Screaming Mummies of the Pharaoh's Tomb II

Tales from the House of Bunnicula #4

by James Howe, Brett Helquist (Illustrations)

Dear possible reader of this book,I wasn’t sure I'd be able to write a book ever again after Canine Quarterly reviewed my series, Tales from the House of Bunnicula. They said I would never win the Newbony Award. Was I depressed! And I didn’t even know what a Newbony was! Luckily Delilah’s read a lot of Newbony books, so she helped me write this one. It’s about a poor (but very cute) orphan dachshund puppy named Howie Monroe, who lives on the prairie and yearns for a chicken bone. (I know. Trust me.) Things really get exciting when Howie and his best friend, the smart and well-read Delilah, find a time machine and travel back to ancient Egypt where they uncover...the mystery of the Pharaoh’s tomb!!!Your friend, Howie

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

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2013

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

[Perrilyn Pringle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Howie, his imagination and cute stories. I love this series, just like when I was a kid. His banter with the old cast and Delilah is funny. I just love my Bunnicula boys being kept alive with this.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A laugh-out-loud funny read for elementary school kids.... Cute? Yes. Challenging? No, not really. But even a grown-up (like this one) can enjoy it for what it is: adorable fluff.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story that continues the antics of the Pets in Binnucula.

[Katherine Loyacano]

Screaming Mummies of the Pharaoh's Tomb II by James Howe is the fourth book in the Tales From the House of Bunnicula series. Howie feels discouraged as a writer after he is called a literary lightweight by Canine Quarterly. The mere mention from his former favorite magazine of Howie not winning the Newbony Award any time soon sends him into a tailspin. After he talks to his friend Delilah, they decide to collaborate on a novel in the hopes they will win the coveted Newbony Award.

As with the other books in this series, the story alternates between Howie’s entries in his writing journal and the chapters of the story he is writing; however, this book also includes Delilah's chapters. Of course, it does not take long in the writing process to see Howie and Delilah clash over ideas, writing style, and titles. Howie turns to Uncle Harold for advice who reminds Howie to make the story engaging. I love Howie's response, "I don't know what getting married has to do with writing. Sometimes I worry that Uncle Harold's mind is going." HA! Howie is adorable! Despite the struggles of collaborating together (mainly due to Howie's stubborness), they end up writing a whimsical mystery story that involves time travel and mummies.

James Howe is a master at writing amusing stories with clever wordplay and good-humored characters. Brett Helquist is at it again with his incredible illustrations to complement the text. Unlike Howie and Delilah, it appears that James Howe and Brett Helquist are good at collaborating. I'm looking forward to reading Howie's next adventure, Bud Barkin, Private Eye.

[Macklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The switching of genres lol

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was an interesting addition to this series. but i won't say anything about the events, just that they were interesting, crazy, odd and so much more that you will see when you read it.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was cute. I do like Egypt and mummies but it wasn't up to Howie's other books. I don't think it will win a Newbony award. Too bad.

[Tiffiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 10-yr-old son blazed through this in a day... A time travel story he said was cool.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

We loved the whole metafictional aspect of the Tales from the House of Bunnicula series. Howie's writing journals are a hoot.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wrote no thoughts about this one... Howie takes the title from something else that is why it is II, just so you know.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

So meta, so fun, so likely to help set an eight-year-old reader on the path to becoming a 28-year-old English PhD.

[Owen · Rating 2 out of 5]

5his had a terrible ending. Do not read!