44 pages • 1 hour read
Deborah Howe, James HoweBunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1979A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary: “A (New) Friend in Need”
Harold notices that Chester has been on his best behavior ever since he was thrown outside in punishment. This worries Harold because he knows that Chester only “acts that way when he has something devious in the back of his mind” (75). Harold doesn’t know the details of Chester’s plan because the two haven’t spoken since the incident. During this time apart from Chester, Harold realizes that he has a fondness for Bunnicula. He stops by the bunny’s cage in the evenings to chat—although he does all the talking and Bunnicula does all the listening.
One evening, Harold realizes that Bunnicula seems lethargic and sick. He tries to signal this to Toby, but the boy can’t understand Harold. That night, he goes to check on Bunnicula, and he finds that the bunny is out of his cage and Chester is standing next to him wearing garlic around his neck. Harold realizes that Chester has been preventing Bunnicula from going into the kitchen at night, and the bunny is starving as a result. The fact that the Monroes haven’t found any white vegetables in the kitchen confirms this suspicion. Harold confronts Chester’s cruelty and defends Bunnicula, saying that the bunny is “eating his own way” and not hurting anyone (79). But Chester remains convinced that the vampire bunny will strike the Monroe family next.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Disaster in the Dining Room”
Harold tries to think of ways to save Bunnicula. One evening, the Monroes put a big bowl of salad on the table for dinner, and Harold realizes this is his chance. With the Monroes distracted and Chester sleeping, Harold pulls Bunnicula from his cage by his teeth and places the bunny on the table near the salad. Chester bursts through the kitchen door as soon as Bunnicula hops over to the salad. A mess ensues, with Chester chasing Bunnicula and Harold yelling at Chester. The Monroes suddenly appear in the kitchen and think that the only logical explanation for this madness is that their pets need to be seen by a veterinarian. Harold realizes his plan was a disaster “in more ways than one” because now he has to go to the vet, the place he hates most (88).
Chapter 9 Summary: “All’s Well That Ends Well…Almost”
The next morning the Monroes take the pets to the vet. Bunnicula is starving and malnourished, and the vet gives the bunny carrot juice. Bunnicula immediately perks up and thanks Harold by smiling and winking at him. The vet diagnoses Chester “as being emotionally overwrought” (90), a condition he says developed from sibling rivalry with Bunnicula. Harold is just relieved he didn’t need any shots.
Back at home, Harold claims that everything is almost the same as it once was. The Monroes are maintaining Bunnicula’s carrot juice diet, and as a result the vegetables in the kitchen have stopped turning white. Chester still believes that Bunnicula is a vampire, but now he’s too preoccupied with self-help books and therapy to care. Harold and Bunnicula are now good friends. He ends the book by saying that he’s “presented the facts as clearly as [he] could” (94), and it’s up to the reader to determine whether they believe his story.
Chapters 7-9 Analysis
Chapter 7 demonstrates a turning point in Harold’s personality. In the earlier chapters he went along with Chester’s wild theories and plans because he wasn’t sure what he believed about Bunnicula. Chester’s vampire books and all the strange coincidences made Harold wonder if Chester was right about Bunnicula’s identity. But after Harold realizes that Chester is starving Bunnicula in Chapter 7, he views the bunny as an innocent creature who will die without his intervention. This is the moment he decides to take a stand against Chester to save Bunnicula. This action results in a relational fissure between Chester and Harold. In Chapter 8 this fracture between friends deepens after Harold tries to save Bunnicula’s life by freeing the bunny from his cage and placing him near the dinner salad. Chester views this as an act of betrayal, and the two friends refuse to talk to each other afterward.
Chapter 9 offers the resolution to the story. Before the visit to the veterinarian, the pets have continually failed to effectively communicate with their owners. Chester tried to tell the Monroes that he thought Bunnicula was a vampire, and Harold tried to show them that Chester was starving Bunnicula. When the Monroes take the pets to the veterinarian, all these issues caused by failed communication are resolved. Chester’s focus shifts from external fears of Bunnicula to his inner emotional well-being. Bunnicula perks up after receiving carrot juice, but this only perpetuates the mystery around whether the bunny is actually a vampire. And Harold is content that things in the Monroe household are mostly back to normal. Harold and Chester’s friendship takes a new shape as the cat addresses his deeper issues, but Harold is happy to have Bunnicula’s quiet companionship.
