As Ophelia Tate guided the Diamond Lil out of the bay, the early morning sun cast its warming rays of golden light against the quartz-encrusted rocks. For a second, despite Woody’s increasing ability to control his changes, Nat saw his friend how he had come to know him best, as a magnificent white Wolven, eyes flashing, standing proud at the stern of the Diamond Lil.

Weirdo?

Nat’s senses sideslipped into confusion for a second; it was like a radio being tuned inside his brain. Then he grinned in delight. He could hear Woody. As plain as if he were standing right next to him! He could do the two-way thing!

What? He cast his thoughts out across the water to Woody.

Were you the freak or the weirdo? Woody sent back across the waves.

You were the freak! replied Nat.

So that makes you the weirdo! See you in Paris, brother!

Nat Carver watched as the boat bobbed merrily around Diamond Bay and slipped out of sight.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Huge thanks go to all the little chickens and the big rooster at the brilliant Chicken House, and to Pat White, Mohsen Shah, and Claire Wilson from RCW.

Thanks to Anna Trenter for your wise editing input and to Hannah Watkinson for reading it first and asking for more.

To Anita Milkins — sorry about Agent Redican! And finally to Phil, Dan, and Frankie, the real good guys.

About the Author

Di Toft lives in Portishead, England, with her husband, their children, and their dog, Dave, who is so ginormous that he can be located by Google Maps. Wolven is Di’s first book for young readers.

Copyright

Text © 2010 by Di Toft
Cover art © 2009 by Martin Simpson
Cover design by Phil Falco

All rights reserved. Published by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. CHICKEN HOUSE, SCHOLASTIC, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. www.scholastic.com

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Toft, Di.
Wolven / Di Toft. — 1st American ed.

p. cm.
Summary: Twelve-year-old Nat, with help from family, friends, and his “pet”
Woody, a wolf that turns into a boy, must face werewolves that have been altered as part of a dastardly plan.

ISBN 978-0-545-17109-0

[1. Supernatural — Fiction. 2. Werewolves — Fiction. 3. Space and time — Fiction.
4. Grandparents — Fiction. 5. Family life — England — Fiction.
6. England — Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.T5732Wol 2010
[Fic]—dc22

2009020440

First American edition, June 2010