Bruce Coville

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...

A timid boy, eager to frighten the school bully on Halloween night, acquires a magic ring and the power to change himself into a hideous monster.

Charlie, a sixth-grader with a compulsion to tell lies, acquires a mysterious skull that forces its owner to tell only the truth, causing some awkward moments before he understands its power.

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

When Benjie Perkins meets the ghost of Elvira Thistledown he learns the strange story behind why she haunts his kitchen -- and what he must do to free her from her curse. A lighter-than-air ghost story that mixes thrills with chuckles.

When an angel gives a boy a box, and asks him to care for it, the results ripple through a lifetime. This tender and profound story is one of author Bruce Coville's personal favorites among all his work.

When the messiest girl in Minnesota is saddled with a compulsively tidy brownie, there are sure to be problems. Hilarious problems. Originally published in Oddly Enough.

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...

A young man seeks to understand the strange connection he feels to the wolves that live near his village.

A story described by Katherine Paterson as "didactic camp", a very funny but also thought-provoking fantasy about the issue of gayness. This controversial tale has given enormous comfort to many young people struggling with their own sexual identity.