It Came from Beneath the Bed! (Tales from the House of Bunnicula Series) Book

Dear possible reader of this book, I want to be a writer, just like my uncle Harold, who wrote a bunch of books about our friend Bunnicula. So I wrote this story. And boy! Did I ever get into trouble! My friend Delilah stopped speaking to me because I put her in my book. Uncle Harold stopped speaking to me because I didn't put him in my book. A writer's life isn't easy!

But back to my story: It's about how a talented and lovable (not to mention smart) wirehaired dachshund puppy named Howie saves the world from a disgusting, evil menace named...oops, that would give away the story. But trust me, this menace is disgusting and evil, all right!!!

Your friend, Howie

Michele Tremaine - Children's Literature

From the author of the popular Bunnicula books comes this slight story which forms half of a volume of Tales from the House of Bunnicula. The narrator, Howie the long-haired dachshund puppy, describes himself as a nephew of Harold, the canine narrator of the original Bunnicula stories. Although Bunnicula himself never appears, Howie's imagination conjures up new and sinister characters in the Monroe household. Beneath young Pete Monroe's bed dwell all manner of unwholesome and odiferous items. When Pete mixes up a chemical mess that spills under the bed, dust bunnies and old sneakers alike disappear, gobbled up by a monstrous teddy bear bent on world domination. The absurdity of the denouement only serves to underscore the real subject of the book, Howie's struggles to resolve his plotline. These are revealed in alternating "handwritten" chapters, describing Howie's hilarious and all-too-familiar attempts to fashion a story, with the editorial assistance of several of his featured characters, including Uncle Harold. Brett Helquist's trademark stylized illustrations add just the proper sinister touch to this lightweight but clever story. 2002, Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books for Young Readers,