Lord and Lady Bunny - Almost Royalty!

December 1, 2013
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny and the sixth-grade human child Madeline collide again in this silly, satirical sequel to Horvath's Mr. and Mrs. Bunny--Detectives Extraordinaire! (2012). Mrs. Bunny, always in search of a new job (and a new hat to go with it), has now decided she must become the queen of England, despite the fact that she's from Canada...and a rabbit. Coincidentally, Madeline's hippie mother inherits a sweet shoppe in the English village of Bellyflop, and so Madeline stumbles upon her dear bunny friends again--this time on an England-bound cruise ship. The adventure begins! Told in alternating sections--bunny, human, bunny, human--the stories of the dreams and delusions of the two traveling parties unfold, heavily seasoned with Horvath's wry take on everything from social media to clotted cream to celebrity authors who write about wizards and magical candy. In fact, the author is having so much fun, her musings sometimes overwhelm the story, and readers won't be surprised to find her bookstore cameo as Mrs. Bunny's translator. The plot is unapologetically preposterous, but the truly witty banter, near-constant conflict and palpable love between Mr. and Mrs. Bunny are both genuinely affecting and uproariously funny. Blackall's elegant, expressive black-and-white illustrations add whimsy to an already effervescent adventure. A purely Horvath-ian (meaning hilarious) hop across the pond. (Comedy of manners. 9-14)

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February 1, 2014

Gr 3-6-The indomitable Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, nine-year-old Madeleine, and her lackadaisical parents unexpectedly run into one another aboard a ship bound for England. How did this happen? Well, Mrs. Bunny decided she wanted to be queen, and Madeleine's father, Flo, credits a mysterious box of Pop Tarts and the "synchronicity of the universe." It's a long story, but just as ridiculous, wacky, and humorous as Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, Detectives Extraordinaire (Random, 2012). This romp has even less plot than the first, relishing in its own absurdity and remarkable coincidences, to the point that Mrs. Bunny even meets her translator (Horvath) at a book signing and discovers that the human author has been taking credit for Mrs. Bunny's first book. This sequel does not stand alone, but is guaranteed to delight anyone who loved the forward-driving action and vivacious wit of these good-hearted, unique characters the first time around.-Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Grades 3-6 In this frolicsome follow-up to Mr. and Mrs. BunnyDetectives Extraordinaire! (2012), Madeleine and her hippie parents, Mildred and Flo, set off to England on a cruise ship, catapulted by a mystical box of cinnamon sugar Pop-Tarts, in search of fortune (Madeleine sensibly wants to augment her college fund, while Mildred dreams of an organic vegetable farm). As it happens, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, no longer detectives but just as lovingly quarrelsome, are traveling on the same boat, with their own royal agenda: Mrs. Bunny aims to be the Queen. Madeleine has her friend Katherine for company, and Mr. and Mrs. Bunny have Mrs. Treaclebunny; together they plot and flounder, foiled by happenstance, rescued by coincidence, and propelled by synchronicity. Exploits abound, including hedgehog disguises (quills and superglue) and trained magical candy shops. Horvath holds all of this folly together with affectionate characterizations, dazzling wit, and an unflagging commitment to the winding narrative, with Blackall's familiar ink-and-wash sketches embellishing the tone of skewed bemusement.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
In this meticulously crafted sequel to Mr. and Mrs. Bunny--Detectives Extraordinaire!, Madeline wants to save enough money for college; Mrs. Bunny, done with sleuthing, wants to be queen. Somehow these two radically different desires result in both of them taking an ocean liner across the Pond (Madeline's parents have serendipitously inherited a sweet shoppe in England). Much inspired lunacy and madcap adventure ensues.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2014
In this funny, meticulously crafted sequel to Mr. and Mrs. Bunny--Detectives Extraordinaire! (rev. 1/12), young Madeline desperately wants to save enough money for college; Mrs. Bunny, done with sleuthing, desperately wants to be queen. Somehow these two radically different desires result in both of them taking an ocean liner across the pond--along with Mr. Bunny (natch), Mrs. Treaclebunny (self-invited), Madeline's school friend Katherine, and Madeline's parents (who have serendipitously inherited a sweet shoppe in England). As in the first book, Horvath includes plenty of satire (overly energetic scrapbooking moms; royals and their loyal followers; people who leave their money to cats); winks at children's literature (Horvath herself makes a bitingly funny appearance, at a book-signing seated next to Oldwhatshername, the elegant and svelte author of a ten-pound fantasy book); and, again, more lunacy than you can shake a carrot at: "'Mrs. Bunny went to Bunnycostycost and brought home seventeen cartons of Frosted Flakes just for the box tops. She didn't even check first to see if Mr. Bunny liked Frosted Flakes.' 'Oh well, it made excellent mulch,' said Mrs. Bunny faintly." One can only hope that Mr. and Mrs. B. have loads more madcap adventures to share with audiences--both bunny and human. Final art unseen. jennifer m. brabander

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)