Best Selling Books by Bruce Coville

When his pen pal from back home comes to visit him on Earth, Pleskit is excited, but also a little nervous about how his old and new friends will get along.

Rod is surprised when a miniature spaceship lands in his school science project and reveals five tiny aliens, who ask his help in apprehending an interstellar criminal. Now reissued with an exciting new look. Illustrations.

In the finale of this popular series, BKR, the most fiendish villain in the galaxy, is determined to get at the world-destroying secret locked in Rods brain. Little does Rod know hes being drawn into a web of alien plots that will test his courage. Illustrations.

Mr. Elives’s magic shop is back, and this time it is on the other side of Tucker’s Swamp. And Tucker’s Swamp is where Charlie Eggleston heads to escape a beating-for lying. Charlie can’t seem to keep from lying, though sometimes his lies are for a good cause. When Charlie stumbles into Mr. Elives’s magic shop, his eyes light upon The Skull. Charlie steals The Skull and it puts him under some sort of spell-he can only tell the truth. Trouble is, now no one believes him. . . .

When aliens come to Earth on an interplanetary trade mission, Tim makes friends with the ambassador''s son and together they uncover a plot to sabotage the mission. Series has good covers. 9 yrs+

Beloved for his hilarious and unexpectedly moving novels, Bruce Coville is also a master of the short story. In this follow-up to Oddly Enough, he again presents a collection of unusual breadth and emotional depth. A ghost who died under uproarious circumstances haunts a kitchen baking “Biscuits of Glory,” while in the grand tale “The Golden Sail,” there are unexpected consequences when a young teen goes in search of his seafaring father. The collection includes a heartbreaking new story from Mr. Elives’ Magic Shop, “The Metamorphosis of Justin Jones,” and the bittersweet title story from the critically acclaimed anthology Am I Blue? A perfect introduction to Bruce Coville’s magic for the uninitiated, Odder Than Ever also has a treat for his die-hard fans: three never-before-published stories.

Twelve-year-old Susan Simmon’s finds that her substitute 6th grade teacher is more than just weird, he’s downright alien. In fact he’s an extraterrestrial who’s on a mission to choose a handful of students from Earth to take away with him into space for further testing...and other fates unknown!

In the first book of the Nina Tanleven Mysteries, Nina investigates the ghost of a haunted auditorium Standing on the Grand Theater’s storied stage, sixth-grader Nina Tanleven is about to audition for the latest local production. But as she launches into song, she sees a mysterious woman dressed all in white appearing out of nowhere. It isn’t until later, after Nina has won a part in the play, that she learns the truth: Fifty years ago, on the Grand’s famous stage, the beautiful actress Lily Larkin—known for her captivating white costumes—was killed by a falling chandelier. Ever since, rumors have swirled that the ghost of Lily Larkin haunts the Grand. When eerie events start disrupting the play’s rehearsals, Nina knows that Lily is responsible. But what is Lily trying to tell her? Along with her best friend, Chris, Nina decides that the only way she can save the play is to get to the bottom of this decades-old murder mystery. The Ghost in the Third Row is the first book of the Nina Tanleven Mysteries, which continue with The Ghost Wore Gray and The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Bruce Coville including rare images from the author’s collection.

KIDNAPPED TO DIMENSION X! When Rod Allbright''s cousin Elspeth arrived for a visit the day after school let out for the summer, Rod thought his vacation was ruined. But after they are kidnapped to Dimension X by a monster named Smorkus Flinders, Rod realizes that Elspeth is the least of his problems. After all, what''s a bratty cousin compared to cranky monsters, furious aliens, and the discovery that you are stuck in the middle of an interstellar power play? And that doesn''t begin to take into account the horrifying personal decision that Rod will be forced to make before his adventures are over.

Pleskit, a sixth-grade student from another planet, tries peanut butter, which makes him romantic.

Two collections of favorite short stories by Coville--"Oddly Enough" and "Odder Than Ever"--are now available in one volume.

SOMEWHERE SNOUT IS WAITING. Rod Allbright and his alien friends face the biggest mystery of their lives: Where in the wide, wide galaxy is their missing friend Snout, the Master of the Mental Arts? Their death-defying search for their friend leads them across the stars to the Mentat, the mysterious home of the Mental Masters. But the clues they uncover there only deepen the mystery -- and the danger. For Rod and his friends have stumbled into something far bigger and more dangerous than any of them had ever dreamed. At stake are their honor, their lives, their sanity, and (just possibly) the fate of the universe.

A collection of nine short stories featuring ghosts, half-humans, unicorns, and other unusual creatures.

On the Oregon trail, a theater troupe strives to reach California After months in the cramped confines of a Conestoga wagon, Fortune Plunkett is dreaming of the life she left behind in Charleston. It was her father’s dream to lead his band of actors to California, but he died on the trail. Fortune’s only inheritance is a trunk of old costumes, a handful of plays, and a passionate drive to reach the Pacific Ocean, no matter what hardships she might endure along the way. At the time of her father’s death, the actors were heading toward an engagement in the little town of Busted Heights—a place that held a fascination for Fortune’s father that he never explained. There Fortune meets the greenhorn Jamie Halleck, a naive young man who convinces her to let him join the group. With Jamie onboard, they hit the trail again, ready to reach California and find their destiny. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Bruce Coville including rare images from the author’s collection.

The spirits of an old house uncover dangerous family secrets Sixteen-year-old Lisa Burton can’t believe her parents dragged her to a summer house for the entire month of August. After five days of rain, she and her younger sister, Carrie, have never been more bored. So when their grandmother suggests a silly parlor game, the girls are excited—until an unseen power takes over Lisa’s hand and writes a puzzling message: “Welcome Home.” Who—or what—is trying to reach the Burtons, and how does it know that their grandmother’s family once lived at the estate? As she uncovers family secrets one by one, Lisa realizes that to make the past right, she’ll have to journey through the corridors of an unsettled mind powerful enough to trap them all inside. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Bruce Coville including rare images from the author’s collection.

Can the gang save the world before it’s too late? When it comes down to adults versus kids, who’s going to believe the kids—even if they are geniuses? That’s the problem the A.I. Gang faces when they find themselves locked in a death-defying final showdown with the mysterious Black Glove. Contending with danger and disgrace, the team fights on with only the help of a mysterious friend to give them an occasional clue. But these six kids just can’t give up. Would you, if you were the only thing standing in the way of a high-tech horror that could spell destruction for the entire planet? This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Bruce Coville including rare images from the author’s collection.

A brave squire, an earnest page, and a strong-willed princess set out to slay a dragon created to carry out a witch''s revenge.

Tim and Pleskit are abducted in this eighth book in the hilarious, fast-paced, and accessible sci-fi series Sixth Grade Alien from the bestselling author of Aliens Ate My Homework and My Teacher Is an Alien, Bruce Coville. Tim Tompkins has always wanted to visit outer space—though he didn’t plan to go as a captive of a mysterious alien! But that’s just what Tim, Pleskit, Maktel, and Linnsy have become: captives in an interstellar struggle for control of the galaxy. Can four kids from two very different planets learn to work together? They’re going to have to if they want to survive on the strange new world where they’ve been trapped. But even if they can stay safe, how will the ever find their way back home?

Fourteen-year-old Marina and sixteen-year-old Jed accompany their parents'' religious cult, the Believers, to await the end of the world atop a remote mountain, where they try to decide what they themselves believe.

Tim and Rafaella must work with Tim''s old enemy, Jordan, to find a missing Pleskit and save the alien embassy''s mission and Earth.

Tim finds the alien Beebo Frimbat''s pranks annoying, but begins to wonder if there is something else behind them when Beebo locks Pleskit''s bodyguard into an alternate dimension.

Pleskit loses his grandfather’s brain in this third book of the hilarious, fast-paced, and accessible Sixth-Grade Alien sci-fi series from the bestselling author of Aliens Ate My Homework, Bruce Coville. Some kids lose their homework. Some kids lose their math book, or their sneakers, or their lunch. Pleskit Meenom, first alien kid to go to school on Earth, has a bigger problem: He’s lost his grandfather’s brain! Of course, that’s not Pleskit’s only problem. He’s also feuding with his best friend, Tim. And someone is leaking stories about him to the press. Sixth grade is turning out to be an even bigger challenge than interplanetary navigation. But if Pleskit can’t find that missing brain, none of those other problems will matter. Because how do you explain that you’ve lost your grandfather? And Pleskit may not be the only one looking for him…

Pleskit and Tim try to stop Beebo from causing mischief in their school.

The stone toad is back! From the author of Diary of a Mad Brownie, this follow-up to the bestselling Goblins in the Castle blends laugh-out-loud humor with fantasy and edge-of-your-seat adventure. In the year since William and Fauna freed the goblins from imprisonment in Toad-in-a-Cage Castle, peace has reigned over both the human and goblin kingdoms. Then one cold night William receives a strange book from an unknown visitor, a book that leads him and Fauna to the mysterious stone toad that sits in the castle’s Great Hall. When an accidental spell brings the stone creature to life, the giant toad hops away—with William between its jaws! Fauna is no match for a ten-foot-tall frog made of rock, but she has magic—and a good amount of grit—on her side. Determined to save her friend, Fauna ventures forth on a journey through dangerous lands filled with fearsome giants, talking bears, and packs of rogue goblins. And in order to save William and reveal the mystery behind the stone toad, Fauna might have to divulge a secret that could turn her friends against her forever.

A spy has infiltrated the island, and only the A.I. Gang can stop him Some days a gang of kid geniuses just can’t win. As if it weren’t bad enough that the A.I. Gang has Sergeant Brody’s terrifying security robots crimping their activities and the mysterious Black Glove out to get them, now they’ve managed to get on the bad side of an international superspy who has secretly invaded Anza-bora Island. Of course, a little thing like that won’t stop them from coming up with new schemes. But when Rachel talks the others into building a rocket to launch Dr. Weiskopf’s singing robot, Twerpy, on a vital space mission, it turns out that the final countdown to blastoff may also be a countdown to death. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Bruce Coville including rare images from the author’s collection.

One summer morning, a flock of butterflies alights on John Farrington''s house and changes his life forever. Surrounding John in his yard, the monarchs ask for his help. They have lost their way. The green places are gone--the meadows have become mini-malls; the forests are now parking lots. Can John lead them to another refuge? Passionate, moving, and inspiring, this glorious flight of fantasy from master storyteller Bruce Coville is a timely fable about the difficulties--and the rewards--of staying true to one’s heart.

Pleskit’s alien pet causes widespread panic in this sixth book in the hilarious, fast-paced, and accessible sci-fi series Sixth-Grade Alien from the bestselling author of Aliens Ate My Homework and My Teacher Is an Alien, Bruce Coville. Having a pet shapeshifter might be one of the coolest parts of being from a different planet. So when Jordan accuses Pleskit of lying about his Veeblax’s abilities, Pleskit decides take his pet to class—without asking parental permission. Bringing the Veeblax to school turns out to be a bigger mistake than Pleskit ever thought possible when it frightens his classmate Misty, causing an intergalactic incident. As the situation spins out of control, it becomes clear that Pleskit may lose his pet, his teacher may lose her job, and Earth may lose the benefits of the alien connection. Running away may be the only way for Pleskit to save the his pet. But where can you hide when you’re the only purple kid on the planet? Plus, escaping may not be the best idea, because someone—or something—is following him.

Having jumped into the fantasy land of Luster, Cara joins Lightfoot the unicorn in the search for Queen Arabella Skydancer.

"Angus Cairns is a brownie, a magical creature with a fastidious nature. Alex Carhart is the messiest eleven-year-old in the United States of America. Together, this unlikely pair embarks on an unforgettable adventure"--

A young scientist discovers a zero-gravity homicide onboard a space station Rusty McPhee was born on Earth, but he hasn’t been on solid ground for so long that he hardly remembers what it’s like. He was raised on the space station known as ICE-3, and he knows the ins and outs of this floating research platform better than anybody. He’s working in the waste disposal unit, watching garbage dissolve and be recycled, when he sees something terrifying: a dead body, half decomposed, face down in the muck. Before he can tell anyone what he’s found, the machines finish processing the body, and he’s left without any evidence that a murder ever happened. Not one of ICE-3’s twenty-five thousand inhabitants is missing—so where did the body come from? As he tracks the zero-G killer, danger lurks around every airlock, and it will take just one misstep for Rusty to fall from the sky. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Bruce Coville including rare images from the author’s collection.

Having jumped into Luster, the land of unicorns, Cara makes a perilous journey to bring back her grandmother, The Wanderer, in order to release the Queen of the unicorns and allow her to die.

Pleskit and Tim’s plan to prank a bully goes horribly awry in this second book of the hilarious, fast-paced, and accessible sci-fi series Sixth-Grade Alien from the bestselling author of Aliens Ate My Homework, Bruce Coville. All Pleskit Meenom wants to do is fit in on his new planet. But bullies like his classmate Jordan Lynch make it clear he never will. Not even taking a trip to the mall and getting some Earth-style clothing is enough to stop Jordan’s teasing or blend in at school. After one dig too many from Pleskit’s bully, Pleskit and his best friend Tim decide to teach Jordan a lesson. So they borrow a shrinking ray from the embassy. Shrinking rays are tricky machines, and this one turns out to be more than the boys can handle. Instead of cutting a mean kid down to size, they end up making Tim and their teacher Ms. Weintraub no bigger than a pair of pencils! If word gets out of this misuse of alien technology, it could ruin Pleskit’s mission. But how can you hide the fact that you’ve shrunk your teacher?

In the second book of the Nina Tanleven Mysteries, Nina, the world’s number-one sixth-grade ghost buster, embarks on a treasure hunt with help from the ghost of a Civil War soldier Not too long ago, Nina Tanleven would never have thought that her dream vacation could take place at a creaky lodge in New York’s Catskill Mountains. But when her architect father agrees to renovate the three-story inn, it’s the perfect opportunity for Nina and her best friend, Chris, to investigate rumors that the rambling old building is haunted. It isn’t long before they learn the truth: Not only is the place haunted by the ghost of a Confederate soldier, it also holds secrets that lead to a buried treasure! The soldier hid his trove as a gift for the New York abolitionist who cared for him before he died, and his last wish is to see it unearthed. The clock is ticking as Nina and Chris race to solve the phantom’s mysterious clues. But they aren’t the only ones seeking the valuable bounty. Can they manage to find it first? The Ghost Wore Gray is the second book of the Nina Tanleven Mysteries, which begin with The Ghost in the Third Row and continue with The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Bruce Coville including rare images from the author’s collection.

It’s time for Earth to get its report card and be judged. Will we be deemed worthy or will we be given a failing mark for all the ways in which we let our planet and each other down? And if we fail what will our fate be? Will we be controlled, quarantined or destroyed?

A hapless fairy godmother faces her toughest assignment yet: a perfect little girl whom she must teach to be normal Maybelle was only trying to help. Maybe that’s the problem—every time she tries to help, her magic makes things worse. This time, her spell was supposed to turn a frog into a prince, but instead it turned a princess into a frog! For more than a century, every spell she’s cast has backfired, and now her boss is fed up. She has one last chance to make things right—or she’ll lose her wings forever. With the help of the legendary fairy godmother Edna Prim, Maybelle takes charge of a snooty young girl named Susan whose only problem is that she’s too perfect. Maybelle’s job is to help Susan learn to be a regular kid, but there’s a mischief-loving imp working against her. Saving Susan will take a new kind of spell—and a special brand of magic that only Maybelle has to offer. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Bruce Coville including rare images from the author’s collection.

Pleskit and Tim swap lunches, leading to unforeseen consequences in this fourth book of the hilarious, fast-paced, and accessible sci-fi series Sixth-Grade Alien from the bestselling author of Aliens Ate My Homework, Bruce Coville. When Tim has a peanut butter sandwich packed yet again, he and Pleskit decide to swap lunches. Tim is pleasantly surprised to find that while Pleskit’s squambul smells terrible, it tastes like chicken. But Pleskit has an altogether different experience when he eats peanut butter for the first time. Turns out, he’s allergic! And Pleskit’s reaction can’t be solved by a trip to the nurse’s office—he is absolutely, hopelessly lovestruck! Not in his right mind, Pleskit quickly gets into trouble. If he doesn’t find a way to fix things, he may have to find a new school—or a new planet!

In the third book of the Nina Tanleven Mysteries, Nina and her best friend explore a haunted mansion, where they must reunite the ghosts of a father and daughter before it’s too late Nina and her best friend, Chris, haven’t known each other long, but they’ve already shared enough ghostly adventures for a lifetime. Now working at an antique shop in town, Nina and Chris encounter their latest spooky predicament while inspecting some classic furniture located high in the tower of an old mansion. In a creepy bedroom sits a magnificent brass bed, and—to their surprise—the crying ghost of a little girl. When they stumble across a second spirit, who resembles the girl’s father, Nina and Chris know one thing for sure: Something is amiss in the big house, and all the antiques in the world couldn’t be more exciting than getting to the truth. The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed is the third book of the Nina Tanleven Mysteries, which begin with The Ghost in the Third Row and The Ghost Wore Gray. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Bruce Coville including rare images from the author’s collection.

Stuart sees the ad for a summer movie camp and knows that''s the place for him. He doesn''t know the man who runs the camp makes the world''s scariest movies--and plans to try out his special effects on the campers!