Tales from the House of Bunnicula Books 1-4

by James Howe, Joe Grifasi (Read by)

More fun for Bunnicula fans -- chapter books by Howie, the Monroe Family's zany dachshund puppy!This new collection of stories features Howie -- the clever, brave, sensitive, and perhaps a tad hyperbolic dachshund who, determined to be a famous writer like his Uncle Harold, tries his hand at tales of terror and triumph. We begin with It Came From Beneath The Bed, where Howie the author decides to create a bestseller starring, well, Howie himself as the wise, courageous, intelligent (and modest) wirehaired dachshund that saves the world from the clutter beneath the bed -- all the while sharing his own writer's journal entries and many writing do's and don'ts. See what happens as Howie battles writer's block, an excessive use of adjectives and, finally, attempts to win the coveted Newbony award in Invasion of the Mind Swappers From Asteroid 6, Howie Monroe and the Doghouse of Doom, and Howie Monroe and the Screaming Mummies of the Pharoah's Tomb II. All of the stories are chock full of the trademark humor and mayhem that has made James Howe's Bunnicula series beloved by children everywhere.

Genres: Audiobook, Childrens, Fantasy

Audio Cassette

First published January 7, 2003

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

[03ElizaJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

It Came from Beneath the Bed!
By James Howe: year 2002
I think the audience of this book was intended for people anywhere from Elementry to young-adult. The main problem issued in this book is Howe's quest to save the world from Pete and his scientist "wanna-be" characteristics. You see Pete created a formula that will help in destroying the U.s/world. The setting of this book was inside pete's house. The setting was a big factor in this book such is the case with many books. Alot of key events happen under Pete's bed which would not have worked in other locations. The main character in this book in Howe. Howe is a wiredhair dachshund that is very prideful and full of himself. He is a dorky character that dramalizes every acpect of the book. Towards the end it gets annoying. Anyway Howe falls in love with another dog named Delilah. In this story Delilah is suppose to have the sterotype of a girl who is ditsy and is only good for her looks. Towards the end of the book she begins to prove them wrong.

Tales From the House of Bunnicula in a nutshell is about a dog who wants to be a writer like his uncle but struggles along the way. He writes a story about the people in his life on a "horrer" level. In his strory he explores Pete's haunted world under his bed and everything that goes on around haunted room. Howe discovers that Pete has became evil and is going to destroy earth. His formula he created spills and turns an object into a beast with rows of teeth and a raspy voice. Along the way of his journey to defeat the growing monster he learns many things and tells about his real life too.

There were points in the book that i hated becuase it was either cheesy or kinda slow. I do not want to read this book again. "Oh, but you mustn't, you mustn't, i beg you,....I know this mission is important, i know the fate of the world is at stake, but why do you have to be the one to go in?" pg.41. "what a dorky idea, said Pete" pg. 87". The theme of this book could be that life can give you curveballs once in awhile. A unique thing about this book is it switches form human to animals speaking all the time. This is One of the first books i'v read that also switches from first person to third person frequently. I give this book a 2 on Goodreads.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This audio recording was good. My kids ages 6 and 4 were completely engrossed and I laughed a few times myself. Howie is a wire haired dachsund puppy who has decided to write stories just like his Uncle Harold. Only his stories are going to be completely made up. So he won't be writing about a bunny who just might be a vampire. He writes about a very handsome, adventurous, brave, smart puppy who just happens to be named Howie and who tangles with aliens, dust bunnies, a doghouse of doom, and screaming mummies. In between the chapters of the actual stories are inserts from Howie's writing diary describing his process and the advice he gets from his Uncle Harold, as well as commentary from his puppy friend Delilah who is not always positively portrayed in his stories. A fun listen and just perfect for a road trip.

[Elizabeth Meadows · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked up this audio book at a library book sale, I thought I was getting Bunnicula (which I have not read). I listened to it anyway and thought it was cute. However, I am sure that I will appreciate the characters more once I actually read the Bunnicula books.
The stories are written from the perspective of the family dog. There is some fun word play and the stories are silly and fun.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a book for kids. The writing is clever and the jokes are entertaining. My kids LOVED the Harry Potter parody--and, as a homeschooling mom, I loved the (unplanned) fun lesson about literary terms. It's not a deep or intense book. The whole thing feels tongue in cheek and it's wonderful!

[Marcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I LOVED the Bunnicula series but I didn't really like this book at all. Anything that was funny the first time was just beaten into the ground so hard that nothing was left. It was tedious beyond belief!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

So long ago I can hardly remember.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Howie's first attempt at writing is quite up to Uncle Harold's speed, but still cute.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and funny books, best enjoyed after you've read the regular bunnicula series.

[Robin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dumb, predictable retread.