Bunnicula Strikes Again!
Read Bunnicula Strikes Again! Online
Authors: James Howe
“A madcap tale with clever character twists and plots going hilariously awry.”
âKirkus Reviews
PRAISE FOR THE BUNNICULA SERIES
*
“A clever tale abounding with puns, wild chases, and slapstick humor.”
âSCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
, starred review
“A treat for all ages.”
âPUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Don't miss any of the adventures of Bunnicula, the vampire rabbit, and his pals Harold, Chester, and Howie!
I
t's happening again.
The Monroes' kitchen is littered with the remains of vegetables drained of all color. To Chester it's obvious that Bunnicula, the vampire rabbit, is up to his old tricks.
But Harold is more frightened
for
Bunnicula than
of
him. The poor bunny doesn't look too good. Is he sick? Or just unhappy? Or has Chester finally gone too far in his attempt to make the world safe for veggies?
One thing's for sure: Harold isn't going to let anything bad happen to his long-eared palâeven if it means leaving the comfort of his home, losing his best friend, and risking his own life. And if he failsâcould this be the end of Bunnicula?
JAMES HOWE
wrote the award-winning bestseller
Bunnicula
with his late wife, Deborah Howe, in 1977. The couple went on to write one other children's book,
Teddy Bear's Scrapbook
, before Deborah's untimely death from cancer in 1978.
After
Bunnicula
's publication in 1979, James Howe quit his job as a literary agent to pursue writing full-time. His many other popular books for children include the six sequels to
Bunnicula
; the Tales from the House of Bunnicula series; the Bunnicula and Friends Ready-to-Read series; the Sebastian Barth mysteries; the Pinky and Rex series; and the picture books
Horace and Morris But Mostly Dolores
and
Horace and Morris Join the Chorus (but what about Dolores?)
. He is also the author of several acclaimed novels for older readers, such as
The Misfits
,
Totally Joe
,
Addie on the Inside
, and
The Watcher
, and is the editor of the anthologies
The Color of Absence: 12 Stories About Loss and Hope
and
13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen
. James Howe lives in New York State with his partner Mark Davis.
Jacket design by Russell Gordon
Jacket illustration copyright © 2006 by C. F. Payne
ATHENEUM
BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
Simon and Schuster
â¢
New York
Meet the author,
watch videos, and get extras at
Other books by James Howe
Bunnicula (with Deborah Howe)
Howliday Inn
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
Nighty-Nightmare
Return to Howliday Inn
Sebastian Barth Mysteries:
What Eric Knew
Stage Fright
Eat Your Poison, Dear
Dew Drop Dead
A Night Without Stars
Morgan's Zoo
Teddy Bear's Scrapbook
Bunnicula's Wickedly Wacky Word Games
Bunnicula's Pleasantly Perplexing Puzzlers
Bunnicula's Long-Lasting Laugh-Alouds
Bunnicula's Frightfully Fabulous Factoids
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
Text copyright © 1999 by James Howe
Illustrations copyright © 1999 by Alan Daniel
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Book design by Ann Bobco
The text of this book is set in Berkeley
The illustrations are rendered in pencil
eSIBN-13: 978-1-4424-5194-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Howe, James.
Bunnicula Strikes Again! / by James Howe.
p. cm.
Summary: When Bunnicula the rabbit starts acting strangely, the Monroe dogs and cat renew their suspicions that he is a vampire.
ISBN 0-689-81463-1
[1. DogsâFiction. 2. CatsâFiction. 3. RabbitsâFiction. 4. VampiresâFiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.H83727But 1999
[Fie]âdc21
99-20419
CHAPTER ONE:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
The End
CHAPTER TWO:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
The Terrible Truth About Chester
CHAPTER THREE:Â Â Â Â
Do Not Litter!
CHAPTER FOUR:Â Â Â Â Â Â
A Rabbit's Tears
CHAPTER FIVE:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Surprise Encounters
CHAPTER SIX:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Tomato Juice, Togas, and Trouble
CHAPTER SEVEN:Â Â Â
Plant, See?
CHAPTER EIGHT:Â Â Â Â
Friends and Traitors
CHAPTER NINE:Â Â Â Â Â Â
The Last Showdown
CHAPTER TEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
One of the Family
To Harold's Editors Extraordinaire
â
Jonathan J. Lanman
and
Jean Karl
LOOKING back on my years as an editor of fine literature, I can name many honors and associations of which I am proud. Yet one stands out as the apex of my careerâthe unique privilege of having edited the work of Harold, canine author extraordinaire. How many in my position have received a manuscript from the clenched jaws of its creator? Who else has known the pleasure of reading a novelist's new work for the very first time while the novelist himself lies at one's feet, snoring contentedly? What publishing professional has successfully entertained an out-of-town author with a handful of doggie biscuits and a bowl of cocoa? Other editors may dream of such things, but I have known them!
And yet, numerous books and countless doggie biscuits later, the unanswered questions remain: Where did Harold learn to type and how does he manage it with those big paws of his? What does he do with the early drafts of his workâbury them in the backyard? Doesn't
anybody notice all that missing typing paper? If a tree falls in a forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it still make a sound?
Alas, these questions are destined to remain unansweredâsmall mysteries within the greater mystery of life itself. For although Harold is able to communicate via the written wordâand, in ways that are incomprehensible to mere humans such as you and I, to speak to his fellow animalsâhe remains mute (other than the occasional “woof”) in face-to-face contact. As delighted as I am to see him when he drops by my office, I don't count on much in the way of scintillating conversation.
Thus it was that when he last appeared at my door with a manuscript gripped between his teeth, I invited him in, proffered the usual cocoa and dog biscuits, andâwithout a word exchanged between usâproceeded to read his latest book as he curled up at my feet and went to sleep. First, I read the note that accompanied the manuscript, which read:
My
dearest friend and esteemed colleague,
We have come a long way together since my first book,
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery.
Little did we know that my life,
which until
Bunnicula's arrival had been decidedly-unremarkable, would thereafter be filled with adventures
and that each adventure would translate into yet another book. Odd, that I, whose greatest ambition has always been the uninterrupted nap, should after all these years find himself the semi-famous author of several books!
And now we may have reached the final chapter. I must warn you that the story you are about to read is chilling, but it is one that nonetheless had to be told. I hope it will not disturb you or your readers too much, for it has never been my intention to disturb, merely to entertain. I trust you will find the entertainment value sufficiently present to warrant publication of this book as you have the others in the past.
I look forward to your response and, as always, I send you my good wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Harold X.
A
curious letter, I thought. Then I began to read. And at once I understood why Harold had warned me the book would be disturbing. There on the very first page was another question. Would it remain unanswered? Read for yourself and ask as I did: Is this the end?
ONE
]
