History Literature / ThisIsNotAWerewolfStory

* BikerBabe: Vincent’s mother.

* WhiteWolvesAreSpecial: White Wolf, whom Raul believes to be his MissingMom. We eventually learn that some shapeshifters become white "spirit animals," which are somehow different than others. White Wolf actually used to have gray fur, like Raul himself.

''This is Not a Werewolf Story'' is a [[MiddleGradeLiterature middle-grade]] novel by Sandra Evans, a professor in Medieval French Literature. It is loosely based on ''Literature/{{Bisclavret}}'' and was written with input from Evans’ own son.

''This is Not a Werewolf Story'' is a middle-grade novel by Sandra Evans, a professor in Medieval French Literature. It is loosely based on ''Literature/{{Bisclavret}}'' and was written with input from Evans’ own son.

* CannotKeepASecret: [[spoiler:Vincent]]. At least, unless it’s one of his own.

* IJustWantToBeNormal: [[spoiler:Vincent could apparently become a raven shapeshifter, but doesn’t want to]].

* LittleBitBeastly: [[UnreliableNarrator Despite insisting]] that he's a normal human boy when he changes back from a wolf, Raul has a mild case of SuperSenses and SuperStrength, as well as unusually sharp teeth and “scary eyes” in his human form. [[spoiler:These traits are amplified by the Fresnal lens]].

* MyInstinctsAreShowing: At one point Raul, having just turned back to human, runs away from Tuffman on all fours. Afterwards he feels ashamed for giving into his wolf instincts in human form, though insists that it was also a conscious choice.
** [[spoiler:The Fresnal lens makes Raul stronger, but also makes him act more animalistic in human form]].

* NeverMyFault: Vincent’s worst trait is that he’ll never fess up after he’s done something wrong, even if he feels guilty and it means letting somebody else take the blame. [[spoiler:He finally does say "sorry" to both Raul and his father after getting Raul trapped in wolf form for months]].

** Raul's father is also ''furious'' when he discovers that [[spoiler:Vincent let Raul be trapped in wolf form for months]].

* SuperSenses: Raul ([[spoiler:and Tuffman]]) seem to have unusually good hearing and smell even in human form.

Raul lives at a boarding school for kids who have trouble at home. He makes a point of rarely talking and generally only associates with the younger students. He does befriend the school’s newest student, Vincent, and has a crush on Mary Anne, one of the friendlier girls. He also likes most of the teachers, though the school coach, Tuffman, seems to hate him for unknown reasons.

On the weekend, the students at the school all go home to their families, except Raul. He finds family a different way: by using the magic of the nearby woods to [[VoluntaryShapeshifting turn into a wolf]], where he meets White Wolf, whom he believes to be his MissingMom [[ShapeshifterModeLock trapped in animal form]]. And unfortunately, the two of them have competition from another predator now prowling the forest...

* MyInstinctsAreShowing: At one point Raul, having just turned back to human, runs away from Tuffman on all fours. He indicates both that this was his wolf instincts but also a conscious choice, though he feels ashamed of doing it afterwards.
** [[spoiler:The Fresnal lens makes Raul stronger, but also more animalistic even in human form]].

* NobleWolf: Most of the time, though Raul and White Wolf veer into SavageWolf at some points.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When suffering from a concussion, Raul becomes more paranoid and emotional, which is only heightened by stress from Bobo’s injury. [[spoiler:This leads to him lashing out against Sparrow for losing the fishing pole that Raul made him]].
** As in ''Literature/{{Bisclavret}},'' the fact that a wolf acts perfectly tame most of the time but reacts violently to a certain person helps people figure out that something is unusual.

* PlaceOfPower: White Deer Woods. The lighthouse is specifically Raul’s “threshold,” the special place where he can shift to and from animal form.

* PrecociousCrush: Raul plans to marry one of Dean Swift’s three teenage daughters when grows up. (Or Mary Anne, who’s his own age, but amusingly he sees ''her'' as the long shot.)

* RaisedByGrandparents: Sparrow, since his mother’s abuse came to light.

* ReformedButRejected: [[spoiler:Vincent]] does the right thing in the end, but Raul admits that he has yet to completely forgive him.

* ShapeshifterModeLock: Raul believes that the white wolf that he sees during his transformations is his MissingMom, having somehow undergone this. [[spoiler:Then Raul is trapped for a few months when Vincent steals his clothes, though he at least gets turned back. Tuffman gets sent to a zoo for the rest of his life]].

* TheSmartGuy: Mary Anne, who also seems to be trying to act far more intellectual than any kid her age should.

* StacysMom: All of the older boys have this reaction when they first see Vincent’s mom without her motorcycle helmet. Raul’s narration repeatedly refers to her as “Pretty Lady.”

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Raul's transformations involve following a specific formula, which is part of the reason that he argues it’s different than ([[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent most common depictions of]]) a werewolf.

* WhiteWolvesAreSpecial: White Wolf, whom Raul believes to be his MissingMom. We eventually learn that white shapeshifters are “spirit animals,” though details about them remain hidden.

* ParentalNeglect: Raul's father became so depressed after his wife's disappearance that he often forgot to bring Raul to school, and when a social worker came by Raul was dirty, wearing clothes that were too small and eating his bowl of cereal on the floor. Nowadays he’s stopped picking Raul up from boarding school on the weekends. [[spoiler:This is actually because he was getting fake letters indicating that Raul didn’t want to see him]].
** Mary Anne’s parents seem to be more traditional, {{Workaholic}} kind.

* PlaceOfPower: White Deer Woods. The lighthouse is specifically Raul’s “threshold,” the special place where he can transform.

* PapaWolf: Raul, toward the younger kids; Dean Swift, toward all his students (often from their own parents); and [[spoiler:Raul's father]] when he finds out what Vincent did to his son.

* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Raul's transformations involve following a specific formula, which is part of the reason that he argues it’s different than a werewolf.

* TotallyNotAWerewolf: Raul hates this term, because in his mind it implies all the tropes that he doesn’t like or that don’t apply to him. Later on we learn that “spirit animals” may be the “correct” term for shapeshifters.

''This is Not a Werewolf Story'' is a children’s novel by Sandra Evans, a professor in Medieval French Literature. It is loosely based on ''Literature/{{Bisclavret}}'' and was written with input from Evans’ own son.

* NeverMyFault: Vincent’s worst trait is that he’ll never fess up after he’s done something wrong, even if it means letting somebody else take the blame. [[spoiler:He finally does say "sorry" to both Raul and his father after getting Raul trapped in wolf form for months]].

* ReformedButRejected: [[spoiler:Vincent]], at the end. Raul indicates that he’ll likely forgive him one day.

* ShapeshifterModeLock: Raul believes that the white wolf that he sees during his transformations is his MissingMom, having somehow undergone this. [[spoiler:Then Raul is trapped when Vincent steals his clothes, though he at least gets turned back. Tuffman isn’t so lucky]].

''This is Not a Werewolf Story'' is a children’s novel by Sandra Evans, a professor in Medieval French Literature. It is loosely based on ''Literature/Bisclavret'' and was written with input from Evans’ own son.

* NeverMyFault: Vincent’s worst trait is that he’ll never fess up after he’s done something wrong, even if it means letting somebody else take the blame.