The Bunnicula Collection: Books 4-7

Nighty-Nightmare; Return to Howliday Inn; Bunnicula Strikes Again!; Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow

By: James Howe

Narrated by: Victor Garber, Patrick Mulvihill

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Nighty-Nightmare:

Are Harold, Howie, and Chester simply lost in the woods with Dawg, their strange new friend? Or have they been lured away from their campsite intentionally, leaving the Monroes at the mercy of evil spirits? Lulling Dawg to sleep with a bedtime story may be their only hope of escaping - but is the hare-raising tale of the origins of Bunnicula, the vampire bunny, really a bedtime story?

Return to Howliday Inn:

The Monroes have gone on vacation, once again leaving Harold, Chester, and Howie at Chateau Bow-Wow. 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.

Bunnicula Strikes Again!:

It seems that Bunnicula is back to his old ways - or so Chester thinks, having found pale vegetables drained of their juices scattered about the kitchen. Can Harold let Chester get away with hurting an innocent bunny, no matter what his harebrained suspicions are?

When the Monroes notice Bunnicula’s weakened condition and rush him to the vet, the chase is on, ending with a dramatic confrontation in a most unusual (and dangerous) location.

Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow:

Pete has just won a contest, and the prize is a school visit from none other than M. T. Graves, Pete’s idol and the best-selling author of the FleshCrawlers series. But Chester the cat is suspicious. Especially worrisome to him: In each of the FleshCrawlers books, something bad always happen to the pets...

It’s up to the gang to find out if M. T. Graves and his beady-eyed Edgar Allan Crow are really devising a plot to make their beloved bunny...nevermore!

©2013 James Howe (P)2013 Listening Library

I love these series

I love the bunicula series but the only thing that bothers me is the different narrator of the last book you get used to the playful Howie jokes and the sarcastic Chester. Why. Just why would you change that 😒

Always lovely

Great stories. Sad Victor G could not do the last story’s A favorite of 1-4th graders.

Lovely stories; incomplete narrator information

Would you consider the audio edition of The Bunnicula Collection: Books 4-7 to be better than the print version?

I don't know about better (gosh, I read and loved these books so much when I was a kid!), but audiobooks are of course a very different experience from reading in print, and for me there's something extremely soothing about having some tales--P.G. Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett, and, of course, James Howe--read aloud by the right narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I suppose it has to be Harold, that scruffy dog who's been a fictional companion since I was wee--but, then, who's Harold without Chester? Who's Watson without his Holmes?

What does Victor Garber bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The sheer color and variety of his characterizations! Every character, no matter how small, gets distinct shading from Garber (the only character where I feel he goes seriously astray is Harrison in _Howliday Inn_ in the first collection). But really, my favorite thing here is the cosy, often hilarious rightness of his voices for the main characters. Everyone no doubt envisions Harold, Chester, and Howie differently, but Garber gets them just as I'd imagined only somehow more so.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A few years ago, I reread Howe's _Bunnicula_ stories for the first time since childhood. They remain charming, engaging, and fun. I have an enduring love for this series, and Victor Garber's readings have given me a magnificent fix.

Any additional comments?

NOTE: VICTOR GARBER ONLY NARRATES THE FIRST THREE OF THE FOUR BOOKS IN THIS COLLECTION. I purchased this in the first place because I hadn't yet read or listened to _Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allen Crow_. The other three books I bought separately years ago on iTunes, but I was happy to spend a credit on this for a new-to-me _Bunnicula_ tale read by a narrator I like. Alas, that last book is read not by Garber but by Patrick Mulvahill, and I don't care for his performance. I ended up returning this.

Last Narrator was an odd choice.

Loved it. I have both collections, and thoroughly enjoyed them. All but the last book, had the same brilliant voice reading.

All 4 stories are now complete!

I hesitated to get this because earlier reviewers noted that the ending of the last book is missing. After holding off for months, I decided to get this anyway, since my family and I enjoyed the first three books so much. We were delighted to discover that book 7 is complete, including and afterword.

Great for any age!

I started this series as a child, I’m 30 now and still enjoy them. The narration is wonderful and the characters and plots innocent and unmarred from the evils of the world. I will share them with my own kids some day.

Such fun for our family!

If you could sum up The Bunnicula Collection: Books 4-7 in three words, what would they be?

Funny, entertaining and intelligent! These books are a riot, with jokes aimed at parents that still have enough humor that my 6 year old can identify to make them fun for all of us!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Bunnicula Collection: Books 4-7?

Definitely the staking the zombie-vampire vegetables with toothpicks!

Have you listened to any of Victor Garber and Patrick Mulvihill ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've only heard Victor Garber before--Patrick Mulvhill was okay, but I missed Victor Garber's Howie in book 7.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would cheerfully listen to one of the three stories all in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Definitely a great production for a family in need of some road trip entertainment!

bunnicula

is a adventures and thrilling tale of a vampire bunny 🐇, named BUNNICULA!!! this is a good book for kids who like bunnies and mysteries.

The most emotionally charged books in the series.

I grew up with, at least, the first 5 Bunnicula books when I was in 4th or 5th grade. Years later when I first heard my mom laughing while listening to Victor Garber's reading of the first book, I really wanted to read the rest of the series and, in my opinion, "Bunnicula Strikes Again" & "Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow" with the former being the darkest chapter with the most optimistic conclusion & an end to a long time rivalry & the latter being a perfect conclusion to the book series. Victor Garber was the absolute best person to provide the voice for this book series. The characterizations he gives to each character feels spot on, & I can practically see them in my mind's eye. Patrick Mulvihill is harder to get used to, & doesn't have the same range as Garber, but his own approach is charming & enjoyable, & he did a great job bringing it home.

Absolutely wonderful except for one thing...

Why did they change the narrator on the last story? It was a little jarring for me, though I expect the second narrator (Patrick Mulvihill) was quite good as well. It's hard for me to tell when I'm already biased towards the first one (Victor Garber) having listened to 6/7 of the series from him. I would have just personally enjoyed the consistency to finish the series with the same voice I'd been listening to it all along with, especially since the characters were "acted" with some voice changes throughout. It had become easy for me to tell which character was which just from the voice. That made it all the more disappointing when the narrator changed. For me, I feel like I would rate it a bit lower on performance due to this, except that both narrators were excellent and it is just my own bias.
HOWEVER the stories were absolutely wonderful! I can't complain at all when it comes to them. They are lovely, exciting, and very funny. Even as a "grown up" in my early 20s, I enjoyed them whole-heartedly (though I admit to enjoying children and youth stories in general quite a bit more than the ones made for "adults"...) I really loved each of the main characters and enjoyed their banter. And the stories were clever and well-written. I very well may end up listening to these again with my nephews and nieces when they are a bit older. Though, I also may very well end up listening to these again myself before then just because! If you haven't read or heard them before, I definitely do recommend them, whether you are a child or just a child at heart!