As long as she can remember, Marilyn's Aunt Zenobia has been off on some adventurous journey or another. A visit from her means exotic gifts and fascinating stories,
tales which her conservative parents rarely approve of. Marilyn wonders if she'll ever do half of the things her aging aunt has done. She should be careful what she wishes
for, as the latest - and last - gift from her aunt, a strange amulet, has a history so wild even Zenobia cannot guess at it. To hold it is to risk a curse of death... or
worse.
Review
The first installment of the Chamber of Horrors foursome (stand-alone stories of terror and the supernatural, pitched at an older audience than most of Coville's
books) lives up to its title amply. A great tale, full of unexpected twists and dangers, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I must repeat the warning to sensitive and especially
young readers, however. This one gets dark, as do all the Chamber of Horrors titles.
The Chamber of Horrors series, Book 2 Bruce Coville Pocket Books Fiction, YA Fantasy/Horror Themes: Cross-Genre, Games, Ghosts and Spirits ****
Description
Travis, Tansy, and their friends have just obtained what's supposed to be the greatest role-playing adventure game of all time: Spirits and Spells. What better
place to give it a trial run than the run-down Gulbrandsen house, slated for demolition? All the cobwebs, dust, creaks, and cracks will really bring the game to life.
With a game like this, though, that may not be a great idea...
Review
This was my least favorite story in the series. Though it had some strong points, the plot felt forced and contrived, the setup rushed. A game comes to life: it doesn't
spring to life in an original way as far as a plot goes, and neither does the way it plays out. The characters were serviceable, but not memorable. Still, it's not a bad
story. I'm just used to more from Coville.
During a day of lazy exploration in her grandmother's attic, Bonnie discovers an ancient tarot deck. Just for fun, she starts to give readings with it... surprisingly
accurate readings. There are powers in the tarot that aren't to be toyed with, and Bonnie soon finds herself caught up in struggles that are far beyond her abilities to
understand, let alone deal with. The answers are in the cards, but so is the danger.
Review
This one was my favorite of the series. Great concept, great characters, great story. Bonnie finds herself plunged into a truly terrifying experience, not only with
the cursed cards but within her own buried memories, and the costs to those around her run high. If you're only going to read one of these books, I suggest this one.
As far as vacation spots go, Grandma's house on Sayers Island isn't the best. The weather has been dreary all summer, and both Lisa and her little sister Carrie are
feeling the strain of being housebound. For fun, their grandmother teaches them about "automatic writing," an old parlor game much like a séance, where a person in a
trancelike state "writes" answers to questions asked of lurking spirits. One should be very careful about playing such games in a house with real ghosts, however...
especially ghosts with unfinished business.
Review
Another great story from Bruce Coville, only marginally less absorbing than Eyes of the Tarot. Plenty of chills and ghostly action, again with lasting consequences
- in this series, trauma isn't just brushed off after the climax. My biggest problem with it is that it's the last of the series.
When a witch creates a ferocious dragon that stalks the Forest of Doom, the King must send someone to slay it. His daughter, Wilhelmina, desperately wants some adventure,
but the King instead calls in his three best knights - all of whom have petty excuses preventing them from sallying forth. Thus, the aging squire Elizar and the small page
Brian, the only two with the courage to step forward, find themselves appointed Dragonslayers. The princess has her own plans to face the beast, however... but dragons are
no small things, and slaying them is no easy task. Do any of these would-be heroes stand a chance of defeating the beast?
Review
This wasn't a bad little story. I didn't think there was quite as much to it as some of Coville's other tales, but it was okay. One of the big plot twists was quite
transparent to me, but I liked how he worked another one in subtly. The characters are a bit obvious, as is the general thrust of the tale. Young children would probably
like it better than I did.
A Magic Shop book, Book 1 Bruce Coville Scholastic Fiction, CH Fantasy Themes: Schools, Shapeshifters ****
Description
Scrawny Russell, a bully magnet, struggles with an overprotective mother and a father who is a pathological speech-maker. His one love in life is monsters, so he's
thrilled when he finds the Monster's Ring in old Mr. Elives's magic shop. It's supposed to turn you into a real monster! It's just a cheap gimmick, he thinks, as he slips
the ring with the eerie green stone on his finger and recites the incantation. Then, he realizes that he's growing hair... and horns...
The ring is quite real, and Russell is overjoyed to learn that he can change into a monster and back again at will. Magic was never meant to be a plaything, though, and
everything has consequences. This is either going the be the best Halloween ever or the worst mistake of his life.
Also titled Russel Troy, Monster Boy.
Review
A fast book, it's aimed at a slightly younger audience than the others in this series. Still, I liked it for what it was. Russell learns that magic isn't a toy, and you
don't have to have horns and fangs to stand up for yourself. Coville also gives a somewhat more realistic depiction of bullying than many stories aimed at young readers. A
fun story that doesn't end so neatly and sweetly as some young adult authors might have written it.
Jennifer Murdley thinks she is ugly, and longs to be beautiful. Though her family tries to be supportive, they just don't understand what it's like to hate looking in
mirrors and long for something you know can never be yours; after all, Mom and Dad and even her little brother are comely. When she has to write a paper on a pet for school,
she goes looking for one, and finds Mr. Elives's magic shop. The strange old man sells her a toad. Disenchanted, she takes her purchase home... only to have the toad start
talking to her as soon as they leave the store. Soon, she learns that the warty amphibian has secrets and enemies that date back for centuries. Those enemies aren't through
looking for him or the treasure he hides, and Jennifer finds that she's in for more than she ever bargained for.
Review
More people should read this. It has a lot to say about the difference between physical beauty and real beauty, a difference Jennifer struggles with on a daily basis, as
do other characters in their own ways. It's not as easy as popular slogans say to just ignore society's obsession with looks, even with the love of one's family. Neat
characters, imaginative situations, and a good, honest ending make this a great book.
Jeremy loves to draw, even though he thinks his art teacher - an old stick-in-the-mud who makes the class draw boring still life compositions and frowns on Jeremy's
dragon obsession - hates him. When he finds the strangely beautiful, colorful sphere in Mr. Elives' magic shop - something called a "dragon's egg," though that's surely
just a gimmick - he knows he has to buy it. As it turns out, the egg is very real. By purchasing it, he has taken on an awesome responsibility to hatch and raise a young
dragon until it can return to its proper dimension. The young artist just might have taken on more than he can handle, but it's too late to reconsider once he has a
growing young mouth to feed.
Review
My mother picked this one up at a sale of "banned books" several years ago. Apparently, some people are so insecure in their own beliefs that they feel compelled to
suppress any mention of anything outside their narrow view of "right" and "truth," such as magic and dragons... but I digress. Anyway, she though it was great and insisted
that I give it a try, since I'm such a dragon-lover. It was with some trepidation that I picked up this "kid's book" - only to find myself hooked. Something about it struck
a chord with me. Jeremy's the kind of artists many kids can relate to, full of great ideas but lacking the discipline to do right by them, impatient with "boring" art
classes and teachers who don't understand him. With young Tiamat, who "speaks" in images, he finds a friend like he's never known... and responsibilities that teach him
the importance of self-discipline. In raising her, he learns to see everything, from his friends to his town to his teachers, in a different way. One thing I really liked
was the ending. In this, and all of his books, Coville doesn't just have magic go away forever at the end. It leaves a lasting mark on those who touch it even once. You
don't outgrow it, and you don't forget it. You're also never too old to experience it for the first time, as Jeremy's father discovers.
(Incidentally, this is the story that made me realize that children's, middle grade, and young adult books still have magic in them, even if I'm a "grown-up.")
A Magic Shop book, Book 4 Bruce Coville Scholastic Fiction, CH Fantasy Themes: Diversity, Ghosts, Schools, Twists *****
Description
Charlie Eggleston can't seem to tell the truth. Whether it's an excuse to his mother for being late home from school or a story told to impress his classmates, he is
known for being "creative" with the facts. Charlie isn't a bad kid, but he just doesn't see why he should have to be truthful. Nobody believes him, no matter what he says,
and his parents lie about stuff all the time. One afternoon, while running away from bullies who weren't very amused with his latest fibs, Charlie runs across Mr. Elives's
Magic Shop, a very special store which never seems to be in the same place more than once. He just wanted to call his parents, but instead is drawn to an old skull - the
Skull of Truth. Charlie didn't mean to take it home, but now that he did he's in for more trouble than ever, for the skull has a way of making people around it incapable
of lying. Who knew the truth could be so dangerous?
Also titled Charlie Eggleston's Talking Skull.
Review
It's great to see Mr. Elives and his mysterious magic shop back again, and it's also great to see that Coville has returned to his old form. This is a wonderful book,
with more depth than many children's books and a lot to say about what truth really is. Everyone tells kids that truth is all important, yet grown-ups lie all the time;
it's a rare book like this that tackles this contradiction head-on for children. The subplot about Charlie's friend, who has just returned to school after chemotherapy,
adds a dark shadow to his sudden inability to lie, even for friendship's sake. It was nice to note the cameos of incidences and characters from previous Magic Shop books.
I wonder if he's planning to write any more.
Juliet is the shyest girl in Venus Harbor, but her school nickname is "Killer," after the razor-tongued retorts she lashes out with when pushed too hard. One day,
fleeing a confrontation with a popular girl (whom she earlier angered with one of her nickname-worthy comments), Juliet finds herself in a strange magic shop. Here, a
mysterious lady offers her an ivory locket, and without knowing quite why Juliet accepts the gift. Now all the boys in school are following her like lovesick puppies,
the locket won't come off her neck, and two talking rats are relaying messages from the magic shop owner, who is quite concerned but can offer little practical help.
Juliet has been drawn into an age-old unfinished love story of truly mythic proportions, and only she can determine if it has a happy ending.
Review
I like Coville's Magic Shop series and am glad to see it continuing, but this story didn't play on the same level as the other books. Usually, a kid with a
problem gets a special item, runs into trouble while using it, and must work out on their own how to improve their lives with the magic they've been given, with minimal
further input from Mr. Elives or others. Here, Juliet spends a lot of time in the company of Jerome and Roxanne, the talking rats introduced in Jennifer Murdley's
Toad (who also made an appearance in The Skull of Truth), and wandering through other people's sad stories of love. With the amount of story time devoted to
the rats, I wonder if Coville is planning to write a spin-off book about them. If he isn't, maybe he should go ahead and do it anyway to get it off his chest and free up
future books. It's not that I didn't like them, but Coville never needed talking rats before to tell his Magic Shop stories. They seemed to keep distracting the plot from
itself with their silliness, and while Coville does occasionally get silly, it's usually not this pointless. Typically, as the characters deal with their brushes with
magic, they delve a bit deeper into the issues raised in the books, in this case the different kinds of love. Juliet's story remains fairly superficial, in large part
because so much time was spent with the rats, wandering about everywhere but the place where she has been having the most troubles. The ending didn't feel quite as
satisfying as it should have, as the plot had drifted through so many other stories and touched on so many other issues that I wasn't sure all the threads were tied up
adequately. It's a good enough story, but I'm used to Coville doing better than just "good enough."
Sixth-grader Nina Tanleven's summer is going to be very interesting. The play she's auditioning for is in a haunted theater. Legend says that the Woman in White was an
actress, killed on stage fifty years ago. During rehearsals, Nina and her new friend Chris look out into the empty seats and see a mysterious lady in the third row - the
ghost! Soon, strange things start happening. Costumes are destroyed. Scripts are ripped to shreds. Perhaps the ghost doesn't want the play to go on... or perhaps she's the
only one who does.
Review
A great ghost-hunting tale from Bruce Coville, The Ghost in the Third Row is the start of a series in which Nina and Chris do some amateur ghostbusting. More often
than not, the real danger comes from the living. Fun, interesting, and well written, not as predictable as some young adult ghost stories... or some adult ghost stories, for
that matter. It delivers some frights and chills, but nothing too terrifying.
Nina's father has been hired to restore the historic Quackadoodle Inn, a place with a history dating back to the Civil War and a resident ghost from the same era.
"Sensitized" to the supernatural by their experience with the Woman in White, she and Chris soon find themselves face to face with the young Confederate soldier who
haunts the inn. Who is the ghost in gray? What is his story? And what happened to the treasure he is rumored to have buried before his death? The girls must find out
before things turn deadly in this day and age.
Review
Another great story from Bruce Coville, not just a retread of the first book. This story delves into the Civil War and race relations, as shown in the interactions
between a Confederate soldier and an escaped slave. As with the first book, there are some spooky moments, but nothing gory or too terrifying. Nice plot twists,
interesting characters, and a truly magical ending.
Nina gets a job in an antique store owned by Norma Bliss, a friend of her father's, to earn some extra cash. The people she meets are at least as fascinating as the
merchandise. One of Norma's oldest and most faithful customers is Phoebe Watson, the aging daughter of the late painter Cornelius Fletcher. Despite his fame and the
high prices his haunting yet strangely gripping pieces sell for, Phoebe is at the end of her financial means, forced to sell off antiques from her historical home to make
ends meet. When Nina and her friend Chris go with Norma to pick up the latest item up for sale, the two kids immediately sense a haunting. It turns out there are two
ghosts in the Fletcher house, both tied to a story of love, loss, madness, and the last, lost painting of Cornelius Fletcher.
Review
Arguably the best and most unique of the three Nina Tanleven books, The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed reads like a finale to the series. More ghosts, more sleuthing,
and more danger than the other two put together, with an ending that almost makes you cry. The spookiness kicks up about half a notch.
A boy who sprouts butterfly wings, a princess with an unusual odor, a man living in a giant's mouth, a magical ship with a golden sail... these tales and many
more appear in Odds are Good, an omnibus of two short story collections by noted young adult author Bruce Coville.
Review
This omnibus combines two older anthologies of Coville's short stories, Oddly Enough and Odder than Ever. From lighthearted to dark-souled, Coville
always entrances, captivates, and entertains. Even though I'd seen four of these in other books, I still considered this one well worth the money. I also must say that
The Giant's Tooth is one of the most bizarre concepts for a short story I've ever read.
A girl confronts her fear of a pond, a boy investigates a swamp's peculiar frog population, a juvenile delinquent passes through Hell's gate, a child who tastes
unicorn meat is forever changed... Bruce Coville, prolific author and editor, compiles nine of his original short stories in this anthology.
Review
Usually, I find Coville a fairly safe bet when it comes to anthologies. His previous collections (compiled in Odds are Good, reviewed above) had a nice range of
tales, from silly to scary to downright bizarre. Comparatively, this collection feels flat. The stories all read fairly fast, but only a handful linger in the memory for
any length of time. More than one feels like an unfinished start to a book that never happened. Though not a terrible anthology by any means, I suppose I just expected a
little more from Coville.
A boy on an orbital space station stirs up big trouble when he reports seeing a body in the waste reprocessing tanks. Even more trouble starts when he finds that same
face on a man who is still alive and well! His investigation takes him into the secret experiments of the top-ranked scientists on Ice-3, and puts him and his friends in
mortal danger.
Review
Mr. Coville, if you're reading this, might I suggest a vacation? It looks like you need one. This isn't the caliber of story I've come to expect from you. The plot was
so-so, the conclusion uninspiring, the characters nothing special. A few little details of life on an orbital habitat (rabbits as the primary source of protein, how
gravity varies depending on how far from the hub of the spinning station "wheel" one is, etc.) couldn't make up for an overall lackluster feel to the setting. It was
readable, but not really satisfying. You can do better, and I think you know it.
Book of Book of Aliens I & II; Book of Ghosts I & II; Book of Magic I & II; Monsters I & II; Book of Nightmares I & II; Book of Spine-Tinglers I & II) Bruce Coville, editor Scholastic Fiction, CH Anthology/Chillers/Fantasy/Humor/Sci-Fi Themes: Aliens, Dreams, Ghosts and Spirits, Robots, Space Stories, Vampires, Weirdness *****
Description
Bruce Coville, best-selling children's book author, compiles short stories for themed anthologies from a variety of sources. Some are classics, some are from noted
authors, others are first tries from unknown writers in the field.
Review
This en-masse review is an aberration, but I read them as a group before I started compiling reviews, and just plain couldn't track them down for separate rereads.
Considering that the overall quality was consistent, I figured I'd just do a group review.
I enjoyed the vast majority of these stories, unlike the last few "adult" anthologies I've read. One reason is that Coville collects stories that fit the theme and are
interesting, while "adult" anthology editors seem hung up on publishing stories by popular authors - some of whom are better at novels than short fiction. He ran one
Book for all the themes first, then popular demand prompted a second series. In the second round of Books, Coville tried his hand at a serialized story, each section
incorporating the theme of the book in which it appeared. The result, "The Monsters of Morley Manor," was one of the weakest tales presented, being disjointed and
occasionally forced as it twisted and turned to incorporate aliens and fantasy and horror and more. Other than that, these stories demonstrate just why I continue to read
"kids" fiction. They can tell a tale of surprising depth in a medium that doesn't require the meaning-of-the-universe drivel and pointless orgies that are so prevalent in
the "grown-up" fiction books I've picked up lately. Some of the tales are fun, others serious, and a few are downright disturbing (even to me, and I'm over 21.) Not all
of them have happy endings. I add that as a warning to people who only like "happily ever after" stories. (I know someone like that...) That's one more thing I like about
Coville; he doesn't talk down to his audience, nor does he publish stories that do. Great reads, all of them.
This anthology gathers tales old and new about other worlds: new planets, new dimensions, or even that strange place called the future.
Review
Once again, Coville assembles a memorable collection of thought-provoking stories. Like his other books and anthologies, I can only recommend that you not make the
same mistake I did and read them all on a work night; these tales have a way of sticking in your head long after you read them, making sleep difficult (if not
impossible.)
Bruce Coville, editor Scholastic Fiction, CH Anthology/Fantasy Themes: Unicorns *****
Description
Perhaps no other creature embodies the spirit of fantasy more than the venerated unicorn. Wild, untamed, and beautiful, unicorns can be found around the globe, in the
strangest and most unexpected of places. Wherever they step, the world changes, and whoever chances to see them will never be the same. The noted author has collected a
number of unicorn stories.
Review
This is one of a new round of anthologies edited by Coville, on subjects from aliens to magic. Once again, Coville has compiled a winning anthology. He says at the start
that these aren't about "sappy" unicorns, and he's right. These are unicorns at their fiercest, wildest, and most powerful. If you want meek, dewy-eyed creatures in
rot-your-teeth saccharine tales, look elsewhere. If you're looking for the true, wild spirit of the unicorn, however, you've found it. This collection is a must-have for
any unicorn lover... or any fantasy lover, for that matter.
This anthology features short stories about humans who are more than human: a boy with hawk wings, a centaur foal, a girl with dragon's blood, a tree transformed
into a man, and more exotic human hybrids.
Review
Coville assembles another great anthology of thought-provoking stories. Unlike his earlier anthologies (the Bruce Coville's Book of... books), these tales have a
uniformly deeper, darker overtone, and will likely appeal to an older audience. A few tie into other universes; Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, presents a short
story about the Scarecrow of Oz, and Tamora Pierce offers a tale in the world of her Tortall fantasies. They work fine as standalones, though.
Seeing how adept Coville is at finding stories that explore the unusual or bizarre potentials of his themes, I often wish he'd compile a cat or dog story anthology; surely he
could find one cat story without nine lives or Egypt as its premise, or a dog story where the dogs aren't killed by their master, saving their master, or both.
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