- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 8–12
- Fantasy
The Last Wolf
Book 1 of 2 in The Moonhaven ChroniclesView the full series
A thrilling, spine-tingling werewolf mystery from Rob Biddulph, in which four curfew-breaking friends become the prime suspects after the first werewolf attack in forty years. Packed with more than a hundred atmospheric black-and-white illustrations.
- Best for8–12
- FormatIllustrated
- Length272 pp
- Read aloud~3 hr50 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
Tone
- Exciting
- Suspenseful
- Adventurous
- Scary
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
In the town of Moonhaven, four friends who call themselves the Moonlighters live for full-moon adventures, sneaking out after curfew, dodging the fearsome Nighthawks and roaming the empty streets. There have been no werewolf attacks for over forty years, so surely the terrible howl echoing through the dark can't be what they fear it is. But when a rare and brutal attack rocks the town, Jax, Jovi, Esau and Fourth find themselves the prime suspects. With the Nighthawks closing in on anyone who was out after dark, the friends are forced to run, setting off a chain of rumours, secrets and betrayals. As suspicion spreads, their friendships are tested to breaking point, and the truth turns out to be more dangerous than any of them imagined. The first book in a gripping duology, Rob Biddulph's middle-grade debut is 'The Goonies meets the legend of the werewolf', a fast, atmospheric mystery brought to life with more than a hundred spectacular black-and-white illustrations by the author.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Best for 8-12s reading independently, with heavily illustrated short chapters that carry reluctant readers. The werewolf peril and tense atmosphere make it a poor bedtime choice for children who scare easily, but a thrilling read for those who love a spooky mystery.
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- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: violence, scary imagery.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
2 / 5 · Use judgement
Graphic intensity
3 / 5 · Some
Best for
- Spooky mystery
- Werewolves
- Reluctant readers
- Highly illustrated
Avoid if
- Scares easily
- Wants gentle bedtime
Particularly good for children who are…
- Nightmares or fears
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Sneaking out after dark, a monstrous howl, and being blamed for something you didn't do: this is edge-of-the-seat stuff. The Moonlighters feel like a real gang of friends, and more than a hundred inky illustrations make the town of Moonhaven properly spooky.
- Adventure and freedom
- Surviving danger
- Breaking the rules safely
- Being a detective
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
Rob Biddulph's first middle-grade novel is pacey and heavily illustrated, so it pulls confident and reluctant readers alike straight through. Beneath the werewolf thrills sit real themes of suspicion, prejudice and the abuse of power, giving it more to chew on than the cover suggests.
- Quick to read
- Beautiful illustrations
In the series
The Moonhaven Chronicles.
2 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Rob Biddulph.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
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