James Howe, . . S&S/Aladdin, $5.99 (288pp) ISBN 978-0-689-83956-6
PW
called this story of four best friends, the target of cruel name-calling who decide they aren't going to take it anymore, "an upbeat, reassuring novel that encourages preteens and teens to celebrate their individuality." Ages 10-14. (May)
What do a 12-year-old student who moonlights as a tie salesman, a tall, outspoken girl, a gay middle schooler and a kid branded as a hooligan have in common? Best friends for years, they've Continue reading »
HORACE AND MORRIS JOIN THE CHORUS (BUT WHAT ABOUT DOLORES?)
James Howe
In this sympathetic follow-up to Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores, Howe and Walrod depict a girl mouse's frustrated singing attempts and leaven it with Continue reading »
"Walrod makes a showstopping debut with her visual accompaniment to Howe's lighthearted prose. Together they invent an enchanting mouse trio that pokes fun at the way gender roles Continue reading »
Five-year-old Emily's family is Jewish but her grandfather is Christian (Emily's father converted). When Grandpa dies, narrator Emily attends church for the first time, for Grandpa's Continue reading »
Delivering trenchant messages about tolerance, self-knowledge and the vacuity of teenage popularity, Howe's ultimately uplifting tale marks the welcome return of the Gang of Five (though there Continue reading »
The importance of friendship and of appreciating one's true talents lay at the heart of this appealing collaboration introducing a canine-feline pair. Howe's Continue reading »
Horace and Morris Say Cheese (Which Makes Dolores Sneeze!)
James Howe
Food allergies get an understanding appraisal in Howe and Walrod's third picture book starring Horace, Morris and Dolores. The three school-age mice naturally adore cheese: “They ate Continue reading »
Howe (Bunnicula) pens a humorous and inspiring tale about a big dinosaur with a big dream: "[I]n my heart," Brontorina says, "I am a ballerina." Thoughtful, white-haired instructor Madame Lucille is Continue reading »
After the frog at the pond's edge tells him that he's ugly, the cricket of Swampswallow Pond loses his zest for life and for singing. The glowworm and the ladybug try to persuade the cricket that Continue reading »
In this intense psychological drama, Howe (Bunnicula) delves into the minds of three troubled teens whose lives converge at a seaside resort. Twelve-year-old Evan and lifeguard Chris arrive at the Continue reading »
In this sequel to There's a Monster Under My Bed, one brother invents a dragon to play with, the other invents a camel. ""A clever variation on the imaginary friend theme,"" said PW. Ages 4-7. Continue reading »
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 Continue reading »
As original and well constructed as Howe's Stage Fright and What Eric Knew, this is the third in the series that stars the smart teenager Sebastian Barth. In the cafeteria at Pembroke Middle School, Continue reading »
Zookeeper Morgan seems distressed, and the animal residents of the zoo are worried about him; when the news spreads that the zoo will be closed, a brother and sister team rally support for the cause. Continue reading »
In this further witty adventure of the Bunnicula crowd, Harold and Howie find themselves out in the woods on the one night of the year that evil spirits come out to prey. Ages 8-12. Continue reading »
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 Continue reading »
The latest Bunnicula picture book sustains that series' well-known comedy-of-errors combination of slapstick and intrigue. Once again the other animals in the Monroe household suspect impending Continue reading »
Howe and Rose, who together produced There's a Monster Under My Bed, serve up a clever variation on the imaginary-friend theme. In this case, there are two imaginary friends-one for Alex and the Continue reading »
Graduates of the Bunnicula books can move on to the adventures of young sleuth Sebastian Barth. In the first of these mysteries Sebastian investigates the strange accidents that befall a noted Continue reading »
Graduates of the Bunnicula books can move on to the adventures of young sleuth Sebastian Barth. In the first of these mysteries Sebastian investigates the strange accidents that befall a noted Continue reading »
Departing from the high comedy of the Bunnicula books, Howe pens a ""gripping"" novel about an 11-year-old girl hospitalized for a defective heart, said PW in a boxed review. Ages 8-12. Continue reading »
Hay Un Dragon En Mi Bolsa de Dormir = There's a Dragon in My Sleeping Bag
James Howe
In this sequel to There's a Monster Under My Bed, one brother invents a dragon to play with, the other invents a camel. ""A clever variation on the imaginary friend theme,"" said PW. Ages 4-7. Continue reading »
Three young mice--Horace, Morris and Dolores--go everywhere together; they are ""the greatest of friends, the truest of friends, the now-and-forever-I'm-yours sort of friends."" Walrod makes a Continue reading »
""Garnished with winsome puns and indulgent irony [this Bunnicula caper] sustains the series' well-known comedy-of-errors combination of slapstick and intrigue,"" said PW. Ages 5-up. Continue reading »
The lives of three troubled teens converge at a seaside resort; PW called the work ""a blend of allegory and stark realism [that] offers a host of ironies for readers to explore."" Ages 12-up. (June) Continue reading »
There's nothing like a series to keep kids turning pages. Bunnicula's family is back, and Uncle Harold steps aside to let Howie, the family dachshund, tell all in It Came from Beneath the Bed!, Continue reading »
Super sleuth Sebastian Barth must find out whether the school food is just a little worse than usual or the students are being poisoned, in this addition to Howe's mystery series. Ages 10-up. Continue reading »
Howe, who wrote The Hospital Book, puts the first year of school into a clear context that is at once familiar and reassuring to would-be kindergartners. Using various schools, teachers, classrooms Continue reading »
The popular operetta of the early 20th century was most recently a movie from Walt Disney. Now Howe (of Bunnicula fame) has written a hilariously villainous adaptation of the story. Alan loves Continue reading »
Sebastian Barth is a teenage sleuth, worried about the mysterious coded messages he's been receiving from his friend Eric, who has moved away. PW termed this story ""a tense adventure with Continue reading »
Bunnicula characters Harold and Chester are back, in a colorful picture-book format. Once again the ungainly dog, Harold, narrates the story and lends to it his particular canine perspective. Howie, Continue reading »
Harold, Chester and Bunnicula return in the tale of Howie the dachshund puppy's first Christmas: Will Howie escape the clutches of that ``big fat man in a red suit?'' PW enjoyed the story's lively Continue reading »
Harold & Chester in Scared Silly: A Halloween Treat
James Howe
This story, narrated in first person by Harold the dog (of Bunnicula fame), concerns a cat, a dachshund, a rabbit--and, of course, a scary Halloween night. The animals know all day a storm is coming Continue reading »
Harold, Chester, Howie and Bunnicula, the menagerie who debuted in Bunnicula , return in a mouth-watering caper. Mr. Monroe is making his famous fudge (recipe included). Of course Harold and Howie Continue reading »
Headed by Chester the cat and Harold the dog, the Bunnicula gang returns in fine form in one of Howe's characteristically antic adventures. This time, Toby's birthday has arrived and the household Continue reading »
Thirteen-year-old sleuth Sebastian Barth returns to tackle--in his inimitable style--the case of a popular movie star who falls prey to several threatening ``accidents.'' Ages 9-12. Continue reading »
These first chapter books star inseparable, irrepressible friends--one named for his favorite color, the other for her fascination with dinosaurs--who visit the museum in the first title and hold a Continue reading »
The fourth mystery by the creator of Bunnicula to star 13-year-old sleuth Sebastian Barth addresses a timely topic, as a homeless man is suspected of murder. Ages 8-12. Continue reading »
The vampire bunny goes 3-D in this peppy pop-up. The Monroe family is sampling the attractions at the county fair while Harold the dog, Chester the cat, Howard the puppy and Bunnicula wait in the Continue reading »
The Bunnicula gang--Chester the cat, Harold the dog and Howie the dachshund puppy--will have youngsters rooting for many happy returns in this singular celebration. Ages 6-9. Continue reading »
About the latest romp starring the inimitable Bunnicula gang, PW noted, ``The author generously peppers this caper with his trademark puns and snappy one-liners. Howe's fans will find this as Continue reading »
The fanged rabbit Bunnicula participates in The Amazing Karlovsky's magic act in this agreeably wacky tale; instructions for a magic trick and punch-out paper props are included. Ages 6-9. Continue reading »
The Bunnicula gang returns for a Halloween-like Christmas Eve. PW called this humorous outing ""delightful"" and ""enticing."" Ages 5-up. (Sept.) Continue reading »
Leading a trio of titles with milestone celebrations, Bunnicula 25th Anniversary Edition by Deborah and James Howe, illus. by Alan Daniel, boasts a new foreword by James Howe to commemorate the 1979 Continue reading »
Written in narrative verse that has the rhythm and punch of spoken-word poetry, this companion to The Misfits and Totally Joe intimately conveys the internal conflicts of seventh-grader Addie, whose Continue reading »
Love at first sight befalls a hungry otter and the fish he intends to eat for dinner. Soul-searching ensues. “I am in love with my food source,” the dismayed otter admits, gazing into Myrtle’s Continue reading »
This thoughtful conclusion to the Misfits series begins with Skeezie as an adult, an expectant father reflecting on his summer between seventh and eighth grade. Skeezie's letters to his young self, Continue reading »
The Fairy Tale Fan Club: Legendary Letters Collected by C.C. Cecily (The Fairy Tale Fan Club #1)
Richard Ayoade
In a comical introduction, C.C. Cecily, Senior Secretary of the Fairy Tale Fan Club, describes at length fielding “Where are they now?”–type queries from curious humans to fairy Continue reading »
This strangely moving, legend-like story told in two parts starts with Laki, a very old, blue, hulking creature, whose world is upended when small, child-like, orange Hekla Continue reading »
The Hill: Inside the Secret World of the U.S. Capitol
Kate Andersen Brower
Taking up more than 1.5 million square feet and boasting more than 600 rooms, plus its own subway system, barbershop, and dining options, the U.S. Capitol proves a fascinating Continue reading »
A 17-year-old learns a devastating secret regarding her insular hometown in this Ray Bradbury–esque paranormal
fantasy from Thomas (Seton Girls). In Streetlight, the Have-Nots Continue reading »