A Lonely Boy's Guide to Survival (and Werewolves)

It's 1954, and even though he has just become a Badger Scout, young Skipper McCready's life is a big mess. His grumpy next-door neighbor is upset with him all the time; his friend Sally Ann is obsessed with being a girl detective; and his best friend, Lucky, a dog, has gone missing. To top it all off, his mother wants him to befriend the new weird kid in Rolling Meadows, Jonathan Van, a bookish boy with outlandish tales of his monster-hunting father. With his scout survival guide in hand, Skipper sets off with his friends to solve the mystery of Lucky's disappearance. Is it really possible there's a werewolf loose, or are Jonathan's monster-filled tales too incredible to believe? Exploring the topics of friendship, self-reliance, loss and grief, Skipper begins to wonder if the answers to life's uncertainties may be found in his Badger Scout survival guide or if anything—or anyone—is truly what they seem.