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Bunnicula #4-5
The Bunnicula Collection: Books 4-5
Nighty-Nightmare
Are Harold, Howie, and Chester simply lost in the woods with Dawg, their strange new friend? Or have they been lured away from their campsite intentionally, leaving the Monroes at the mercy of evil spirits? Lulling Dawg to sleep with a bedtime story may be their only hope of escaping-but is the hare-raising tale of the origins of Bunnicula, the vampire bunny, really a bedtime story?
Return to Howliday Inn
The Monroes have gone on vacation, once again leaving Harold, Chester, and Howie at Chateau Bow-Wow, which Chester aptly dubbed "Howliday Inn." The motley crew of boarders may have changed, but the creepy goings-on at Howliday Inn have not. A ghostly voice, buried bones, and a collar with the name "Rosebud" on it suggest that murder may have been added to the services offered at the kennel.
Are Harold, Howie, and Chester simply lost in the woods with Dawg, their strange new friend? Or have they been lured away from their campsite intentionally, leaving the Monroes at the mercy of evil spirits? Lulling Dawg to sleep with a bedtime story may be their only hope of escaping-but is the hare-raising tale of the origins of Bunnicula, the vampire bunny, really a bedtime story?
Return to Howliday Inn
The Monroes have gone on vacation, once again leaving Harold, Chester, and Howie at Chateau Bow-Wow, which Chester aptly dubbed "Howliday Inn." The motley crew of boarders may have changed, but the creepy goings-on at Howliday Inn have not. A ghostly voice, buried bones, and a collar with the name "Rosebud" on it suggest that murder may have been added to the services offered at the kennel.
Audio CD
First published January 1, 2008
1 person is currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
James Howe
207 books462 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
James Howe has written more than eighty books in the thirty-plus years he's been writing for young readers. It sometimes confuses people that the author of the humorous Bunnicula series also wrote the dark young adult novel, The Watcher, or such beginning reader series as Pinky and Rex and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award-winning Houndsley and Catina and its sequels. But from the beginning of his career (which came about somewhat by accident after asking himself what kind of vampire a rabbit might make), he has been most interested in letting his imagination take him in whatever direction it cared to. So far, his imagination has led him to picture books, such as I Wish I Were a Butterfly and Brontorina (about a dinosaur who dreams of being a ballerina), mysteries, poetry (in the upcoming Addie on the Inside), and fiction that deals with issues that matter deeply to him. He is especially proud of The Misfits, which inspired national No Name-Calling Week (www.nonamecallingweek.org) and its sequel Totally Joe. He does not know where his imagination will take him in the next thirty-plus years, but he is looking forward to finding out.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
James Howe has written more than eighty books in the thirty-plus years he's been writing for young readers. It sometimes confuses people that the author of the humorous Bunnicula series also wrote the dark young adult novel, The Watcher, or such beginning reader series as Pinky and Rex and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award-winning Houndsley and Catina and its sequels. But from the beginning of his career (which came about somewhat by accident after asking himself what kind of vampire a rabbit might make), he has been most interested in letting his imagination take him in whatever direction it cared to. So far, his imagination has led him to picture books, such as I Wish I Were a Butterfly and Brontorina (about a dinosaur who dreams of being a ballerina), mysteries, poetry (in the upcoming Addie on the Inside), and fiction that deals with issues that matter deeply to him. He is especially proud of The Misfits, which inspired national No Name-Calling Week (www.nonamecallingweek.org) and its sequel Totally Joe. He does not know where his imagination will take him in the next thirty-plus years, but he is looking forward to finding out.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 4, 2016
The fun and adventures for the pets in the Monroe family continue in Nighty-Nightmare and Return to Howliday Inn, the two books contained in The Bunnicula Collection, Books 4-5.
Bunnicula barely figures at all in either Nighty-Nightmare and Return to Howliday Inn, instead focusing on Harold the dog, the cat Chester, and Howie the wire-haired dachshund puppy. In the first book, the trio accompany the Monroes on a camping trip and find themselves lost in the woods; Chester suspects that the Monroes are being stalked by danger. In the second novel, Harold, Chester, and Howie return to the Chateau Bow-Wow, a.k.a. Howliday Inn, while the Monroes go on vacation again. While there, the animals fear they have stumbled on a big and dangerous secret at the boarding kennel. Nighty-Nightmare is shorter and not as amusing, but author James Howe packs Return to Howliday Inn with lots of funny situations, humorous lines, and funnier-than-you’d-think puns. The novel’s end proves very touching, as well.
Fans of Bunnicula and friends, no matter how young or old, will love reconnecting the old gang.
Bunnicula barely figures at all in either Nighty-Nightmare and Return to Howliday Inn, instead focusing on Harold the dog, the cat Chester, and Howie the wire-haired dachshund puppy. In the first book, the trio accompany the Monroes on a camping trip and find themselves lost in the woods; Chester suspects that the Monroes are being stalked by danger. In the second novel, Harold, Chester, and Howie return to the Chateau Bow-Wow, a.k.a. Howliday Inn, while the Monroes go on vacation again. While there, the animals fear they have stumbled on a big and dangerous secret at the boarding kennel. Nighty-Nightmare is shorter and not as amusing, but author James Howe packs Return to Howliday Inn with lots of funny situations, humorous lines, and funnier-than-you’d-think puns. The novel’s end proves very touching, as well.
Fans of Bunnicula and friends, no matter how young or old, will love reconnecting the old gang.
July 2, 2020
Check out my reviews for each book listed on their individual pages.
December 22, 2022
More great adventures following the antics of Harold, Chester and Howie.
June 27, 2018
Continuing the tradition from the first three books, they begin with a Note to the Editor, who explains how he comes across these manuscripts, that he knows are written by the family dog that goes by the name Harold X. I find it a wonderful opener to each book; offering a slight validation to the origin--without questioning a literate hound, and his feline friend.
Also, these are read by the previous narrator, Victor Garber with an impressive array of tones, however, so many of his accents are Southern. I am unsure why he chooses that.
Book 4 --Nighty Nightmare
Mr. Monroe suddenly realizes that he is middle aged, and feels the urge to go camping to cure his blues.The family, minus Bunnicula, go on a camping trip. The meet a pair of country dwellers that raise the suspicions of the ever-worrying cat, Chester. Their dog, nicknamed Dawg, wanted take a walk into the woods, saying he got lost. They come upon a house int he middle of the woods, and this inspires the imaginative cat.
Chester tells a story of a vampire named Diabolicus created rabbits in his lab, as companions that could live as long as he could. Bella, and Boris were his rabbits, and the parents of Bunnicula. The rabbits had had offspring throughout Europe as Diabolicus ran away from those after him, which villagers destroyed in their fear. Local villager boys came upon him, and his rabbits; he decided to keep the boys as well. They all, eventually, sailed to the United States. It is an amusing side track of an idea.
Chester's imagination is always the one that leads to the adventure. Well-read, yet susceptible to outrageous theories, and raising suspicions when there are perfectly normal answers. One point he mentions is St. George's Day is when vampires are indestructible, however, the date is wrong. Editor's notes included that the date is the one used by Bram Stoker in his book.
The text feels like a painful set up to offer the alluring story of Bunnicula's origin--which I enjoy, very much, even IF Chester admits it was fiction.
Book 5-- Return to Howliday Inn
This setting allows for wonderful stories to unfold. This is my favorite thus far. It is tight, consistent, and doesn't play too long on Chester's odd theories that are then explained away with such ease, it sucks the fun out of it for me; I don't mind if it is a bit of the paranormal. I wished the puppy was a werewolf; yet more a comment upon a dachshund's howl. The explanation for the paranormal fit quite nicely into the overall tale, which extended into a very heart-warming story about having to release pets because one moves where pets are forbidden. Once again, the gang creates a happy ending.
Also, these are read by the previous narrator, Victor Garber with an impressive array of tones, however, so many of his accents are Southern. I am unsure why he chooses that.
Book 4 --Nighty Nightmare
Mr. Monroe suddenly realizes that he is middle aged, and feels the urge to go camping to cure his blues.The family, minus Bunnicula, go on a camping trip. The meet a pair of country dwellers that raise the suspicions of the ever-worrying cat, Chester. Their dog, nicknamed Dawg, wanted take a walk into the woods, saying he got lost. They come upon a house int he middle of the woods, and this inspires the imaginative cat.
Chester tells a story of a vampire named Diabolicus created rabbits in his lab, as companions that could live as long as he could. Bella, and Boris were his rabbits, and the parents of Bunnicula. The rabbits had had offspring throughout Europe as Diabolicus ran away from those after him, which villagers destroyed in their fear. Local villager boys came upon him, and his rabbits; he decided to keep the boys as well. They all, eventually, sailed to the United States. It is an amusing side track of an idea.
Chester's imagination is always the one that leads to the adventure. Well-read, yet susceptible to outrageous theories, and raising suspicions when there are perfectly normal answers. One point he mentions is St. George's Day is when vampires are indestructible, however, the date is wrong. Editor's notes included that the date is the one used by Bram Stoker in his book.
The text feels like a painful set up to offer the alluring story of Bunnicula's origin--which I enjoy, very much, even IF Chester admits it was fiction.
Book 5-- Return to Howliday Inn
This setting allows for wonderful stories to unfold. This is my favorite thus far. It is tight, consistent, and doesn't play too long on Chester's odd theories that are then explained away with such ease, it sucks the fun out of it for me; I don't mind if it is a bit of the paranormal. I wished the puppy was a werewolf; yet more a comment upon a dachshund's howl. The explanation for the paranormal fit quite nicely into the overall tale, which extended into a very heart-warming story about having to release pets because one moves where pets are forbidden. Once again, the gang creates a happy ending.
June 13, 2024
NOT ENOUGH ACTUAL BUNNICULA. (I've never read past the first book, so maybe that's normal, but I boo anyway.)
Lost a star for lack of Bunnicula the actual bunny, but gained a star for Victor Garber's delightful narration, aka one of the reasons I opted for the audiobook, no ragrets.
Lost a star for lack of Bunnicula the actual bunny, but gained a star for Victor Garber's delightful narration, aka one of the reasons I opted for the audiobook, no ragrets.
May 30, 2023
one full star added for Garber’s narration
November 1, 2025
The fun continues! Two fun new stories and adventures with Chester and Harold and Howie. Cannot wait to see where they go next.
July 3, 2020
The celery stalks at night is not very interesting (for an adult). But the Return to Hawliday Inn made me cry!!! oh Arthur and Hamilton! so sad! it's probably the best of the Bunnicula collection I've read so far in terms of plot. Again, am reading these for the first time as an adult, so obviously my impression would be very different from that of a child. Have to Victor Garbor's narration is excellent! I'll always think of him as Mr. Andrews from Titanic!.
January 29, 2012
More adventures of the clever dog and the cynical cat.
October 18, 2012
I had listened to this one in the car back and forth on my way to work. It was another fun read and I really enjoyed it. Howie is adorable and both of the stories worked for me.
May 3, 2015
While we did not love this as much as the original (Book 1 is the best), these are cute tales, quite humorous and very entertaining.
October 31, 2016
These are the next two books in the collection again in audio. I had not read either of these before but I enjoyed them.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews