School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Howe's fans will be delighted with this tale that features Howie, the Monroe family's wirehaired dachshund. Toby Monroe has been reading aloud a story about an orphan boy who lives with mean relatives, until he goes to a special school where he learns he has magical powers, and Howie is inspired to write himself into a similar story. In the story-within-a-story, he receives a letter from Dogwiz Academy for Canine Conjurers, and he and two friends set off for the school. Upon their arrival, they encounter a giant dog named Hamlet who explains why everyone is whispering, "there's HOWIE MONROE!" Many of the references will be familiar to anyone who has read "Harry Potter": "The-Evil-Force-Whose-Nam-C'not-Be-Spoke," thugs Bacon "Baco" Malcontent and his gang Grab and Run, and Professor Sneak. The pup uses his sharp observation and wickedly funny sense of humor to parody, but not diminish, the popular series. Readers will find a laugh a page (and often more) as the canine revisits many of the adventures of that other famous wizard. Interspersed with the tale is Howie's journal, which is featured in all of his stories.-JoAnn Jonas, Chula Vista Public Library, San Diego, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In this satisfying chapter book adaptation from the novel [cf2]Bunnicula[cf1], two family pets suspect a rabbit found in a movie theater of being a vampire. How else to explain the white vegetables, drained of their juices? In spite of Chester the cat's garlic-wearing measures, an all-juice diet solves the problem. Colorful acrylic illustrations enliven the conflict. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3-5. Like the other entries in the Howie Monroe series, this amusing story alternates between a hand-printed text in which the puppy Howie (familiar to readers of the Bunnicula books) discusses his struggles with writing, and a typewritten text of the exaggerated story he hopes to have published. In the hand-printed text, the pup comments on his creativity and admires his alliteration and his literary turns of phrase. Howie's typewritten creation, which parodies the first Harry Potter book, is quite funny in parts, particularly in its mockery of Hamlet's (read Hagrid's) famous speech. However, the sophisticated structure, the parody, the vocabulary, and the dialect demand good, independent readers who aren't likely to be attracted to a book with a «transitional novel» format (large print and occasional full-page pictures). The strongest potential for the novel may be as a family read-aloud for Potter fans who enjoy wordplay and slapstick humor and for children who know Potter and are familiar with Howie's previous «adventures.» Kathleen Odean.
