Bunnicula: Still Better Than Twilight

I guess saying that this book is better than Twilight doesn't say a whole lot. You'll note that I didn't underline the title of Twilight. That's because I don't underline things that could have been written by a Xanax-adled sixteen-year-old, and therefore aren't really books.

Anyway, Bunnicula. I've had this book for a really long time, long enough that I don't remember where I got it, but I've been avoiding it for a multitude of reasons. First of all, the cover art on the edition that I have is pretty stupid, but that might just be because it's stupid to my adult eyes. Second of all, I thought the premise was pretty stupid.

It is not, however, a stupid book. It is narrated by a dog who lives lives with Toby, Pete, Mr. and Mrs. Monroe, and a cat. One day, the family comes home from the movies with a new pet rabbit. Quickly, the rabbit begins to display some strange habits, like sleeping all day. The cat, immediately suspicious, attempts to prove to everybody that he's actually a vampire, just one who sucks the life out of vegetables, rather than people.

The book's premise is not all that difficult, but the language is pretty tricky, which puts it at an F&P level Q (fourth grade). Here are some examples: (academic words in bold):

Now, most people might call me a mongrel, but I have some pretty fancy bloodlines running through these veins and Russian wolfhound happens to be one of them. (Pp. 8-9) 

I was aghast. (P. 49)

The corners of his mouth were pulled back in an evil grimace. His teeth were bared and gleaming in the morning light. He cackled menacingly and threw back his head as if he were laughing at us. (P. 56)

In terms of giving this book to my English Language Learners, especially anybody around the intermediate level, I would want to make sure that they have a strong enough vocabulary to get at some of the more specialized words (mongrel and bloodlines), and so that they can understand the biggest joke in the book: at one point, the cat read that he can kill Bunnicula by pounding a stake into his heart, so he uses a steak. Further proof of the the joys of the English language!

I definitely did find it to be an enjoyable read. At a level Q, I would be hoping for something with a little more literary merit, but this would definitely be good for roping in a group of kids who aren't so big on reading. It might even make a good guided reading book, although there isn't a whole lot for them to dig into. I'll keep it in my classroom library for now, and if interest in it picks up, I'll buy other books from the series.

And tomorrow, if I can track it down, I will finish Wild Girl.