Publication info:

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000

Description:

" Even a child who is pure of heart
And does his homework neatly
May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
And the moon is full completely"

Norman Gnormal's parents actually wanted a dog and not a little boy. So they raised little Norman as if he were one. "I had a happy puppyhood," Norman claims. But when he arrives at Watson Elementary School, students tease him, "Fido! Drinks-from-the-toilet! Lassie!" In an effort to help him adjust, Principal Pantaloni enlists Norman in the Werewolf Club. Though not actually a werewolf himself, Norman gains acceptance from his new friends for his ability to run on all fours and his genuine delight in liverwurst milkshakes.

When they learn that their beloved teacher Mr. Talbot is cursed with werewolfdom, the Club must come to his rescue by locating Alexander the Great's Magic Pretzel (the only known cure for werewolves stuck in full-time wolf mode). Through the adventure, the danger, the outrageous fun, the Werewolf Club bonds into an unholy, howling, drooling pack of wolf-like beasts. It can only be said of the little lycanthropes, "It is not your fault, my children! You were born under an unlucky star!"