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    E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core!
    E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core!
    E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core!
    Ebook154 pages1 hour

    E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core!

    By William Joyce

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Forget the bunny trail.…In this addition to the groundbreaking series from the legendary William Joyce, Guardian E. Astor Bunnymund is on the warpath.

    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!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAtheneum Books for Young Readers
    Release dateFeb 21, 2012
    ISBN9781442449916
    Author

    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.

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    Reviews for E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core!

    4.5/5

    17 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I gave this story a four star because it doesn't introduce E.Aster Bunnymund till the middle of the story. Beside that it was a good story. I think that the stories plot was good for the most part. I think the best part was when they fought Pitch.Pitch has attacked and turned every one in the village into ceramic dolls except for the children which he takes hostage. To get them back North teams up with E.Aster Bunnymund to rescue them. As they rescue them they have a big fight with Pitch. And in the end they win and get back the children.
    • 5/5
      It had adventure, magic and friendship! What a great story!
    • 5/5
      Awesome! I love this series and can't wait to see the movie in November! William Joyce is an excellent storyteller. The action is so detailed and the magic feels so real and you can't help but love all the characters. I'm normally a slow reader but this series is so good that I find myself zipping through pages just to find out what happens next. Well book one put a twist on the Santa legend and this book brought the Easter bunny to a whole nether level. Can't wait to see what he does with the tooth fairy which in book 3!
    • 5/5
      William Joyce returns with a second volume in his Guardians of Childhood series, this one even more delightful than the first (if that were possible). The mysterious Pooka, Bunnymund, adds a lot to the story, and while the final confrontation feels a little bit thin, the journey getting there is an awful lot of fun. Joyce is clearly in his element with these tales, and their slightly old-fashioned quality is very appealing to anyone who grew up on early 20th century children's literature. (There are clearly some old-fashioned references, too: the idea of the Pooka, while mythological in origin, is almost certainly distilled by Joyce via the film Harvey, and there's a laugh-out-loud-if-you-recognize-it dialogue steal from Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles).Plus, this is the first story I've read that adequately explains the Easter Bunny's fascination with chocolate - despite the fact he never eats any! Joyce continues to mine those little childhood "why"s and "what-if"s we take for granted as adults for charming story material. I look forward to the next in the series.
    • 4/5
      I greatly enjoyed returning to the world of the Guardians after finishing the tale of Nicholas St. North. Casting the "Easter Bunny" as E. Aster Bunnymund, a Pooka, was an inspired choice by author William Joyce. The plot was exciting and also moved the mythology of the world along as well. I cannot wait to start "Toothania" and learn about the origins of the lady we knew in childhood as the "Tooth Fairy".
    • 5/5
      I originally got this book to read to the grandkids in segments. However, at an inch thick, and only one of the series, it is really for kids in the 11 to 14 year age bracket in m opinion.However I like the imagination of the author's story. The plot is exciting and should be a good choice for that early teen bracket.I plan n reading the other two in this series, just for myself, until my grandkids are a little older when they will be ready for them.
    • 4/5
      I just love the story of the Easter Bunny that Joyce has come up with for the second book in the Guardians of Childhood series. E Aster Bunnymund joins North, Ombric, Nightlight and Katherine in the fight against Pitch, The Nightmare King. The story is whimsical, fun, exciting and innovative. It will certainly capture its readers' imaginations and send them barreling into the center of the earth with the Guardians on their mission to destroy Pitch. The warrior eggs were such an imaginative creation and I love the reinvention of the Easter bunny as a warrior Pooka.

      The combination of descriptive writing and the amazing illustrations will keep children rereading these novels for years to come. Really fantastic and can't wait for the next in the series.
    • 4/5
      The more I read them, the more I realize what William Joyce is doing with his Guardians series. To the casual reader, it may seem like a bunch of notable “imaginary creatures” (e.g., Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, etc.) are teaming up to fight evil and defend childhood, but in actuality Joyce is building his own Avengers or Justice League or League of Extraordinary Gentlemen out of notable Western folk heroes. For someone who likes crossovers and teamups, this is most definitely my cup of tea.In the second novel in his series (which currently includes three novels, two storybooks, a short film, and an upcoming feature-length film), we are introduced to the Easter Bunny, or, A. Aster Bunnymund, a Pooka. His fate intersects with those of the established guardians (a future Santa Claus notably among them) as they battle Pitch, the Nightmare King. Having taken a millenial-long hands-off approach to humanity, he finally decides to change his ways and join up with these heroes to help defend and protect childhood.While Joyce presents the characters we know and love as parts of our culture, especially those personae associate with major holidays (though, if you want Krampus, you’ll have to read books by Brom instead of Joyce), he does so in a way that isn’t annoying to someone sick to death of rehashes of old ideas (how many retellings of Alice in Wonderland are there?). He blends enough originality and creativity to give the intelligent reader something to grin about (a shared secret regarding who’s whom) and the standard reader something to think about.While I enjoyed the book, I felt that it could have introduced Bunnymund sooner, as he was the subject of the story. Ultimately, it was more “Nicholas St. North Enlists a Pooka to Battle the Nightmare King at the Center of the Earth!” than anything else. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing; only a different thing. Something, I would imagine, that would give even the intelligent reader something to think about.I look forward to future installments in this series.
    • 5/5
      Book two of the Guardians of Childhood series features E. Aster Bunnymund, the last of the ancient race of Pookas with a penchant for chocolate eggs. :) The story gets more complex and the villain manages to get stronger. I enjoy how the author plays with real life myths and lore and weaves it into the story. Easter Island is really a gateway into E. Aster's underground warren...
    • 4/5
      Reason for Reading: Next in the series.Another wonderful entry in this fabulous series which harkens back to the fantasy of L. Frank Baum, both in its whimsical early 19th century brand of fantasy and in its style of writing which includes chapter titles such as "Wherein the Friends Must Separate" and " In Which There Is a Fearful Discovery and a Whisper of Hope". The story continues on from Book One which ended happily but left a quest unfulfilled. All our old friends are back again as they search for the second artifact and it is this journey which leads them to Bunnymund and his steampunk world of egg-shaped machines. A delight to read, this book (and series) is especially aimed at that special age of 7-11. As I've remarked before, not since the Spiderwick Chronicles have I been so taken with the whimsy of a fantastical setting and story. This would also make a great read aloud, though there is a touch of darkness that may frighten younger or sensitive children. The illustrations continue to be superb and it is the combination of the text and artwork that makes this series so appealing.

    Book preview

    E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core! - William Joyce

    title

    Contents

    Before Chapter One

    A Recap, a Prelude, and a Premonition of Terror

    Chapter One

    We Begin Our Story with a Story

    Chapter Two

    In Which Old Friends Are Reunited

    Chapter Three

    Katherine’s Story of Their Recent Amazements

    Chapter Four

    A Short Frolic Across the Planet

    Chapter Five

    A Bedtime Story with a Girl, a Goose, and Snowmen Who Are Not so Abominable

    Chapter Six

    Amazing Discoveries and Ancient Magic

    Chapter Seven

    A Tall Tale for a Rabbit

    Chapter Eight

    A Hop, Skip, and a Jump Through Time

    Chapter Nine

    The Secret of the Sword

    Chapter Ten

    Revelations, Terror, and Daring Deeds

    Chapter Eleven

    As the Tower Flies

    Chapter Twelve

    Delicate Darkness

    Chapter Thirteen

    The Moonbeam Tells His Tale of Woe

    Chapter Fourteen

    A Moonbeam, a Mystery, and a Muddle

    Chapter Fifteen

    Wherein the Friends Must Separate

    Chapter Sixteen

    The Curl Twirls

    Chapter Seventeen

    In Which Pitch Appreciates North’s Ingenuity but Proves to Be a Dark Customer Indeed

    Chapter Eighteen

    A Surprising Twist with a Chocolate Center

    Chapter Nineteen

    Nightlight Is Dimmed

    Chapter Twenty

    In Which We Find Munch Marks of Mystery

    Chapter Twenty-One

    The Egg-cellent Exchange

    Chapter Twenty-Two

    One Mystery Begets Another

    Chapter Twenty-Three

    The Honk of Destiny

    Chapter Twenty-Four

    In Which There Is a Fearful Discovery and a Whisper of Hope

    Chapter Twenty-Five

    The Egg Armada

    Chapter Twenty-Six

    The Power of the Inner Pooka

    Chapter Twenty-Eight

    The Battle Begins

    Chapter Twenty-Nine

    The Voice

    Chapter Thirty

    In Which All Is Linked by an Ancient Mind Trick That Has a Most Surprising Origin

    Chapter Thirty-One

    The Mad Scramble

    Chapter Thirty-Two

    North Is Fallen

    Chapter Thirty-Three

    The Bookworm Turns

    About William Joyce

    To my lovely wife, Elizabeth, the grandest lady in all the cosmos

    BEFORE CHAPTER ONE

    A Recap, a Prelude, and a Premonition of Terror

    SINCE THE BATTLE OF the Nightmare King had been won, the planet seemed to be relatively quiet.

    Katherine, North, and Ombric had stayed in the Himalayas with the Lunar Lamas. They knew Pitch and his Nightmare Armies would strike again. Pitch had escaped wearing the robot djinni’s suit of armor and had vowed revenge against them all.

    But the Man in the Moon had given North the magic sword that had belonged to his father. He had told them of four other relics from the Golden Age that could be helpful, perhaps essential, in defeating the Nightmare King, once and for all. But where Pitch was hiding or what they should do next was a puzzlement.

    Similar questions were being pondered on a faraway island, in a secluded section of the Pacific Ocean. On this island there resided the most ancient, mysterious, and peculiar creature the world had ever known. Or not known, actually. Though he possessed extraordinary wisdom and power, he had given up on the comings and goings of history and humans. He had not allowed himself to be seen in living memory. This being, however, knew something was in the air. He knew about the battle of the Nightmare King, and he knew of Ombric and Pitch. He’d had dealings with them in the distant past. He could see and sense signs most unwelcome. Deep beneath the Earth (which was his realm), he heard ominous sounds. He kept to himself and liked it that way, but his animal instincts told him that, like it or not, he would once again be asked to help save the world he had so carefully cut himself off from.

    His nose twitched. His massive ears flinched.

    He wondered about the terrible battles to come and what, if any, part he would decide to play.

    diagram

    CHAPTER ONE

    We Begin Our Story with a Story

    IN THE HINTERLANDS OF eastern Siberia was the village where Katherine, North, and Ombric called home. The village of Santoff Claussen felt somewhat lonely without them, but a dozen or so adventurous children played in the enchanted forest that protected their homes from the outside world. The surrounding oak trees were among the largest in the world. Their massive trunks and limbs were a paradise for climbing.

    Petter, a strong boy of twelve who imagined himself a daring hero, catapulted onto the porch of his favorite tree house. He landed just ahead of his little sister, Sascha. She was testing her latest invention: gloves and shoes that allowed her to scamper up a tree, like a squirrel. But Petter’s catapult was faster.

    I’ll beat you next time, Sascha said, hoping that a small engine on the heel of each shoe would do the trick.

    She peered down at the clearing hundreds of feet below. The village’s bear, a massive creature, loped around the perimeter of the clearing along with Petrov, the horse of Nicholas St. North. Sascha was wondering if she’d ever be allowed to ride Petrov when she spied Tall William, the first son of Old William, squatting on his heels, talking to a group of centipedes. The children of Santoff Claussen had begun to learn the easier insect languages (ant, worm, snail), but Tall William was the first to tackle the more difficult speech of centipede. Sascha pressed a trumpet-shaped sound amplifier to her ear.

    Tall William reported what the centipedes said, that all was well—Pitch, the Nightmare King, was nowhere to be seen. It was a warm summer day, but the memory of that terrible time when Pitch appeared in Santoff Claussen made Sascha shiver as if it were the darkest night in deepest winter.

    Pitch had once been a hero of the Golden Age, an ancient time when Constellations ruled the universe. His name in those days long ago was General Kozmotis Pitchiner, and he had led the Golden Age Armies in capturing the Fearlings and Dream Pirates who plagued that era. These villains were wily creatures of darkness. When they escaped, they devoured the general’s soul, and from that moment on, he hungered for the dreams of innocent children and was known simply as Pitch. He was determined to drain the good from dreams until they became nightmares—every last one of them—so that the children of Earth and then other worlds would live in terror. And the dreams of the children of Santoff Claussen—who had never before known fear or wickedness—were the prizes he coveted most.

    Sascha, like the other children of Santoff Claussen, had survived that terrifying night when Pitch’s Fearlings had nearly captured them in the enchanted forest, thanks to a glimmering boy with a moonlit staff who drove back the inky marauders.

    Now she climbed out onto a branch and hung by her knees, still holding the ear trumpet. The world looks different upside down, but it sounds the same, she thought.

    Sascha listened once more, then lowered the sound amplifier. The insects had said all was well. Even so, what if Pitch and his Fearlings come back again? She frowned, but before that thought could darken her mood, Petter called out for a new contest. Race you to the clearing! he shouted, leaping for the nearest branch.

    Scrambling down the tree, Sascha’s shoes and gloves now gave her the advantage. She landed proudly in front of Tall William and his brother William the Almost Youngest. Her own brother was still half a tree behind.

    She was about to brag about her victory when she spotted the stone elves hunkered amidst the vines and trees. There were at least ten statues in total, and they made for an eerie and unsettling sight, some with arms raised, swords at the ready; others frozen in midscream.

    They were Nicholas St. North’s band of outlaws, turned to stone by the Spirit of the Forest. The Spirit had spared North for he alone was true of heart. Rejecting her offer of riches, he had gone to the village’s rescue when Pitch attacked again. He then decided to stay in Santoff Claussen, and became their wizard Ombric Shalazar’s apprentice.

    The Spirit of the Forest was just one of the magical barriers their wizard had devised to protect the village when he first created it. He’d also conjured up a hundred-foot-tall hedge, the great black bear the size of a house, and the majestic oaks that blocked the advance of anyone who tried to enter Santoff Claussen with ill intent. But none of these had been able to protect the children from the shadows and Fearlings at Pitch’s command.

    Petter and his friend Fog began crossing stick swords with each other, acting out the battle that took place when Nicholas St. North had come face-to-face with Pitch.

    Everything they knew and loved had seemed lost until North had galloped up to the rescue on Petrov. Though badly wounded, North had been able to drive Pitch away, but the children all worried that the Nightmare King would return. At this

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