Scared Silly

Bunnicula and Friends #3

by James Howe, Jeff Mack (Illustrator)

It's Halloween night and many spooky things are happening at the Monroe house. The wind is howling. The walls are creaking. Bunnicula's eyes are gleaming red. But worst of all, there is a witch in the kitchen!
Harold the dog, Chester the cat, and Howie the dachshund puppy are all scared silly. Are they doomed to be part of a witch's brew? And does Bunnicula have anything to do with the strange goings-on?

Genres: Halloween, Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published August 9, 2005

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

[Calista]

Harold and the gang are back and it's Halloween. Chester is as paranoid as ever and Bunicular is quiet as always. The family dress up and go out to a party. The animals get scared by all the kids looking so scary and dressed up. There is a witch in the story and the animals are creeped out. There is a surprise at the end. It's a safe little story for beginning readers.

It was entertaining for that level of book.

[Dolly]

We enjoyed the Bunnicula story and found this book and another titled Scared Silly: A Halloween Treat at our library. We didn't realize that the two stories we borrowed were basically the same tale with different titles until we read them, but still, we liked the tale and loved the illustrations. We are looking forward to reading more of these stories soon.

[Rachel]

This one is my son's current favorite book. Bunnicula, Harold, Chester and Howie (the Monroe's new puppy) are getting ready for Halloween. Howie is scared of everything and Chester is suspicious of Bunnicula and thinks he is the cause of all kinds of trouble. A witch comes in and causes some mischief. Who is she and what does she want? To find out, read the exciting third book in the series. Recommended for ages 5-8 year olds, 4 stars.

[Beth]

Does a witch really visit the family animals?

[Danielle]

Very cute book to read with a child around Halloween. Also good for a beginning reader to read to themselves.

[Linda]

F

[Tiffiny]

This is a level 3 ready to read book. My 10-yr-old son read it because he is on a Bunnicula kick!

[Marian]

Some books just feel like the holiday that they're based around. Scared Silly *feels* like Halloween distilled into one short story.

[Sarah Stumphf]

Although this is a very cute book, it was pretty predictable. My 4 year old knew what the ending was going to be half way through the book, which pretty much took the fun out of it.

[Mariah Roze]

This book is great! Loved the Halloween theme. These are great books to get students to love to read. A great series!

[Laura]

Bunnicula and his pals are back. Something spooking is happening this Halloween and the pets are afraid...very afraid!

[Cathy]

Bunnicula's eyes glow red and she has fangs. The Monroe's go out and the animals are scared when a witch comes in and lights go out. The witch takes Bunnicula in the kitchen and she makes something bubbling on the stove. The dogs race in to rescue Bunnicula and she climbs on Harold's back. They try to get out of the house, but scary creatures were covering the door. Read this fun book to find out what happens next.

[Heather]

Cute little book. I love Halloween, so I'll share this one with my niece's and nephew.

[Jan Z]

A silly Halloween story with a ( vampire?) Bunny, a cat, and two dogs.

[Ashton]

Super cute

[Grandma M]

Loved the humor in his one.

[Amber Greer]

It’s really cute. Great Halloween book for a young kid (around 4-7 years old) who’s starting to read or likes to read.

[Jeannie Wilkinson]

Left alone at home on Halloween night, the animals of the Monroe household suspect the worst – though they aren’t sure what that is – and of course they suspect it of Bunnicula, the family’s vampire rabbit. They vow to keep an eye on the unusual bunny. But when a witch enters their home, and takes Bunnicula into the kitchen they start to worry even more, for Bunnicula’s safety! Will Bunnicula wind up in a witch’s brew? Transitional chapter book readers will enjoy this silly Halloween caper, as well as the colorful acrylic illustrations by Jeff Mack.