E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core! (The Guardians #2)

by William Joyce (Author) William Joyce (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Series: Guardians
Pitch, the Nightmare King, and his Fearlings had been soundly driven back by Nicholas St. North and company in the first Guardians' adventure. But now Pitch has disappeared completely--and out of sight does NOT make for out of mind. It seems certain that he's plotting a particularly nefarious revenge, and the Guardians suspect he might have gone underground. But how can they find him there?

Enter E. Aster Bunnymund, the only emissary of the fabled brotherhood of the Pookas--the league of philosophical warrior rabbits of imposing intellect and size. Highly skilled in martial arts (many of which he invented himself), Bunnymund is brilliant, logical, and a tunnel-digger extraordinaire. If the Guardians need paths near the Earth's core, he's their Pooka. He's also armed with magnificent weapons of an oval-sort, and might just be able to help in the quest for the second piece of the Moonclipper.

This second book in The Guardians series is about much more than fixing a few rotten eggs--it brings the Guardians one step closer to defeating Pitch!
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School Library Journal

Gr 4-6--Joyce weaves together imaginary beings, fictional characters, and references to real geographic places to create his fantasy world. Two spreads of sketches show "our heroes" and "the villains" to help readers sort out the cast of players. The characters must travel to Easter Island where the Pooka lives. There they meet E. Aster Bunnymund, who explains that he makes the best chocolate in the universe. He uses milk from an "intergalactic bovine creature that on occasion jumps over the Moon" or another chocolate concoction of "marshmallow made from the whipped eggs of Asian peacocks." Still another chocolate is made with "cacao leaves that grow in the dark center of the great caves of Calcutta; it contains a pinch of mint from the ice caps of Mars." Not only can he make delicious treats, but he can also travel through space and help the Guardians as they battle The Nightmare King. Chapters have fun and informative names and there's lots of "egg-straordinary" wordplay. Children will read and reread the story to enjoy all the nuances of this plot-driven fantasy with strong visual imagery. Joyce's fans are sure to welcome his newest offering.--Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Clever and packed with quirky, imaginative creations, lovingly illustrated by Joyce."—Booklist
William Joyce
William Joyce does a lot of stuff but children's books are his true bailiwick (The Guardians series, Dinosaur Bob series, George Shrinks, and the #1 New York Times bestselling The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which is also his Academy Award-winning short film, to name a few). He lives in Shreveport, Louisiana. Talk to William Joyce and see upcoming work on Instagram.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781442430501
Lexile Measure
790
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date
February 21, 2012
Series
Guardians
BISAC categories
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV012030 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | General
JUV017020 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | Easter & Lent
JUV002010 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Alligators & Crocodiles
Library of Congress categories
Adventure and adventurers
Wizards
Heroes
Good and evil
JUVENILE FICTION / Holidays & Celebrations /
Nightmares
Eggs
JUVENILE FICTION / Fairy Tales & Folklore / G
JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / General
Easter Bunny

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