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Dwayyo
Something strange is going on with George and Alice's grandfather. It's not just his bare pantry or lost car keys. It's the weird way he's been acting, especially at night. He's seeing something out in the darkness. "Something terrible," he says. Alice suspects the Dwayyo - a legendary creature said to stalk the nearby woods. George doesn't know what to think. Is there a monster on the loose, or is Grandpa losing his mind? Along with their friend Callie, the siblings set out to find answers, and face their greatest fears.
198 pages, Paperback
Published November 30, 2022
About the author
Patrick Boyton
3 books5 followersPatrick Boyton is the author of "Snallygaster: the Lost Legend of Frederick County" and the forthcoming children's novel, "Beware, the Snallygaster." He lives in Frederick, Maryland, with his wife and son.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 1, 2025
The Dwayyo is a Maryland legend near and dear to my heart.
Deep in the depths of Maryland there is a werewolf, you see. This creature dates back to time immemorial, knowledge of it originally spread orally through the tales from the local tribes. The colonizers originally scoffed at it until they, too, began to see the wolf standing on its hindlegs lurking around the edges of their camps. In the 1800s it became the sworn enemy of the more well-known Maryland creature: the Snallygaster. Around South Mountain these stories continued, although the legendary creature itself ranged as far as Baltimore County.
Dwayyo tells the story of this creature through an interesting lens. The Dwayyo, after all, is meant to feed off of fear. Two children are visiting their grandfather, living alone at his old age. He's begun to act strangely is the problem. He's forgetting things more and more and getting terrified at night. Is this the Dwayyo? What do you do if you're forcibly removed from the relative you love so much? What if he's removed from himself? And what might the Dwayyo be feeding on, if it is real?
This isn't an easy read, but it's one that I think a lot of kids will relate to and benefit from reading. There are a lot of things afflicting the older generations that we'd rather not think about or speak of, and it's even harder to understand for a kid. Dwayyo attacks all of that head-on, alongside spreading and explaining many Maryland traditions that otherwise might be lost.
Deep in the depths of Maryland there is a werewolf, you see. This creature dates back to time immemorial, knowledge of it originally spread orally through the tales from the local tribes. The colonizers originally scoffed at it until they, too, began to see the wolf standing on its hindlegs lurking around the edges of their camps. In the 1800s it became the sworn enemy of the more well-known Maryland creature: the Snallygaster. Around South Mountain these stories continued, although the legendary creature itself ranged as far as Baltimore County.
Dwayyo tells the story of this creature through an interesting lens. The Dwayyo, after all, is meant to feed off of fear. Two children are visiting their grandfather, living alone at his old age. He's begun to act strangely is the problem. He's forgetting things more and more and getting terrified at night. Is this the Dwayyo? What do you do if you're forcibly removed from the relative you love so much? What if he's removed from himself? And what might the Dwayyo be feeding on, if it is real?
This isn't an easy read, but it's one that I think a lot of kids will relate to and benefit from reading. There are a lot of things afflicting the older generations that we'd rather not think about or speak of, and it's even harder to understand for a kid. Dwayyo attacks all of that head-on, alongside spreading and explaining many Maryland traditions that otherwise might be lost.
August 7, 2023
Great story. It made me wistful and sorrowful for the loss of my youth and also brought me joy for the remembrance of mystery and fall.
Give Patrick Boyton a try in this wonderful coming-of-age story.
Give Patrick Boyton a try in this wonderful coming-of-age story.
March 26, 2023
Some of the pacing and action was confusing and I didn’t love the ending, but it’s very sweet.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews