Her big sister bosses her around; her mom makes her dog-sit Mr. Boots, the family's well-dressed Chihuahua; and she's convinced a strange and squishy swamp creature that lives down at the lake is eating high school kids.

When no one believes her, Arlie and her best friend, Ty (yes, he's a boy, and no, he's not her boyfriend), set out with Mr. Boots to stop the creature themselves -- because if they don't, half the school is going to end up as lakeside hors d'oeuvres

While poking around their neighborhood, mystery-solving, swamp monster-fighting middle-graders Arlie and Ty fi nd a buried coffee can fi lled with the bones of a hamster and the handwritten curse (on glittery unicorn notepaper) from his home-schooled owner, Mandy:

"Here lies Cuddles McGee. A curse upon those who disturb his grave."

The fact that the i in "lies" is topped with a heart doesn't make them any less scared, especially when the obese, angry, and undead Cuddles comes back to life and starts trashing the town.

Once again, it's up to Arlie, Ty, and Mr. Boots --...