Happy Halloween!

I'd like to invite you to join me on a little reading journey. The year is 1992. I am 8 years old and my third grade teacher frequently reads aloud to us. In the month of October she reads us Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe. By the end of the first chapter, I am completely hooked. That year, I read every book in the series as fast as I can, including Return to Howliday Inn which is released that spring. 

This is probably the edition we read from

Fast forward a decade. Like all beloved books, Bunnicula has slowly drifted out of my life. My younger brother, now 10, has read the series too and tells me about a new book in a related series, It Came From Beneath the Bed. I read it and agree with him that it's ridiculous but funny. This is my reintroduction to Bunnicula and company and I wonder if it will hold up to another read. Again, I race through all of the books. I fall back in love with the slightly dim but loyal Harold, the suspicious and dry Chester, the mysterious Bunnicula. I rediscover the vivid atmosphere and fun loving humor of the series. And I praise the Howes for being awesome.

Fast forward one more decade. Now that I am a librarian, Bunnicula has become one of my perennial recommendations for slightly scary books. And I have one more new experience with Bunnicula. I have to confess, I'm not a fan of audio books. I look around, I don't know what to do with my hands, and I get distracted. But I'm determined to try them so I can recommend them to patrons. So, I decide to give the Bunnicula audio book a try with the idea that if I know I love the story I will pay more attention to what is happening. To my delight, I discover that this audio is read by Victor Garber, who I adore. It's one of only a handful of audios that I manage to listen to in its entirety. 

And that is why I will continue to recommend Bunnicula to young readers. When a book sticks with you your entire life, you know it is something special.