and and as Grady received some licks from him, Emily accused Wolf of killing the rabbit and being dangerous. Grady was outraged at this and argued that she had no proof that Wolf had done it. Mr. Tucker told Grady that Wolf seems to be gentle, but he may be a bit of a hunter, since they do not know anything about him and warned them to be careful around him. Grady tried to soothe Wolf's hurt feelings by telling him that he is not a monster and asked if it was not him that he saw outside his window. Wolf stared into Grady's eyes, making Grady believe he was trying to tell him something, but had no idea what it was.

After not hearing any howls that night and giving Wolf some breakfast the next morning, Grady was approached by Will and he invited him and Wolf to explore the swamp with him. In the swamp, Will told Grady about a man named Ed Warner, who had gone missing when he was hunting. Grady suggested that he probably got lost, to which Will replied that Mr. Warner has lived here a long time and he would never get lost. Then a voice called out that a werewolf got him and Grady and Will turned to see a girl standing there. After introducing herself, the girl, Cassie O'Rourke told Grady that there is a werewolf in the swamp (much to Will's annoyance) and the howls they have heard come from a werewolf who had just killed. Cassie asked Grady if he believed her, to which he was unsure of. As Will asked Cassie if the werewolf had red hair and freckles, she pointed and cried out the werewolf was there. At first Grady thought she was pointing at Wolf, but then he realized she was pointing at the swamp hermit, who was just nearby. As Wolf growled quietly at the hermit, Grady noticed that he was carrying a wild turkey (which is what Mr. Warner liked to hunt), making Grady think that the swamp hermit might have done something to him, but he dismissed those horrible thoughts. Then Cassie foolishly gave them away by crying out loud that the swamp hermit is a werewolf. The swamp hermit had heard and he retaliated by chasing after Grady and his friends, screaming that he was the werewolf. Grady tripped over a tree root as he was running to get away from the hermit and for a moment there, he thought he was trapped with him. But it turned out the hermit was just teasing them. He asked Grady if Wolf was his dog and when he said yes, the hermit said to watch out for him, leaving Grady confused. Grady scolded Wolf for not protecting him, asking the dog if he was too big a coward and then Grady started heading for home thinking about what just happened, not seeing a green snake until he stepped on it and was too late to dodge its bite. Wolf tried to nurse Grady and after he assured the dog that he was okay, Grady hobbled home, wondering how serious the bite was, with Wolf walking alongside watching over him. When Grady got to his house, he asked Will and Cassie (who came over to him) to get his father to come. Luckily a bite from a green snake was not poisonous as Mr. Tucker told Grady but he had taken more precautions just to be safe. Grady then told his family about what had happened and asked his parents if they believe in werewolves, to which his father replied that they are scientists and they are not supposed to believe in supernatural things such as werewolves and Emily taunted Grady that the howls did not start until Wolf turned up. Grady was frustrated that his family would not take him seriously so Mr. Tucker told him will look full for only two more nights, joking that if the howls stop after tomorrow night, they will know for sure that it is a werewolf.

After Grady had his two new friends over after dinner and Cassie still went on about werewolves, he was in bed later that night listening to more howls coming closer. He was about to go outside to see what was making those howls when he heard some crashing and thudding right outside his house. As soon as he got outside, Grady looked around until he saw that the werewolf had broken into the deer pen and murdered one of the deer and he hurried inside to get his parents. After Mr. Tucker had dragged the dead deer away and patched the pen back up, he accused Wolf of killing the deer since there were paw prints near the deer. Grady protested at this and uncontrollably told his family that the swamp hermit is a werewolf and he was the one that killed the deer, but Mr. Tucker insisted that they should talk about it in the morning, which Grady reluctantly agreed to. The next morning, Mr. Tucker came home from a lumber yard for new wire mesh and Grady asked him if he was taking Wolf away. Mr. Tucker told Grady that people in town were upset as they had heard the howls and Mr. Warner had gone missing so he was going to take Wolf away. Grady heatedly protested at this, screaming that Wolf is his dog and as his father persisted, he gave Wolf a head start to the swamp before his father could get a hold of him. Mr. Tucker was very annoyed at this and told Grady that he will take Wolf to the dog pound as soon as he returns. Grady then had to help his father with the wire mesh, silently pleading Wolf not to return.

That night, after a long and tense day and a very quiet dinner, Grady was in bed thinking about Wolf when the howls started once again. Grady got to the window to see Wolf pacing around looking like something was troubling him. As Grady got dressed, Wolf started heading into the swamp and Grady decided to follow him to solve the mystery and to prove that his dog is innocent. Following Wolf was not very easy, due to the heavy darkness in the swamp. Grady was nearly to the swamp when he heard footsteps coming toward him, which turned out to be Will, who had also heard the howls and decided to investigate. Grady invited Will to follow Wolf with him and they started heading into the swamp after him, with Grady telling Will everything that had happened recently. After several minutes, Grady realized they had lost Wolf and then he and Will were separated as well when they were looking for the dog. As Grady looked around for Will, some moonlight shone down and he realized in fear that he had wound up at the swamp hermit's shack. Then Grady heard some more howls and thinking it was the swamp hermit, he looked frantically around for the way home. Before Grady had a chance to move, the werewolf ambushed him and knocked him to the ground. As he was pinned on the ground, Grady saw the werewolf's human face in the light and saw that it was Will. Grady pleaded for mercy from Will, but the werewolf lowered his head and sank his fangs into Grady's shoulder. Then Wolf rushed to the helpless Grady's aid and as the dog battled the werewolf, Grady muttered out loud that he knew it was not Wolf and he passed out as Will uttered a wail of defeat.

Some time later, Grady woke up to see his parents standing above him in his room. They told him that the swamp hermit found him in the swamp and he carried Grady home. Grady told them the whole story, including how Will turned into a werewolf and bit his shoulder (which was tightly bandaged). Mr. Tucker was unsure of his son's and decided to go to Will's house to take a look and Grady warned him to be careful. A short while later, Grady's father returned and reported that the house was completely deserted as if no one had ever lived there, much to everyone's surprise. Grady then asked if he could keep Wolf, as Wolf had saved his life that night. His parents remembered the swamp hermit telling them that he had seen Wolf chase an animal away from Grady, so they decided to let him keep the dog, which Grady was most delighted with. Since that time a month ago, Grady and Wolf had wonderful times exploring the swamp. Grady got to know every inch of Fever Swamp and it began to feel like his second home. Grady and Wolf also let Cassie join them in their exploring and Grady thought she was fun, but still wished she would drop the subject of werewolves, as she was still on the lookout for them.

Will may be gone, but he had changed Grady's life. Grady knew he was not going to forget Will as the first full moon in a month makes Grady think of him. Will had passed the curse onto Grady when he bit him, but Grady did not mind. Now that Will was out of the way, the swamp was all his. As the full moon rose into the sky, Grady transformed into a werewolf, climbed out his window and gave a long, joyful howl. Then he got ready to go with Wolf for a hunt in Fever Swamp.

Personality
Grady takes after his father in his family, being cool and scientific. And he is very smart, having received many straight A's in school and he is quite an adventurer and has a bit of humor in him. But sometimes, Grady does have his moments of being afraid and stressed out. He has a lot of disagreements with Emily and he likes to tease her, mainly about Martin, whom he disliked for always calling him kiddo. And he always expects Emily to panic in a an emergency. Grady can be very defensive when he is involved in an argument as well but is sometimes unable to win it when his parents have made up their minds. Grady is very good friends with Wolf and is very attached to him, though he can be pretty stern with his dog if he was being too wild. And they like to go exploring together, sometimes with Cassie, whom Grady is good friends with but wish she would drop the subjects about werewolves. Grady was pretty homesick when he and his family first moved to Florida, but now he has gotten to know every inch of Fever Swamp and considers it his second home.

Appearance
Grady is twelve years old, Caucasian, a little chunky with wavy brown hair and dark eyes.

In Goosebumps Graphix, he wears a bright blue T-shirt, brown shorts and grey shoes. And his hair has been changed to blond.

Books

 * Goosebumps
 * The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
 * Classic Goosebumps
 * The Werewolf of Fever Swamp
 * Goosebumps Graphix
 * Creepy Creatures
 * Slappy's Tales of Horror

Television and Film

 * Television series:
 * Season 1 - The Werewolf of Fever Swamp Part I and The Werewolf of Fever Swamp Part II

Actor

 * Brendan Fletcher (television series)

Trivia

 * Grady is the first hero in the series to become a werewolf.
 * Grady made a cameo in Goosebumps Film, running along the other students from the monsters. He is one of the many protagonists that are students in Madison High.
 * Is weird that he appeared, since he moved to Florida.