Summary

Harold and Chester could hardly believe it. The Monroe family was going on vacation without them. Bunnicula, the family rabbit, would be boarded with a neighbor. But they, the family's loyal dog and cat, were to be sent away with strangers; they were to spend a week at Chateau Bow-Wow.Chateau Bow-Wow, observed Chester, soon after they arrived, could more properly be called Howliday Inn. Though what was howling, neither of them knew. Chester had his suspicions however; only a werewolf could make that chilling sound.

Author Biography

James Howe began his writing career with Bunnicula, which was published in 1979. This book and his next, Teddy Bear's Scrapbook, were co-authored with his late wife, Deborah. Bunnicula has received numerous awards as a favorite among children throughout the U.S. and Canada and has been published in several foreign-language editions as well. Howe so enjoyed writing as Harold -- the shaggy dog narrator of Bunnicula -- that he went on to write further adventures for these characters, including Howliday Inn, The Celery Stalks at Midnight, and Nighty-Nightmare.

The author's other books for children include Morgan's Zoo, A Night Without Stars, and the Sebastian Barth mystery series.

James Howe lives with his wife, Betsy Imershein, and their daughter, Zoe, in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

Editor's Note

vii

The Departure

(16)

Welcome to Howliday Inn

(23)

An Uneasy Calm

(19)

The Storm Gathers

(16)

``She's Gone!''

(21)

The Cat Who Knew Too Much

(15)

Good Night, Sweet Chester

113

(9)

Harold X, Private Eye

122

(18)

And Then There Were Three

140

(9)

Mystery, Mayhem and Mud

149

(15)

In the Days That Followed . . .

164

(18)

Howie

182

(12)

Epilogue

194

Supplemental Materials

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Excerpts

From "Welcome to Howliday Inn"

Just then the front door of the office opened and Toby came running out. "Here they are," he called to the strange-looking chap who loped along slowly behind him. This fellow, whoever he was, was older than Toby and Pete but not as old as Mr. and Mrs. Monroe. Having seen some of Mr. Monroe's college students when they'd come to the house to beg for mercy, I estimated that this chap was roughly their age. He had a shag of brown hair that kept falling into his eyes and a T-shirt that spilled out over the top of his pants. His sneakers were untied, and as he was coming toward us, he stepped on one of the laces and almost fell on his face.

Toby opened Chester's carrier and pulled the reluctant cat out. Chester hung from Toby's arms like Spanish moss and wore an expression that would have soured milk chocolate.

"This is Chester," Toby said, by way of introduction. "Chester, this is Harrison."

Chester turned to me with a smirk. "What am I supposed to do now?" he asked. "Curtsy?"

Harrison, i thought. What a weird name for a person.

"Hey there, kitty," Harrison said, instantly not endearing himself to Chester.

"And this," Toby went on, "is Harold."

"Wow," Harrison said. "What a weird name for a dog."

I looked at Harrison, he looked at me. I thought to myself, this Harrison fellow really has a knack for putting the wrong foot forward.

"Well," Harrison said, "you guys are the last of the arrivals for this week. Now we've got a full house."

The door to the office popped open, and a girl with red hair and a lot of freckles stuck her head out. She seemed to be about the same age as Harrison, but she looked more tucked in.

"Harrison," she called, "do you know where Chester's file is? Dr. Greenbar wants to look at it while the Monroes are here, and I can't find it anywhere."

"But you were looking at it this morning, Jill," Harrison answered.

"I know, I know," the girl named Jill said, shaking her head. "I just can't remember where I put it. I was hoping you'd seen it."

Harrison shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Jill. "Wish i could help out," he said, "but I don't pay much attention to the files. That's your territory."

Jill sighed. "I don't know what's the matter with me lately. I'm so tired from all this work I can't remember where I put anything anymore."

"I guess old age is setting in," Harrison said with a laugh.

"Ha ha," Jill answered without one. And she went back inside, letting the door slam behind her.

Chester gave me a look that said he was clearly unimpressed with the staff.

Excerpted from Howliday Inn by James Howe
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.