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    The Celery Stalks At Midnight
    The Celery Stalks At Midnight
    The Celery Stalks At Midnight
    Ebook90 pages1 hour

    The Celery Stalks At Midnight

    By James Howe and Leslie Morrill

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    CHESTER, the cat, Harold, the dog, Bunnicula, the vampire (?) rabbit, and Howie, the wirehaired dachshund puppy, return in this sequel to Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery and Howliday Inn to ask the question: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of lettuce?

    Chester has just finished retelling the tale of Bunnicula to Howie, who has just joined the Monroe family, when he discovers that Bunnicula is missing from his cage. Chester stays up all night worrying. What becomes of the vegetables Bunnicula attacks (for he is after all a vegetarian vampire)? Do they become vampire veggies serving their master's evil ways? Certain that the town is crawling with killer parsnips and homicidal heads of lettuce, Chester sets out with Harold and Howie and a box of toothpicks for spearing the little devils through the heart.

    En route to finding Bunnicula, driving tiny stakes through whatever white vegetables lie in their paths and thereby saving the town of Centerville, the threesome have more than their share of adventures, including an encounter with an ill-tempered white cat named Snowball and an unexpected trip to the town dump.

    Finally the strange actions of everyone in town, including Toby and Pete Monroe, convince Chester that he may be too late, that Bunnicula and his minion vegetables may have taken over the town. Chester and his merry band race to save what souls they can. But, of course, Chester has been known to be wrong before.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAtheneum Books for Young Readers
    Release dateJan 3, 2012
    ISBN9781442452114
    The Celery Stalks At Midnight
    Author

    James Howe

    James Howe is the author of more than ninety books for young readers. Bunnicula, coauthored by his late wife Deborah and published in 1979, is considered a modern classic of children’s literature. The author has written six highly popular sequels, along with the spinoff series Tales from the House of Bunnicula and Bunnicula and Friends. Among his other books are picture books such as Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores and beginning reader series that include the Pinky and Rex and Houndsley and Catina books. He has also written for older readers. The Misfits, published in 2001, inspired the nationwide antibullying initiative No Name-Calling Week, as well as three sequels, Totally Joe, Addie on the Inside, and Also Known as Elvis. A common theme in James Howe’s books from preschool through teens is the acceptance of difference and being true to oneself. Visit him online at JamesHowe.com.

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    Reviews for The Celery Stalks At Midnight

    4/5

    14 ratings8 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I was not a huge fan of Bunnicula but I thought I would try the sequel. I was not super impressed with this one either. I know that children love these books I just can't figure out why. The interaction between Chester and Harold is funny at times though and kept me reading.
    • 4/5
      The Celery Stalks at midnight is a cute book about a vampire bunny rabbit who sucks the juice out of vegetables, and the pets have to stop him!
    • 4/5
      The Celery Stalks at Midnight: This a good funny read. Nothing really dark and evil. Chester the cat is worried that Bunnicula the household rabbit is a vampire. Instead of drinking blood he drinks Vegetable juices. When Bunnicula goes missing Chester is certain that Bunnicula is collecting his minions to do his evil work. So he, Harold and Howie go off on an adventure to save the world. Fiction/ comedy I liked this book. It wasn't my most favorite Bunnicula book but it was an easy read. It was short and funny. My favorite character is the new puppy Howie. He's so funny. =) The only bad part of this book that I thought it was kind of predictable. I could almost see what would happen before it happened. Still a good book.
    • 3/5
      Very adorable but horrifically dated.
    • 4/5
      Bunnicula is missing! Chester, the cat, is convinced Bunnicula has escaped and has drained the living juice out of vegetables. It is further confirmed when he finds a white carrot (I wonder if it is a parsnip). Chester enlists (more like bosses) Harold, the dog, and Howie, the dachshund puppy, to help in finding Bunnicula before the who town is turned into vampires.This may be a kids' book, but adults will get laughs from it. Searching for Bunnicula, the animals wind up on a wild ride in a truck full of garbage to the dump (phew!), destroying the scenery for an outside Halloween play, terrorizing a white cat (who will be looking for revenge) and even more craziness.This is the third book in a series. I've recently review "Howliday Inn" and plan to read the first, "Bunnicula," and the last, "Return to Howliday Inn." Not long reads but really fun.Again, this is told by Harold, the dog.
    • 3/5
      A more direct sequel to the first novel as Bunnicula escapes from the house leaving a trail of dead, blanched vegetables in his wake. Chester's suspicions are again aroused and he draws in Harold and the new dimwitted puppy Howie into his investigation, leading to mayhem. It's very silly and funny.
    • 5/5
      This book was very interesting to me because it was a book that can give you both cute animal story and a creepy horror story.
    • 4/5
      Granted this is my memory from rwading it to my son a dozen years ago. This may be why he likes vampires. It is how I got him to eat his vegetables.

    Book preview

    The Celery Stalks At Midnight - James Howe

    The Disappearance

    IT WAS NOT a dark and stormy night. Indeed, there was nothing in the elements to foreshadow the events that lay ahead.

    Chester, Howie and I were gathered on the front porch for a bit of post-dinner snoozing. I was stretched out on my back, my paws dangling at my sides, thinking of nothing more than the meal I’d just eaten and the chocolate treat I hoped might still lie ahead. After all, it was Friday night, the one night of the week Toby was allowed to stay up to read as late as he wanted. And that meant snacks. Snacks to be shared with his old pal, Harold. That’s me.

    Chester, curled up on an open comic book nearby, purred contentedly. Only Howie, who was growling as he chewed vigorously on a rawhide bone, seemed unable to relax. But all that high-strung energy was natural, I suppose, considering he was still just a puppy.

    Boy, this is the life, huh, Uncle Harold? Howie asked between growls.

    Mmph, I replied with as much vigor as I could muster. Which wasn’t much. After all, I wasn’t a puppy anymore and had used up most of my energy long ago. I listened to the sound of children playing down the block somewhere.

    There’s nothing like hanging out on the porch after a good meal, Howie went on enthusiastically. He lifted his quivering nostrils to the air and sniffed rapidly.

    Ahhh! Smell that night air. Mmm, what’s that? Somebody’s having a ... a what’d ya call it? What is it when they cook outside, Pop?

    Chester raised an eyelid. A barbecue, he said with a yawn.

    Oh, yeah. Gee, I have so much to learn. But you and Uncle Harold have taught me a lot already. He gazed admiringly at Chester. Thanks, Pop, he said.

    Chester raised his other eyelid and shook his head. He turned his gaze from Howie to me.

    Why does the kid insist on calling me ‘Pop’? he asked. I’m not his father. I’m not even a dog. If anyone around here should be his ‘pop,’ it should be you, Harold. Dogs of a feather should stick together and all that.

    Howie chuckled. That’s a good one, Pop. ’Dogs of a feather ... ’ I’ll have to remember that one.

    I didn’t even attempt to answer Chester’s question. After all, Chester, who doesn’t hold dogs in particularly high regard, did seem an odd choice of a father figure for a young pup. But Howie, who had recently come to live with us, had formed his attachment right away, and there was no breaking him of it now.

    Too bad the rabbit can’t come out here, too, Howie went on with a nod toward the living room. It’s not fair, his having to be cooped up inside that cage all the time.

    I’m afraid that’s a rabbit’s fate, I said. At least for a domesticated one. Though I must agree with you, Howie; I feel sorry for Bunnicula, too.

    Save your sympathy, Chester muttered. Bunnicula is no ordinary rabbit. If he ever got out ... and let’s not forget that once upon a time he did, Harold ... he’d only stir up trouble.

    Are you still convinced— I started to say, but stopped myself, not wanting to alarm young Howie with Chester’s theories of Bunnicula’s true identity.

    Chester looked mildly surprised. Of course, I am, he replied. Can there be any doubt? You saw the evidence yourself, Harold.

    Howie looked back and forth from Chester to me. What are you two talking about? he asked.

    Oh, nothing. Nothing. I thought of the cuddly little bunny-rabbit who’d become my friend, of the hours we’d spent snuggling in front of crackling fires on cold winter nights, of the time I’d saved him from Chester’s attempt to starve him to death.

    That rabbit is a vampire, Chester said matter-of-factly.

    Howie’s head jerked up. The rawhide bone tumbled down the front steps. What? A vampire? He gasped. Then, after a moment’s reflection, he asked, What’s a vampire?

    I felt obliged to step in and save Howie from the seamier facts of life.

    A vampire, I explained, is the person who calls the rules during a baseball game.

    Don’t confuse the kid, Chester said, bathing a paw. And don’t be such a Pollyanna. Turning to Howie, he said, A vampire is a creature, once dead, who sucks the blood out of other living beings in order to live.

    Howie’s eyes widened in amazement.

    Wh... wh... what? he stammered.

    So far, our friend Bunnicula hasn’t attacked people, Chester went on calmly, "or cats or dogs for that matter. But he has drained the juices out of vegetables, turning them ghostly white. He came to live with us

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