Return to Howliday Inn (Bunnicula)

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. 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, MECopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.