The Bunnicula Collection: Books 1-3: #1: Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery; #2: Howliday Inn; #3: The Celery Stalks at Midnight

Bunnicula #1-3

by James Howe, Deborah Howe, Victor Garber (Narrator)

Each story in the popular and critically acclaimed series has been read by the talented actor, Victor Garber. Now fans who can't get enough of the vampire bunny, Bunnicula, will have something new to add to their collection.

This audio collection includes Bunnicula; Howliday Inn; The Celery Stalks at Midnight.

Includes special commentary by James Howe.

"Move over, Dracula!" could the bunny really be a vampire? The Monroes found him in a movie theater while Dracula was playing. Now all their vegetables are turning white! Chester, the Monroes' cat, sets out to save the world from the vampire bunny. Harold the dog tries to stop Chester before it's too late! And the rest, as they say, is history.

In the twenty-five years since the publication of Deborah and James Howe's Bunnicula, the book and its five sequels have become contemporary classics.

Genres: Audiobook, Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Mystery, Humor, Juvenile

Audiobook

First published January 1, 2004

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

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bunnicula:
July 12-15
As a kid: 4.5 stars - I liked it, enough to check out later books. It wasn't a favourite that I collected though.
As an adult: 3.5 for story, + 1 star for the narrator = 4.5. I liked it, but not quite as much. Would still recommend it to others, and wouldn't be opposed to re-reading it one day.

Mysterious events begin happening when Howard's human family return from a screening of Dracula one night with a small bunny that they found abandoned. The bunny's behavior, including how he only seems to wake during the night, spark the suspicions of Howard's feline sibling Chester as to his true nature. When the family begins finding bizarre vegetables in the kitchen, drained of all colour and liquid, Chester believes his suspicions are confirmed - Bunnicula is a vampire. Will Howard and Chester be able to keep their family safe? Or will Bunnicula one day tire of vegetables and look for something a little higher on the food chain?

~*~*~

It's a quick 'read' - the whole audio book is only 6 parts, about 2 part per book.
This is a cute story, but (not surprisingly) I don't find myself quite as fond of it as I did when I was a kid. I still enjoyed listening to it, but for the first chapter or so I wasn't sure I'd be making it much farther in.
In a way, I actually have to compliment the author and narrator for this though - I was SO annoyed by the two boys in the first chapters of the book. They're being such brats in their excitement over the new pet, fighting and bickering over getting to feed it and play with it... and as annoying as the fighting was, and as much as I wished they'd knock it off it felt entirely realistic to me.
Because I 100% remember fighting and bickering with my younger brother like this at times. (This scene has to give anyone listening to it an entirely new sympathy for parents, for having to put up with this shit day after day.)
Thankfully they get along much better for the rest of the book.

It's really just little annoyances like that which that dropped the rating. The language is a bit higher-level than you'd expect for a book at this reading level (or maybe it just seems that way, with the way the narrator read it) but it does make Harold seem a tad condescending at times.
Chester can be a bit grating as well, especially the bit at the end where he starts to 'find himself' with the help of the cat psychiatrist (no, I'm not kidding). You entirely empathize with Harold on his desire to just ignore it as much as possible - no wonder I'd forgotten that little part.
Plus (and yes, it's entirely stupid that this got to me, I know that) there are frequent mentions by 'Harold' of his love for chocolate cupcakes. And the one son feeding them to him, a few at a time. This just made me cringe every time I heard it - chocolate is so bad for dogs. It's freaking toxic, literally, it makes them sick - this is such a bad idea to present to a kid that might not know that.

But other than that, the book held up quite well, and despite (apparently) being an older book didn't seem terribly dated - I read it in the 90s, and I didn't realize even then how long ago it must have been written until I was listening and heard them mention the one son listening to his record player. The story still feels current and believable (as much as it can be with talking animals and vampiric bunnies).

It's a cute story with entertaining characters, and the narrator did a brilliant job of voicing Harold for us.



~*~*~*~*~*~

Howliday Inn.
July 25-26
4 Stars

~*~*~*~*~

The Celery Stalks at Midnight
July 26
4 Stars

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first of book in the darling Bunnicula series long ago when my children were young. (To give you an idea of how long ago, my baby — the last of three — just turned 21!) So when I ran across an audiobook version from the library, I couldn’t resist.

The Bunnicula Collection contains the first three books in the series: Bunnicula, Howliday Inn, and The Celery Stalks at Midnight. The first book, of course, introduces the nocturnal bunny who was discovered by the Monroe family at a horror movie, leading to the name Bunnicula. The Monroes' cat Chester and dog Harold — soon realize that Bunnicula fully lives up to his name and is a vampire bunny — although he limits his draining to vegetables rather than humans.

The sequels — Howliday Inn and The Celery Stalks at Midnight — follow Chester’s and Harold’s adventures as they track alleged werewolves and vampire vegetables, respectively. Like Bunnicula, these two books are fun for kids and their parents alike — although The Celery Stalks at Midnight is a five-star read like the first Bunnicula, while Howliday Inn is just a three-star book. Over all, though, whether you’re 10 or 50, you’ll find yourself laughing out loud. And whether you’re reliving your childhood or your children’s childhood, you’ll enjoy these Bunnicula books as a nice break from more adult fare.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

When checking out my random collection of Halloween books for kids, the librarian mentioned this audio version as an annual favorite tradition at her house. I am enjoying having someone read it to me.

***

I prefer Bunnicula to Holliday Inn. The former is more of a book for kids, the latter has more jokes for the adults in the room.

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out my reviews for each book listed on their individual pages.

[Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this! It was so wholesome and I wish I could have discovered it when I was younger.
I found myself laughing all the time during this story at Harold and Chester's crazy antics. Though I was surprised that Bunnicula does not play a bigger role in the stories (in fact in the second book he is only mentioned briefly), nevertheless I was very intrigued by the funny little rabbit and his family.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some old favorites that I wanted to remember.

[Sam Donovan]

this is cute and funny, i don't want to rate it since i'm not the target audience

[Auntie Raye-Raye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that Chester the cat is paranoid, nuts and a conspiracy theorist. Most of the books are more about Chester and Harold the dog, then about Bunnicula.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

What possessed me to get these books at the same time as Starve Acre I don’t know and I’m not sure I want to know.

I loved these books as a child. I even had a Bunnicula themed birthday party. I barely remember the party or the books. Even going through them, they barely felt familiar, and it’s kind of hard to evaluate something you knew you used to love. But they’re pretty fun to read all the same: the humor is surprisingly sophisticated and they’re the fun kind of Scooby Doo gothic that was probably my gateway drug into horror.

I did have some adult-level nitpicks that bugged me the whole time. I’m sure it was common knowledge that chocolate was bad for dogs in 1978, but I find it so weird that Harold’s family feeds it to him. Also, a childhood desire for a pet bunny has lately reawakened in me, and knowing what I’ve learned about rabbit care makes me worry about Bunnicula’s lack of hay and lack of free roam space.

I do have the second set checked out (which includes a couple books that were published after I outgrew the series). But I’m not sure powering through 7 Bunnicula books in a couple days is the right call.

[Dana Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books were my favorite as a child and I decided to listen to them again for a nostalgic October read. 100% hold up and I know where my love of bad puns comes from now. The only thing I noticed that I didn't love was the term "hussy" being used in Howliday Inn, about a female dog who was assumed to be flirting with a male dog, but it was written in 1982 so I will give it a pass.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have fond memories of the Bunnicula series from my childhood. I think of them from time to time - I always enjoyed the mix of mystery & humor - and decided it would be fun to revisit them. These stories hold up & still bring me joy today. Ahh, nostalgia :)

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello, my old friend, I’ve missed you! Revisited an old favorite via audiobook, have not read since 4th grade. Still an absolute joy to read. 😊

#scholasticemployee
Review is a collection of my own thoughts and opinions and does not reflect the company for which I work.

[Czarina at captainz · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are so cute! Wonderful for a family readaloud!

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, funny collection of stories as told by Harold, the family dog, about an odd bunny named Bunnicula who was found by the Monroe family, in a box of dirt with a note stating it was from Transylvania in the Carpathian Mountains. Of course, the family had just seen the movie, "Dracula".

Follow these stories with Chester the cat and a host of other characters has they try to "kill" Bunnicula, weather the trials and tribulations of "Howliday Inn aka Hotel Bow-Bow, and, finally, handle the ever growing number of "white" vegetables in "The Celery Stalk".

The eBook narration was very enjoyable. The humor and puns in this collection remind me of the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon characters of yesterday--you know, moose and squirrel.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was about to shelve this today and then I actually looked at it. Bunnicula! Read by Victor Garber! How could I not?!?

Totally fun! I'm not crazy about the voice Garber uses for Howie, and in that third book it seemed like several times he maybe got confused about which character was speaking, but overall I really liked hearing him read these. These three books were definitely some of my absolute faves in elementary school, and I have read them a lot (and also miiiiiight dress up as Bunnicula every time I am feeling uninspired about Halloween, which works out to about every other year), and will probably continue to do so. Er...both of those things.

The best part, I think, was the author's note at the end. I always knew the book was written by James and Deborah Howe. But I had no idea that while they were writing it Deborah was diagnosed with cancer and died at the age of 31, before the book was even published. So learning this has given me a much greater appreciation for it, and for the importance of humor when things are bleak. Thanks, Deborah! You've definitely left your mark on the world.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to listening to the rest of the series as well before too long, since it turns out that Harold and Chester are really great friends to revisit!

[Megan (ReadingRover) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book of my youth, it was only Bunnicula that I read. Now, there are five more books to explore about the adventures of this unusual rabbit. This is the first three stories in a seven book series; the first in 1978, the last in 2006. Each book here is about 1.5 hours long.

Narrated by the family dog, Harold, regales with the tale of the new family pet, Bunnicula- because they found him at the Dracula showing at the theatre.
The cat, Chester is the reader, thus he is the first to suspects the rabbit's mysterious, and suspicious ways, because it reminds him of something he once read. Two sons, and a professor father, and a lawyer mother fill out the family. I like that the book doesn't definitively state, one way or the other, if Bunnicula is a vampire, or not. But, once he is on his juice diet, the vegetables are no longer white. The Monroes change grocers because they believe it was a blight. Chester gets to go to the psychiatrist to help him work out his stress.
Listening to this anniversary edition, I notice how many times classic works of literature are mentioned. These are very quick reads so one notices.

The second book takes an entirely different pace--a mystery perhaps it is murder!
The Monroes on vacation leave the dog, and cat at the boarding house, Chateau Bow-Wow. The vet takes a rest, and leaves the care of the several dogs, and the two cats in the hands of his two assistants. Their first night, there is terrible howling. Of course, Chester to the rescue coolly states that it is werewolves. By deduction, he decides that is the dachshunds. As the storm comes in, more friction arises between those in their bungalows (kennels to the res of us) with a love triangle (bulldog and two poodles), a cat that always tries to escape, and a dimwitted groupie that hangs on to the sporty dog in the center of the triangle. Then one of the poodles disappears; Chester suspects foul play. Then, Chester disappears after accusing a few of the fellow guests. That leaves Harold on the case!

The third book returns to the Monroe's home and investigating Bunnicula. This time, discovering if the vegetables that Bunnicula drained white, like when Dracula does, become his thralls.

At the end, there is a 10 minute commentary by the author discussing the creation of Bunnicula.

[Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The nostalgia is strong with this one. I can remember reading this series when I was a kid, and loving it, so this is, obviously, less of a review, and more of a trip down memory lane for me. I can still remember when I read all about the adventures of Harold, Chester, and, eventually Howie as they try and work against what they think to be the evil bunny Bunnicula. One element that always made me want to read as a kid was reading about Toby being allowed to stay up as late as he wanted and read late into the night. I loved doing that as a kid (I still love doing it now, come to that.) One element that I had not noticed as a kid was how much this book is influenced by Sherlock Holmes, which it pays homage to without overdoing it. Overall, this book was just an excellent experience that I know my kids will enjoy when they read these books. I give it a five out of five.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of this book until it was mentioned by Brea on the Reading Glasses podcast. I listened to the first book and part of the second. I really enjoyed the first book! The narrator did a great job with the voices; Chester and Harold are adorable but I found the human contingent annoying as all get-out (I think I was listening to the book on 1.5 speed, which didn't help when it came to the bickering back and forth between Toby and Pete - ugh). So annoying, in fact, that is why I had to put the breaks on the audiobook in the early stages of the second installment. I'll probably pick up the series again in the future, but I'll pick up the print books instead.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revisiting this series after a 30 year break was a bit of a shock to the system. I remember LOVING these books as a kid, and while there are definite elements of the book that are timeless, some parts just feel notably (and understandably) dated. Chester is ridiculous, alternating in persona from a Van Hellsing in book 1 to a Sherlock Holmes in book 2. Harold is along for the ride, though I find it criminal that he is fed chocolate on a regular basis. Book 1 is the clear winner of the first three books, though Howliday Inn had some fun moments too. I was ready to be done by The Celery Stalks at Midnight.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is perfect for when you have that nagging nostalgia bug that needs to be scratched. I LOVED the first Bunnicula book as a kid, so it was nice to revisit that and then also get to experience the second and third books in the series. They're undeniably cute, and very fun reads, with a clever narrative device and lovable characters. I'm definitely no longer in the right age range for these, but that doesn't stop them from being a fun read.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of Bunnicula books, read by Victor Garber, is a fun and funny treasure.
This is the best way to experience these stories. Victor Garber is the one of the best when it comes to audio narration, and there is an incredibly touching afterward read by James Howe himself. It's worth listening to.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook via Libby (wdg).

Fun & entertaining, I now know why this is a loved series! As a kid, I must have missed these by just a hair. I was 7 years old at the time the first was published, but had already started hitting the adolescent shelves pretty hard when the 2nd & later books came out.

Good stories for this time of year, too.... halloween.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally fun nostalgia trip for me. The third one lags a little behind the other two, but they're still a lot of fun--and definitely much more geared to an adult ear than I would have known back in the 80s. One of the most enduring all ages series and with good reason--all the things that make YA huge, sans the dystopia, are present here first.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, these stories are even cuter than I remembered. The audiobooks are ready by Victor Garber, and they are truly a joy to listen to. Although many of the children's books I've revisited the last two years have not held up as an adult, these were a pleasant surprise. If you have fond memories of these as a child, I encourage you to take a listen.

[Ali Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to these audiobooks so much as a kid, before I could even read I had these books memorized. I absolutely loved them and honestly they stand up as an adult. I admit I have a large nostalgia bias but I think these are fantastic books for kids and they definitely helped foster my imagination and my love of pets from a young age ❤️

[Katina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another audiobook for the family. We all loved every book! The great thing about each one is they’re short (which is perfect for my younger children), but the humor and mystery was enjoyed by all of us (10 and 12 year old and adults). Would highly recommend as a family read-aloud.

[Carma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bunnicula books are the funniest children's books I've ever read! Highly recommended! My son and I loved them. I miss those years of reading together. Soon he was reading on his own, and Bunnicula was one of the books that launched him on a life of literary adventures.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did the audio of this and didn’t love it as much. The original 4 in this series were my all time fave when I was younger and it was nice to dive back into Howard, Chester and Bunnicula’s world but for any future re-reads I’m gonna go with a paper version.

[Marcela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bunny 🐰, a cat 🐈 and a dog 🐶, seems like the begging of a joke, but no, it’s a series of stories told by the point of view of the animals, it’s hilarious.
The cat’s personality is my favourite, a know it all because he reads books … 😀he’s involuntary funny.