Return to Howliday Inn (Bunnicula) [Paperback]

James Howe (Author), Alan Daniel (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Bunnicula

HOW DID ROSEBUD CHECK OUT FROM HOWLIDAY INN?

The Monroes have gone on vacation, once again leaving Harold, Chester, and Howie at Chateau Bow-Wow, which Chester aptly dubbed "Howliday Inn" during their last stay there. The motley crew of boarders may have changed, but the creepy goings-on at Howliday Inn have not. A ghostly voice, buried bones, and a collar with the name "Rosebud" on it suggest that murder may have been added to the services offered at the kennel.

A pair of yuppie puppies from posh Upper Centerville, two cat burglars (sisters-in-crime) named Felony and Miss Demeanor, a melancholy Great Dane named Hamlet, and a weasel named, well, The Weasel, join the Monroe pets in getting to the bottom of the mysterious happenings. But will they be able to escape the fate that may have befallen Rosebud?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Howe here brings back the amusingly articulate cast of animal characters introduced in Bunnicula and later featured in Howliday Inn , The Celery Stalks at Midnight and Nighty-Nightmare . The author generously peppers this caper with his trademark puns and snappy one-liners, which are all the more droll for coming from the mouths of canine narrator Harold, dachshund puppy Howie and quick-thinking Chester the cat. These pets spend the week of their owners' vacation at Chateau Bow-Wow, a boarding kennel where they meet up with Felony and Miss Demeanor, tough-talking "cat burglars"; Bob and Linda, dogs sporting stylish caps; and Hamlet, a melancholy old Great Dane. Convinced that someone is about to do them in, this wacky menagerie masterminds a mass escape from the kennel and manages to reunite Hamlet with his lonely owner. Howe's fans will find this as scrumptiously silly as his critters' earlier adventures. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- Once again the Monroes board their three pets at Chateau Bow Wow, a place their overimaginative cat, Chester, appropriately renamed Howliday Inn. Chester and Harold, a normally sensible but slightly lethargic dog, return to the kennel with trepidation while puppy Howie enthusiastically anticipates a visit to his birthplace. They soon meet the eccentric new residents of the kennel: a sorrowful Great Dane named Hamlet; two yuppie dogs, Bob and Linda; two thuglike cats named Felonie and Miss Demeanor; and a hymn-singing weasel named, appropriately enough, The Weasel. As Hamlet tells of his feared abandonment by his elderly master, they hear ghostly calls for help coming from underground. The animals uncover the remains and spirit of a dog named Rosebud, who tells them of her death in the kennel office and warns them to escape. Few readers will appreciate Howe's many clever puns that often rely on political and literary references, and the plot is thinner and the ending less convincing than previous entries with this cast. However, this book retains their winning components: fast-paced action with an element of mystery; eccentric animal characters (caricatures really); and humorous dialogue. It's an unbeatable combination. --Maggie McEwen, formerly at Coffin Elem . School, Brunswick, ME
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (August 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416939679
• ISBN-13: 978-1416939672
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,981 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( H ) > Howe, James

More About the Author

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its like bones talking from the dead!!!, January 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Return to Howliday Inn (Paperback)

I absolutly love this book! It is an amazing tale of laughter and fright. The way the dogs (and cats) piece it together is amazing. The fright is bone chilling and the laughter is hilarious. It is the best book I have ever read with the Weasel, 2 wierd cats and way, way more!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK IS SOOOOO COOL!, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Return to Howliday Inn (Paperback)

This book is about Harold, Chester and Howie going back to Chateau Bow-Wow where Howie was first born. They meet some mysterious animals at their stay. Even more mysterious is Rosebud, the ghost and her warning about the secret of Howliday Inn.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books as kid!, November 6, 2004

By 

Claire S. Lund "A girl from the north country" (currently in college in Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Return to Howliday Inn (Paperback)

I actually read this book before the original Howliday Inn, and I still think I like it better. I must have read it at least twenty times, because it never failed to make me laugh out loud, and still does! I loved animal characters, and the ones here are so clever, and the dialogue is unbelievably witty for a kid's book. Some of the humor, like the Shakespeare references, I didn't get until I was much older. "A 700-page first novel entitled Ah, Life!"