Bruce Coville

One unicorn dwells on Earth. Hundreds fight in Luster. Their legends are recorded in THE UNICORN CHRONICLES Into the Land of the Unicorns As each chime sounds, Cara climbs faster up the steep bell tower. Eleven! She must be on the roof when the next bell tolls. Twelve! With a deep breath, and only half believing she will survive, Cara jumps off the church roof and into Luster, land of the unicorns. In Luster, Cara meets many wonderful creatures, but the most magnificent of all is Lightfoot, a rebellious young unicorn. Cara's band of friends comes to include a hairy creature named the Dimblethum and the monekey-like Squijim. Together, they set out to reach the Unicorn Queen before the mysterious man who is following them does - to prevent the destruction of all unicorns forever. "Coville weaves traditional unicorn myths into his accessible fantasy...[with] an ending that hints at the next adventure." Booklist

In the center if Luster stands an enormous tree called the Axis Mundi, the Heart of the World. But now that tree is wounded, pierced through by magic. And through that wound marches an army of Hunters, led by the sinister and vengeful Beloved. And they are all determined to destroy each and every unicorn. As the unicorns gather to defend their lives, the human girl, Cara, is sent on a mission to meet a ferocious and mysterious dragon. Faced with perilous danger, Cara must make a desperate decision that will change her life forever. With a deft hand and keen imagination, master storyteller Bruce Coville brings this riveting epic fantasy series to a rousing conclusion as the secrets of Luster are finally and satisfyingly unveiled.

One unicorn dwells on Earth. Hundreds fight in Luster. Their legends are recorded in The Unicorn Chronicles. Book II: Song of the Wanderer Cara must return to Earth to save her grandmother, the Wanderer. But to do so, Cara must first travel through the wilderness of Luster, land of the unicorns, full of unknown creatures and perilous adventure around every bend in the road. Only at the back of the dragon Ebillan's cave will she find the gate that can return her to Earth. Embarking on the journey of her life, Cara will face vicious terrain, delver attacks, and a surly dragon. Beyond all this looms one more danger: Beloved, Cara's infamous ancestor, who has dedicated a lifetime to ridding the earth of unicorns. Is Cara strong enough to resist Beloved's ruthless magic and trickery? Can she bear betraying her own blood?

In Luster, the world of the unicorns, a strange new menace arises! Beloved, the great enemy of the unicorns, has stolen one of the Queen's Five, the powerful amulets that allow a human to enter Luster. By combining her own magic with that of the amulet, Beloved hopes to open a gate between the worlds – a gate that will allow her Hunters to launch a full scale invasion. At the same time Grimwold, Keeper of the Unicorn Chronicles, comes upon hints of an ancient story that may hold the key to survival. Reluctantly, the Queen sends Cara and Lightfoot on a perilous mission to recover this story. On Earth, Cara's father begins a desperate quest of his own, a search that begins with one of the strangest bargains ever made. And deep in Luster's forest, the mighty Dimblethum is tormented by tempting whispers from what may be the greatest menace of all . . . Brimming with new characters, filled with magic, mystery, and adventure, the third volume of the Unicorn Chronicles will sweep you into a fantasy world like no other!

Like us, but not quite... A girl who hears the sea amongst the busy streets of Manhattan. A princess born with the strength to clutch a sword hilt. A winged boy who cannot fly. In these stories, the kind where trees can become men and girls wake up with snakes for hair, people are not always what they seem. But they still must discover who they are. Compiled and edited by Bruce Coville, with contributions by Tamora Pierce, Gregory Maguire, Jane Yolen, Nancy Springer, D.J Malcolm, Janni Lee Simner, Jude Mandell, Tim Waggoner, and Lawrence Schimel.

What happens when the wind stops? The air grows hot and still and hard to breathe. Hospitals fill with patients. The world begins to panic. What happens when the wind stops? For Hurricane, this global disaster strikes at his core; but he must recover the magical horn that will fix everything. Can magic be real? And how can it finding the horn rest on Hurricane's twelve-year-old shoulders? This classic epic fantasy from beloved author Bruce Coville will enthrall readers while it reminds them of the magic that lies in friendship and that friendship just might have the power to save the world. For Hurricane, this global disaster strikes at his core. He got his name because he was born during a hurricane, and he has always felt a strangely intense connection to the wind. And now his mother is one of the sick people in the hospital. But what can he do? He's just a kid. When all this turns out to be TRUE, Hurricane embarks on the adventure of his a journey to different worlds, where he will make friends unlike any people he has ever known. He will discover courage, strength, humor, and an ability to bring people together.

When sixth grader Nina Tanleven starts working at an antiques shop, she never expects to stumble onto a mystery -- or into danger. But that's exactly what happens when she and her best friend, Chris, go to pick up an antique wardrobe at old Miss Watson's. From the moment the girls set foot in the run-down mansion, they sense that it's haunted -- even before they discover the tower room with its big brass bed and grieving little girl ghost! But the tower romm isn't the only place holding secrets. In the parlor there's a gruesome painting, which seems to have a terrible hold over Nina. Could there be a connection between it and the ghostly child crying upstairs? As Nina and Chris begin investigating, a second ghost puts in an eerie appearance. The girls realize this could be the biggest ghost-busting adventure of their lives -- if they survive!

" What A Hunk! Too Bad He's  Dead ..." Sixth-grader Nina  Tanleven convinced her architect father to let her  best friend Chris go with them to stay in the old  inn he's restoring. On theafternoon they arrive,  the girls find a faded Civil War photograph of a  very handsome Confederate soldier. Nina and Cris  are stunned when the ghost of the young soldier  suddenly appears at the dinner table that night! They  realize he's the ghost who they've heard haunts the  inn. When he appears to them  again--no one else can see him--Nina and Chris know that  the ghost is trying to tell them something. But  what? To find out, the girls begin investigating  the old country inn. And soon they are swept up in  a frightening mystery that began more than one  hundred years ago--a mystery involving danger, greed,  a hidden room... and a buried treasure!

The Stage is Set... For a Ghostly Scene! For sixth-grader Nina Tanleven, trying out for a part in a play is pretty scary. But nothing can compare to seeing a ghost, a woman in white, sitting in the audience! Nina senses that she has nothing to fear from this apparition, but she is intrigued. Nina learns that fifty years ago, a beautiful actress was murdered--on this very stage! According to legend, she has haunted the theater ever since.... Strange things begin to happen---scripts are ripped up, sets are knocked down, a costume is torn to pieces--and everyone thinks that the ghost wants to stop the show from going on. Everyone, that is, except for Nina and her best friend, Chris, who decide to do some ghost hunting of their own. But only the Woman in White can lead them to the answer!

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 dreamed of. At stake are their honor, their lives, their sanity, and (just possibly) the fate of the universe.

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.

IT'S THE WEIRDEST ALIEN INVASION EVER! "I cannot tell a lie," says Rod Allbright. And it's the truth. Ask him a question and he's bound to give you an honest answer. Which is why, when his teacher asks what happened to last night's math assignment, Rod has to give the only answer he can: "Aliens ate my homework, Miss Maloney!" Of course, no one believes Rod this time, so they don't bother to ask him why the aliens are here. It's just as well, since he is sworn to silence about their secret mission and the fact that he has been drafted to help them!

If the Axis Mundi Falls, Can Luster Survive?When Beloved used the magic of one of the Queen's amulets to drive a tunnel through the great tree at the heart of lLuster, she unwittingly put the entire world in danger. Now the unicorns face disaster on two the Hunters are spreading out in search of unicorns to kill, and at the same time the world of Luster is on the verge of tearing itself apart.While Amalia Flickerfoot, Queen of the Unicorns, makes plans to face the Hunters, her human granddaughter, Cara, is on a mission to enlist the aid of the dragon Graumag. At a desperate moment, Cara meets the mysterious Elihu, who presents her with the most fateful decision of her life.Overflowing with danger, painful choices, and dazzlng surprises, the enthralling sixth volume of the Unicorn Chronicles will sweep you into the heart of a fantasy world like no other! This is a lightly revised version of the middle third of the book originally published as THE LAST HUNT. It contains some minor expansions, as well as one completely new chapter.

The Wall Between the Worlds Has Been Breached! As the Blood Moon rises, Beloved, the ancient and eternal enemy of the unicorns, launches her assault on Luster. But the very act of opening a passage between Earth and the world of the unicorns creates a danger more fearful and far-reaching than even Beloved could have imagined. The unicorns gathered at Autumngrove feel the intrusion the moment the worlds are linked. It tells them that the long-feared invasion has begun. Knowing that they will need help in the struggle to come, the Queen sends Cara out on a perilous new mission. In the meantime, Lightfoot finds himself in the last place he ever expected to be: Beloved's castle on Earth! As the Prince explores the home of the enemy, he makes an astonishing discovery . . . a discovery that will change everything for Cara and her family. The danger grows, new mysteries arise, and the tension mounts in the riveting 5th volume of the Unicorn Chronicles, a book that will sweep you further into a fantasy world like no other! Note: This is a revised version of the first third of the book originally published as THE LAST H

When their scientist parents are assigned to a top secret project on a small, remote island, the five members of the A.I. Gang have to come along, and find themselves trying to stop a spy from destroying the project.

One night two young couples run into an enchanted forest in an attempt to escape their problems. But these four humans do not realize that the forest is filled with fairies and hobgoblins who love making mischief. When Oberon, the Fairy King, and his loyal hobgoblin servant, Puck, intervene in human affairs, the fate of these young couples is magically and hilariously transformed. Like a classic fairy tale, this retelling of William Shakespeare's most beloved comedy is perfect for older readers who will find much to treasure and for younger readers who will love hearing the story read aloud.

Michael and his friend Steve decide to launch a Monster of the Year contest, setting the stage for one of the creepiest beauty pageants ever.

Sixth grade is just out of this world!Susan Simmons can tell that her new substitute teacher is really weird. But she doesn't know how weird until she catches him peeling off his face -- and realizes that "Mr. Smith" is really an alien! At first no one will believe her except Peter Thompson, the class brain. When Peter and Susan discover Mr. Smith's horrible plans for their classmates, they know they have to act fast. Only they can get rid of their extraterrestrial visitor -- and save the rest of the sixth-grade class from a fate worse than math tests!

If Howard Morton and Freddie the Frog Killer were trying to hold you down so that Mary Lou Hutton could kiss you, you might run as fast as Jeremy Thatcher did the day he stumbled into Mr. Elives' Magic Shop. And if you stumbled into that strange shop, you, too, might be asked to make a choice. What would you buy? The Chinese rings? The Skull of Truth? Or the dragon's egg? And if you did buy the dragon's egg, what would you do when you found out you were supposed to hatch it?

To get revenge on King Mildred, Grizelda creates the fiercest dragon the kingdom has ever seen.  He is such a terror that he must be killed. Now if only the dragonslayers could stop arguing long enough to face the greatest battle of all!