Bunnicula Strikes Again!: Lock up Your Artichokes! (Bunnicula Series)

ANNOTATION

When Bunnicula the rabbit starts acting strangely, the Monroe dogs and cat renew their suspicions that he is a vampire.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Let's just say the matter is under control," Chester slyly tells his pals Harold and Howie. But what on earth does he mean? It seems that Bunnicula, the vampire rabbit, is back to his old ways--or so Chester thinks, having found pale vegetables drained of their juices scattered about the Monroe family kitchen. And now, once and for all, Chester is determined to save the world from this threat.

But why has Bunnicula--so frisky just a short time ago--been so listless and tired of late? Is this part of Chester's scheme? Can Harold let Chester get away with hurting an innocent bunny, no matter what his harebrained suspicions are? It is not long before the Monroes notice Bunnicula's condition and rush him to the vet, and then the chase is on, ending up with a dramatic confrontation in a most unusual (and dangerous!) location.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The Monroe animals prove themselves up to scratch in this sublimely silly Bunnicula caper (following Return to Howliday Inn). Newcomers will quickly catch on to the series' premise: Chester the cat has persuaded Harold, the mutt narrator cum author, and Howie, the dachshund puppy, that the Monroe boys' pet rabbit is really a vampire-just look at the way he drains vegetables of their juices. As this installment begins, Harold believes the household safe, and so he is unnerved by Chester's cryptic comment, "Let's just say the matter is under control.... At last." As usual with the Bunnicula books, the plot is less important than Howe's contagious amusement in telling his story. The tone drolly combines high diction and animal nature (e.g., in a note to "his" editor, Harold muses, "Odd, that I, whose greatest ambition has always been the uninterrupted nap, should... find himself the semi-famous author of several books!"). The slyly observed dynamics of the cast act as a foil to the cheerfully loopy conceit. For example, the animals watch as the Monroe brothers fight: "Pete retorted with a backhanded insult. Toby lobbed a high string of colorful adjectives capped by a perfectly executed oxymoron.... `And the match goes to Toby,' Chester commented. `Nice wordplay.'" Howe's wordplay is better than nice, and the match goes to him-and to his readers. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Gr 3-4-The vampire bunny takes center stage once again. Like the previous books, this one is told by the Monroe family's dog Harold, who tells of strange events involving the household pets. His tale begins with a sense of almost Gothic doom-could it be the beginning of the end of a seemingly ill Bunnicula? It takes the combined efforts of Harold, Chester the cat, and Howie the pup to figure out what is ailing him, and the help of two cats, Felony and Miss Demeanor, whom they had met while being boarded at Chateau Bow-Wow, to bring the events to conclusion. Harold's dog's-eye perspective provides an excellent view of Chester's plans first to do Bunnicula in because he's convinced that the rabbit is dangerous, and then to save him. Howe develops distinct personalities for the animals as well as for the humans. The cover art seems to promise a creepy, scary story; despite this initial indicator of a dark road ahead, the story itself circles around universal sweet dreams-to be safe, to belong, and to have a pet curled up beside you.-Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Bunnicula, the Vampire Bunny, returns with his friends--Harold and Howie (dogs) and Chester (cat)--and family (Toby, Pete, and Mr. and Mrs. Monroe). Harold tells the story in the first person. Chester, the cat, feels that Bunnicula is up to his old evil ways of draining the juice from all the vegetables. The Monroe family is involved in trying to save the old theater, where they found Bunnicula, from demolition. As the tale unwinds, Harold suspects that the listless and tired Bunnicula misses his mother. When Bunnicula and Chester escape from the veterinarian's office, they end up in the movie theater on the day it is to be demolished. Harold and Howie rush in to save them. This exciting tale explores the concepts of fantasy and reality, family relationships, animal characteristics, and friendships. Reading Bunnicula first will help youngsters better understand this episode. References to the animals reading books also provide exciting literary comparisons to encourage children to read. Noted actor Victor Garber reads the story with feeling, expression, and clarity. On rare occasions he replaces a word used in the original story with another word. Technical quality is very good. Both individual and group use is appropriate.-Ann Elders, Mark Twain Elementary School, Federal Way, WA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Once again Harold, "canine author extraordinaire," relates a madcap tale lit up with clever character twists and plots going hilariously awry. Convinced that his long-eared nemesis is up to something, Chester the cat hopes to weaken Bunnicula by drinking his carrot juice on the sly. To Chester's dismay, the worried Monroes cart their suddenly lethargic bunny to the vet's, touching off a merry chase that includes a suspicious Harold and the subintellectual Howie. Adding cameos of feline ne'er-do-wells Felony and Miss Demeanor, plus other characters from previous books, Howe (Rabbit-Cadabra!, 1993, etc.) flogs the plot along to a melodramatic climax; Chester and Bunnicula are caught up in the demolition of the old movie house in which Bunnicula was first found, and are seen plunging into oblivion together. By the time the two are pulled safely from the rubble, Chester has suffered an astonishing change of heart, and Howie expresses literary ambitions—developments that fans of this long-running, and deservedly popular, series will view with approval, or alarm. (b&w illustrations) (Fiction. 10-12)