448 pages · Released Apr 18, 2023 · Simon and Schuster
Content report card
Howl parent’s guide: what’s inside
Medium confidence
What it offers
Educational value
A little · 1/5
A note for parents
Howl is a supernatural thriller with horror elements centered on a teen dealing with trauma, disbelief, and fear of transformation. The story emphasizes resilience, self-acceptance, and finding support despite isolation, making it thematically mature but ultimately hopeful. Violence and scary moments are present but not graphically depicted, and the book includes LGBTQ+ representation woven naturally into the narrative. Best suited for older teens comfortable with psychological tension and monster-horror themes.
When no one in the small town of Merritt, Florida, believes that he was attacked by a monster, fifteen-year-old Virgil Knox fears the monster will return to finish him off, or worse--that he is becoming a monster himself.When no one in the small town of Merritt, Florida, believes that he was attacked by a monster, fifteen-year-old Virgil Knox fears the monster will return to finish him off, or worse--that he is becoming a monster himself.
