Howie Monroe and the Doghouse of Doom

Tales from the House of Bunnicula #3

by James Howe, Brett Helquist (Illustrations)

Dear possible reader of this book,My editor asked me to write a third book in my series, Tales from the House of Bunnicula . And did I have trouble getting started! I was afraid I used up all my ideas. But faster than a writer can say “What if?” I came up with a story! It’s about a lovable and smart (not to mention cute) orphan wirehaired dachshund puppy named Howie, who has a mysterious pain in his leg and is mysteriously invited to attend the Dogwiz Academy for Canine Conjurers. Together, Howie and his best friend, the very, very, very smart Delilah, who speaks in a British accent in this book for some reason, discover they must fight a sinister foe…The-Evil-Force-Whose-Nam-C’not-Be-Spoke!!!Your friend, Howie

Genres: Humor, Middle Grade, Mystery, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Horror

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

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.

Reviews

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, this a kid's book. And, yes, it only took me about 20 minutes to read. But really, "Howie Monroe and the Doghouse of Doom" is hilarious.

How could a book about a puppy with an over-inflated ego writing a parody of the Harry Potter books not be? James Howe is a brilliant writer.

[Cdupree2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything the drama, action, suspense, and thriller besides i also like how have a while of reading there something called" Howie Moron's writing journal".

[Macklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are so funny

[Aiyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those brilliant books that kids can enjoy at face value and adults can enjoy for the tongue-in-cheek satire. An short and easy chapter book, it's also the best Harry Potter parody I've ever read.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parody of Harry Potter stories, Howie is a dachshund puppy.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book. I loved it. It was a fun take on the Harry Potter books with Howie as Harry. I thought it was really great.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOL

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute Harry Potter parody. :)

[Tiffiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 10-yr-old son blazed through this book in about 24 hours with lots of laughing... A kind of funny take off of Harry Potter which he enjoyed immensely.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parody of Harry Potter! Freakin' hilarious!

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Harry Potter parody by Howie.

[Katherine Loyacano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Howie Monroe and the Doghouse of Doom by James Howe is the third book in the Tales From the House of Bunnicula series. Howie receives another letter from his editor, requesting Howie write a third book in his series. However, he has a bit of trouble getting his story started because he feels like he used up all of his ideas in the first two books. Uncle Harold inspires him with the question of "what if?" which sparks an idea, and Howie is off on another writing adventure.

It has been a year since my last visit with Tales From the House of Bunnicula, and I am so happy that my return trip was a blast. Book 3 of Howie’s writing adventures was just as enjoyable as the first two books. The story alternates between Howie’s entries in his writing journal and the chapters of the story he is writing. I love seeing his writing process, his comments, as well as Uncle Harold's feedback. One of my favorite entries is when Uncle Harold compliments Howie for having an impressive vocabulary. Howie is excited that he impressed Uncle Harold. At the end of that entry Howie writes, "NOTE TO MYSELF: What does "vocabulary" mean? Look it up!" HA! Oh, Howie, you are too much. He ends up including some vocabulary words with definitions later in the book, including the word "parody" which has significance to the story he wrote for book 3 in his series.

Delilah and Chester are back, making only brief appearances here and there. Several new characters are introduced specifically for the story that Howie is writing (retelling...wink wink). It took me a moment to realize which story inspired Howie, but once I figured it out, Howie's story became even more magical. James Howe does it yet again with writing another amusing story. He is so clever! Kudos to Brett Helquist for more incredible illustrations. I can't wait to dive into Howie's next adventure, Screaming Mummies of the Pharoah's Tomb II.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What if I were like that kid in the book Toby's been reading to Uncle Harold and me every night?"

Howie = Harry Potter
Snivel = Ron
Delilah = Hermione
Hamlet = Hagrid
Bacon Malcontent = Draco Malfoy
Gran and Run = Crabbe and Goyle
Dogwiz Academy of Canine Conjurers = Hogwarts
Sneak = Snape
Ageless Dufflebag = Albus Dombledore

[Amber Sayre · Rating 2 out of 5]

My daughter and I have been devouring the Bunnicula books. The Tales from the House of Bunnicula books aren’t as good as the originals. I love Howie as a narrator but I do miss the other characters. This one has been my least favorite of the series but my daughter loved it.

[Michaela]

cute little parody

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious parody!

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have a library card you owe it to yourself to check this out!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute and funny book parodying Harry Potter. I adored this little dog as a kid.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best of the Howie Monroe books so far. Hilarious!

[Callie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this book very much. I didn't like Harry Potter and this is just a parody of Harry Potter. But I did like the part at the end where the-evil-force-whose-name-cannot-be-spoken turns out to be a lonely kitten. I give this book a a two. It was OK.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this before any of the Harry Potter books as a kid, so although I knew that it was a Harry Potter parody I didn't actually understand what was funny about it. Much more enjoyable as a post-Potter adult!

[Partridge Public]

Howe, James

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

So long ago I can hardly remember.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a series that was ok but i could do without. it was nice to see how howie's mind track was though and how he imagined everything so it was nice to see everything that happened with him.

[Audrey Cutlip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was sooo funny, and once you started reading these you cant stop till you get to the las book.

[Seaham · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome and adventerous

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome and adventorous

[Robin Berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute harry potter parody!!!

[Willa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just LOL. it's amazing

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

still great fun